YOU might be about to write your mid-term examinations or you could even be facing your final exams.

Whatever the situation and whenever you are going into an examination room, it is never too early to start getting ready for those tests.

Thorough preparations for your exams will provide you with a strong foundation and give you confidence that you can do them and that you will get the grades you want. Here are some tips that might help you to succeed:

• Find your own deep and compelling reason to successfully learn your subject and pass your exams;
• Plan your time to include study, revision and social commitments because a balance between having fun, taking breaks and studying is vital;
• Review your notes regularly to reinforce your knowledge;
• Swiftly skim through your textbooks and course material before you read them in depth to give you an overview of your subject;
• Learn how to remember lists of things by linking each item to a location on a journey or route you are familiar with around your town;
• Before you do any revision, warm up by doing some gentle exercise to relieve any tension in your body and to get a rush of healthy oxygen flowing to your brain; and
• Do past papers under thorough exam conditions as often as possible to familiarise yourself with the format and pressures of working under exam conditions.
• In an examination make sure you read the question completely and that you fully understand what the examiner wants before you allocate your time and begin answering the questions;
• If you are faced with a mental block do not panic. Simply breathe deeply, relax and ask yourself: "If I knew the answer to this question, what would it be?"

-From Happy Child.