Top ten tips for a hit year

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Get started - now! A task begun is already half done. Achievement will increase your confidence, especially if you start with something difficult. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. As the song goes: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going".

Be enthusiastic

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm" (Emerson). Think positively; believe in yourself. Consider your studied a challenge rather than a problem. You are not what you think you are, but what you think, you are. You will have ups and downs during the year; treat every experience - good and bad - as an essential part of the learning process.

Set goals

In a survey of the most successful people in Europe, the top five per cent said they were successful because they set personal targets. Even if you haven't yet decided on a career, set short term goals: to implement a study plan, to improve your marks each month.

Don't be vague about what you are trying to do. George Bernard Shaw wrote: "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them.

Organise yourself

Plan the term and year's work. A plan gives you confidence, helps organise your study and revision, saves time, gives you a map, something definite to follow. Remember: no one plans to fail; what they fail to do is plan. Whenever you feel listless, makes a list of things to do - and do them. Ensure that your plan is broken down into do-able steps. Have an overview of each subject; if you haven't, ask your subject teacher.

Manage your time

Someone once wrote

Time past is history . . .

Time to come is just an illusion . . .

Time is here and now . . .

Now is the only time we have . . .

Manage your time.'

Prioritise your work, establish a routine and stick to it. Begin your study at the same time each day; try to study in the same place; do written homework under exam conditions. Vary the type of work and take frequent breaks. Time management enables you to get things done helps to reduce stress, and creates the right balance between work, rest and play.

Listen, ask, understand

Listen attentively in class. Learn to take and make good notes. Ask questions in class; ask yourself questions when studying or revising; ask for help if you experience problems. You must understand a topic before you can learn it properly. Remember the golden rule: "Looking FOR is more important than looking AT".

Always make a list of questions before you begin a study session. Most textbooks have questions at the ends of chapters: use them.

Practice questions

Practice will not make you perfect but the better you practise, the better you get. Keep a close eye on previous exam questions. If you are set an exam question for homework, study first and then answer the question under exam conditions. Know that developing effective exam techniques is as import ant as revision or homework.

Develop your memory

Memory is a connecting and interlinking process. Learn techniques to improve your memory: link topics, make revision cards, learn memory aids such as mnemonics, acronyms, rhymes, visualisation, etc. We forget because we lack motivation or fail to review material at regular intervals. Do not indulge in mental photocopying. Overlearn key facts/concepts.

Switch off

There are two important switches you must click off during the year: first, switch yourself off by keeping up hobbies and games and second, switch off the radio/TV while studying because background noise interferes with memory.

Use common sense

The least common and least practised thing in this world is common sense. You have a lot of it yourself but your parents and teachers have more experience of it. Seek advice: listen and learn.