1. Skills
  2. Listening
  3. B1 listening
  4. Advice for exams

Advice for exams

A teacher in a classroom

Listen to the teacher giving students advice for exams and do the exercises to practise and improve your listening skills. 

Instructions

Do the preparation exercise before you listen. Then do the other exercises to check your understanding.

Preparation

Audio file

Transcript

Morning, everyone. Quiet, please. Right, OK. So, today I'm going to give you some advice to help you prepare for the exams next week. So, make some notes as I'm talking, please. Everybody ready?

Now, while you're studying, eat food that gives you energy. Don't be tempted to eat sweets or drink cola. Sugar won't help you study but fruit and cereals will. Apples, actually, are especially good.

Find a comfortable place with plenty of light when you study. But not 'too' comfortable or you'll fall asleep!

Try and keep a positive mind. It is easier to study when you are positive and relaxed. Now, if you start feeling anxious, have a little break. Go out for a stroll around the block.

Don't try to learn everything. There isn't time. Just choose the 'important' things, the things that'll get you the most points in an exam. And if you aren't sure about this, ask me.

First, learn the main ideas and don't worry too much about the details. If you have time, you can come back later and read the details.

Make notes of these key points and read them, then cover them up and try to remember all the points. Now, it might be boring, but repetition helps you to remember.

Use past exam papers to study. They will help you understand what kind of questions come up. There are plenty of past exam papers in the library. You can photocopy them and take them home.

Take regular breaks while you're studying. A five-minute break every half hour is usually enough. Get some fresh air and stretch your arms and legs. Drink a glass of water too. It's important to keep hydrated.

And, last but not least, good luck! I'm sure you'll all do your best.

Worksheets and downloads

Advice for exams - exercises186.02 KB
Advice for exams - answers242.29 KB
Advice for exams - transcript256.07 KB
Discussion

Does any of this advice surprise you? Have you got any good advice to share for studying for exams?

Language level
B1 Intermediate
Topics
study skills
exams
school
Average: 3.8 (70 votes)
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Comments

Submitted by Ayanali on Fri, 09/27/2024 - 11:55

Two of them surprise me very much(which is don't try to learn everything and don't focus on details) because I usually try to learn everything and focus on details. However, it can help me a lot and I usually got very good marks for my exam.

Submitted by snoopyfii on Sun, 08/04/2024 - 16:04

Fun

Submitted by Shienka Rosa on Thu, 07/18/2024 - 13:53

I don't usually learn only important things because my school's exams usually have questions about little information about what we've learned. My class always wants to get the best score so I'm not surprised much if they even try to learn the whole book ( one of them tried to eat the book and I don't know if he really wanted to do it :)

Submitted by Babs on Sat, 06/29/2024 - 19:18

I usually try to learn everything, even the little details, so that's probally the cause of the most of my fails. Thanks for the tips!

Submitted by Dashaxxx on Sun, 06/09/2024 - 17:06

No, any of those advices didn`t surprise me, because I`m a student and I already know all of them, but I`m sure that it would be important to hear someone who didn`t know it before.
Yeah, I have. I think that making mind maps while preparing for exams is very useful and effective way to remember a large amount of information. You can also make flashcards using some apps on your mobile phone, for instance, ``Quizlet``.

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Submitted by Enami Asa on Mon, 04/01/2024 - 10:14

Thank you for these tips! They are very useful.

Submitted by diverdino-ingles on Sun, 10/15/2023 - 21:42

I think that this was very useful

Submitted by Gunel Gasimova on Wed, 09/27/2023 - 09:44

I think it is very useful topic for students. Before the exam students can be very excited and it is normal. But this tips give them more relax.

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Submitted by Tuan_Nguyen561616 on Fri, 09/22/2023 - 14:56

Great tips

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Submitted by FlowerQueen on Fri, 09/08/2023 - 08:59

Hi!
It's not helpful to learn only the important things, because there also could be some questions about unimportant information. But the other advices were good!
FlowerQueen~♡

Submitted by Addie on Fri, 07/28/2023 - 10:07

Thank you for these very useful advices. I have got other ones. You can do the past exam papers at the same time than friends and schoolmates. It creates a studying energy and brings motivation, of course you have to learn by yourself before. Moreover you can do the class exercises again and read your book's notes.

