Study regime takes edge off exam jitters

Sacred Heart Girls' College student Georgia Webber says a year of tutoring in maths and English had prepared her well for the exams. Photo / Christine Cornege

Georgia Webber had "butterflies" in her stomach when she turned up for her first NCEA exam this week.

The 15-year-old is sitting level 1 NCEA exams alongside more than 62,000 other students over the next three weeks.

Her first exam was science, while yesterday she sat English and is now swotting for maths on Tuesday, followed by music and economics.

The Hamilton girl, who attends Sacred Heart Girls' College, said she did not know what to expect when she lined up for science on Monday. "I was so nervous. As I was going into the exam I had butterflies in my tummy. I think I did pretty good in that one."

Across the country more than 143,000 students are undergoing level 1, 2 and 3 NCEA and New Zealand Scholarship exams across 120 exam sessions. Some students will sit exams at more than one level.

Georgia said a year of tutoring in maths and English had prepared her well for the exams and she felt confident about achieving merit grades though economics would be a challenge.

Passes include achieved, merit and excellence and Georgia was counting on marks for attempting questions and showing workings as well as getting the answers right.

"I'm finding it pretty good. But if I wasn't doing the tutoring I don't think I would have done as well."

Her tutors at Numberworks had helped Georgia set up a well-organised study routine. It includes one hour of study for each subject followed by a 10-minute break, then five minutes' testing and revision. The pattern is repeated twice before breaking and is done several days before each exam.

This year the New Zealand Qualifications Authority uploaded a video of study tips to YouTube.

An NZQA spokeswoman said there had been no major issues with the exams so far. A team of 1750 markers will mark the papers by Christmas with results released online from mid-January.

Six top tips for studying

Quiet
Setting up a quiet place for study. If it is too noisy at home, go to a friend's place and study together or to the school library.

Planning
Preparing a study timetable and avoiding procrastination. You need to set a few hours aside at a time.

Turn off
Disconnecting from the internet and social media. You still need to keep connected with family and friends, but get the right balance.

Techniques
Using different study techniques for different subjects - for example reading over notes and old essays for English and practising equations for mathematics.

Diet, rest
Eating and sleeping well. Drinking lots of water and taking regular breaks.

Commit
Remembering it is never too late to study. Every hour may count at exam time.

To find some more study tips go here.