When asked about their child’s learning areas they’d like to improve, most parents respond with how to help children get good exam results and higher ATARs to enter their dream university course.
Exam results and marks are almost always the first thing parents notice when it comes to their child’s academic performance. While it’s not the only measure of success or potential in teenagers, exam results are a reliable key indicator of progress and effective learning.
However, getting excellent exam results is more than just studying for hours and memorising content. Results are actually based on your child’s performance and outcomes during an exam.
And the fact about exams is your child is under pressure — to be timed, examined, judged and invigilated.
It’s definitely a lot for a young person. A 2021 report by ReachOut confirmed that about 50% of children feel extremely stressed about study and exams, highlighting study stress as one of the biggest challenges teenagers face today.
There are many factors that can trigger your child’s exam stress, like the uncertainty of exams, the expectations and pressure of how they’ll compare with their cohort, and the worry that they might let you down.
In this article, we’ll explore what you can do to address the study stress and anxiety, so you can help your child prepare and get higher exam results for the rest of the school year.
How Ijay Boosted His Exam Results
When we met Ijay, he was a 15-year-old boy with ADHD who didn’t seem to have much of a plan for his studies. He was usually underprepared and stressed for his exams, leaving study and assignments at the last possible minute.
Ijay’s parents, Steve and Cathy, tried to help, but he would get defensive about school and sneak around. In his Term 3 English paper, Ijay unfortunately had a mind blank. He also failed three other subject exams at that time. That’s when Steve and Cathy knew it was time to seek external support and correct his trajectory before Years 11 and 12 started.
Our team worked with Ijay to identify his own energising definition of academic success, reduce his overwhelm and improve his exam performance. We introduced a strategic approach to proactively organise his assessments and revision, prepare for exam conditions and maximise his knowledge retention.
By Term 4, Ijay increased his results by 30% across most subjects, almost doubling his Term 3 Maths result at 87%. We also helped Steve and Cathy review and optimise Ijay’s strategy for Year 11. Ijay achieved steady assessment marks between 86-92% in his Term 1 exam block, including his highest Maths mark ever.
Good Preparations Make Good Exam Results
But Ijay’s success story actually starts with his parents, Steve and Cathy, who took the first step to identify what Ijay needed — a plan with better exam preparations and a more strategic approach in lifting Ijay’s trajectory back up.
If your child struggles with mind blocks or panic attacks during exams, just like Ijay, then they need better exam preparations to achieve exam mastery, where your child no longer struggles to get good exam results.
Many parents and teenagers think that exam preparation only starts when assessment notifications are issued. But good preparations involve planning long before an assessment is even mentioned.
The full exam preparation process takes 11 to 13 steps, depending on your child’s goals. Each one is distinct and builds upon the last stage. Unfortunately, most students and parents are only aware of five steps and students who score below 70% only accomplish two of these steps at most.
It’s important for parents to create a process and implement a strategy that would accommodate all the steps in your child’s exam preparation timeline. It’s the best way for your child to gain the necessary skills to achieve exam mastery and higher exam results.
You don’t have to do this alone. If you’re not sure which exam preparation steps your child might be skipping, or your child doesn’t know how to start planning their assessments, our expert strategists can help. We’re committed to understanding how each child thinks and helping them get that perfect response on paper without feeling overwhelmed or underprepared for exams. You can click here to book a time.
But if you’re looking for something more specific for Semester 2, we’re preparing a SPECIAL event this June designed to guide parents build a strong runway for Years 11 & 12 and help their child achieve a higher ATAR. It’s going to be packed with guest experts on career and university planning, academic productivity and well-being.
Check out this link for more details: https://studyresources.com.au/education-tipping-point-2024/