Submitted by amc on Mon, 07/31/2023 - 21:08

I agree with you. Studying with friends gives you greater motivation and makes it easier.

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Submitted by elfiees on Sun, 07/09/2023 - 07:08

I havent suprised and impressed from this advices because they are essential actions if you are studying for an exam. I and i think many students have learnt this tips by experiencing. Of course they are important but for a student who got many exams while their school life , it is simple for them. I believe this advice for students who are new and inexperienced. My advice is : experiencing and recognizing yourself. If you recognize yourself then you can find the suitable tactics for yourself.

Submitted by queumme on Wed, 06/28/2023 - 12:04

To be honest none of these tips impressed me much, however i find them really helpful! I'd also like to share some advices from my own experience. I guess, meditation and spending time with your family and friends can help you staying calm and relaxed before exams. You shouldn't leave your exam preparation to the end of the deadline as well. Distribute the time for preparing so you won't be as anxious. Good luck to everyone who has an exam soon:3

Submitted by Shienka Rosa on Thu, 07/18/2024 - 13:57

I'm kinda different =) I'm very lazy so I usually wait until there's only one week left to learn everything, that's the way I have motivation. However, I still distribute the time to learn and hardly get anxious because I'm very needless and don't mind about the future. I'm only feel scared when there's 10 minutes left!

Submitted by Mosaab Alanti on Sat, 06/24/2023 - 13:45

the idea of being comfortable has surprised me because I feel soo tired and I choose every time to work hard so I study in an air of stress and suffer

Submitted by thatskyling_ on Mon, 05/01/2023 - 02:23

The advice about not eating sugary food while studying surprised me. I usually eat Oreos while studying and I guess I should change to eating something healthier. I suggest using the Pomodoro method to study in which you take a 5 minutes break every half an hour of studying. Don't study for 1 or 2 hours straight as it could be really tiring.

Submitted by Winnie0900 on Wed, 04/26/2023 - 17:07

The advice about sugary snacks surprised me because I usually eat candies while I'm studying. I guess I have to try to eat fruits instead of candies. About the other advice, I follow all of them. Maybe my best advice for exams is to try the pomodoro method, I think it is an excellent study tool to avoid getting tired.

Submitted by ahgima099 on Mon, 04/17/2023 - 09:43

Yes, of course. I usually drink fizzy drinks while I am studying. I don't know sugar is not good for us. But I have known other advice. I follow some advice of theirs when I study my lessons now.

Submitted by pomelo on Fri, 02/24/2023 - 13:59

I think some are advice helpful and some advice are not helpful. when you want to remember some phrase just read and repeat again

Submitted by Dasha on Sat, 01/14/2023 - 08:15

I already knew almost all the advice and they didn’t come as a surprise to me. But they are really helpful! I decided to share them with my classmates because exams are really scary and difficult! It cause a lot of stress and a person becomes very anxious, but I am sure that the tips from this text will really help!
I think meditation or drawing can help! And what we really love, relieves stress and helps to relax after hard work on preparation! :)

Submitted by Bojunyixiao on Wed, 12/21/2022 - 11:57

Yes! You can study with your friends because it is more fun.

Submitted by mondereck18 on Wed, 09/14/2022 - 00:44

Exams have been always considered something stressfull. However, I think that these types of advices are not only helpful but also a relief for those who really need to feel confident. For instance, I am used to taking long and long notes, and sometimes I do not pay attention on important details, and then I feel frustrated. However, this problematic can be managed, and I have been learning these type of tips. In my opinion, having a good attitude makes the difference. You will feel neither overwhelmed nor dissappointed. I could say that doing yoga may work!!!

Submitted by rebbit2009 on Tue, 07/19/2022 - 12:06

I think it is good advices, I always follow them :)

Submitted by FranklyWrittenWrong on Wed, 07/13/2022 - 03:55

These are basic advices, they are pretty ordinary but works.

Submitted by aycauzz1 on Wed, 06/08/2022 - 05:45

I'm trying to follow most of these advice

Submitted by Edaa on Wed, 06/08/2022 - 05:39

I'm not surprised because our life is full of exams. My advice is to try guys

Submitted by 01Aras on Tue, 06/07/2022 - 10:37

I'm not surprised at all that I know all of this advice.

Submitted by goksu on Wed, 06/01/2022 - 08:27

A very useful piece of advice

Submitted by Rekk_z on Mon, 05/02/2022 - 02:51

None of these advices can surprise me as I've already known that. I often see online like study tips. I'm a lazy student and I don't prepare a lot for exams.

Submitted by vi_chi_ta on Wed, 12/15/2021 - 09:50

awesome!!1
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Submitted by natsu on Mon, 10/18/2021 - 16:27

None of this advice has surprised me. I already knew this advice. I don't have any good advice

Submitted by DanOrtiz on Sat, 10/09/2021 - 00:03

I think they are excellent tips to study, I’m not a person who studies very often, well I don’t prepare to take an exam, but some tips caught my attention so I will put them into practice

Submitted by mayounesse on Tue, 09/21/2021 - 17:02

i've done this task while i was sleepy. i need some sleep before new school day :((

Submitted by Vuquan on Tue, 08/10/2021 - 14:33

This lesson help me to learn a lot of new words. I also learn how to study before the exam. I really like this lesson.

Submitted by Saagii on Tue, 07/20/2021 - 03:45

This advice is so helpful. I like it. My advice is to have a little bit of sleep when you feel lazy and fall asleep. It is so important thing. And take a regular break with between every twenty-five minutes. Some people listen to music when they can focus. Most people go to the library and they can focus. Good luck with your test Do your best

Submitted by Saagii on Mon, 07/19/2021 - 14:58

It is so helpful advice

Submitted by Yati on Thu, 07/01/2021 - 06:54

I really love your advice but I want to tell you more. You should read every article that will be in your exam and underline every important word and phrase. If you find exercise from other websites, that would be better. The best thing is to listen to song when you are studying.

Submitted by mariap_09 on Tue, 02/23/2021 - 14:15

It's very exciting because this advise give me some recomendations to do when I have to study for a exam
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Submitted by Kostantinus on Sat, 01/16/2021 - 09:47

I knew about all of these things before, except the advice about don't eat sugery food during preparation to an exam. It really surprised me!

Submitted by Lozahasan on Fri, 10/30/2020 - 11:25

I completly think that all these advices are good for student especially who are not clever enough.

Submitted by altair28 on Tue, 10/20/2020 - 03:50

the apple, i didnt know that

Submitted by inandosouza2020 on Wed, 09/16/2020 - 19:07

i am surprised about eat food during the exam, by the way, i´m gonna take the exam next year and i was preparing me for it, and i was so anxious for taking it, especially abou the nervousness, well, and i also am going to avoid eat sugar before take it.

Submitted by Voetbalbingo on Tue, 09/15/2020 - 08:32

easy

Submitted by cookiepg on Tue, 08/25/2020 - 03:53

This homework make me study harder
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Submitted by Xuka on Sun, 08/23/2020 - 17:06

I think this advice is essential and important for those who want to better prepare for their exams, including me. I also have a good tip to share for easier collecting knowledge before the exams. I usually flow charts and diagrams to write down main points about a topic of the subject, and then highlight where the gaps lie. Next, I study my materials to accomplish the topic. Do like I made you remember what you learned for longer.

Submitted by pln on Thu, 08/20/2020 - 11:00

actually, ı am suprised about past exam papers, because my high school doesnt allow to take them and take them home. also we cant photocopy them too, we arent allow to do this. the rest of these advice are useful for student who study their exams

Submitted by dma98 on Tue, 08/04/2020 - 20:53

All the advices that the teacher gives are good, they are very important tips that help to be well prepared and arrive without stress to the exam
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Submitted by Caspiterin89 on Mon, 08/03/2020 - 14:40

For me the advices were good, eating healty it's important for being energetic but I think that sleep enough hours is also important, I'll say even more important than eating healty! Another thing that I really care about is the reason why we do things, in this case studying. If we don't have a motivation we won't accomplish things enjoying them, but we'll do them only for a goal and not for an inner cause. So resuming my thought about studying I'll say that first you have to be energetic getting enough sleep and eating well, then you have to find your personal motivation to study, all the others thing are going to come later. Ah! I was forgottening, that school marks are just a number, so you shouldn't care them so much, aim instead on the knowledge!
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Submitted by Andrii on Tue, 07/14/2020 - 18:04

The first advice, that you should eat food that gives you energy was surprising for me. And my advice is that you shouldn't learn any grammar or maths rules by heart, but you should understand them.
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