Cambridge International IGCSE Exams can be academically challenging for students due to the vast syllabus offered in a wide range of subjects. Therefore, studying for IGCSE exams is all about managing your time properly not only during the exam but also when you are preparing for the exam.

Planning your preparation for the exam is a skill. Remember, an hour of planning can save you 10 hours of doing. As rightly said in the words of Margaret Thatcher – “Plan your work for today and every day. Then work your plan.”

Here are some of the best tips on careful planning and study techniques on how to prepare, study and give your best shot during your IGCSE Exam:

Have a timetable both for study and revision – IGCSE is a detailed syllabus to learn. Planning a time table, in advance, like a month before the exams, for each subject both for studying and revising it, enables systematic study. Planning a day’s task one day before is always better. Set a goal before you study to be on track and review your progress. The most important thing while building a timetable is prioritising the subjects. Make sure you give ample time to weaker areas of each subject.

Know your learning style – One should know his/her learning style, whether you prefer studying in groups or alone. How do you learn and gain more, in terms of learning, understanding and memorising the concept? IGCSE students might prefer studying in groups to exchange and share their knowledge with each other and also help overcome problem areas in various subjects. This is because the IGCSE exam pattern asks students to write the answers in a certain way and not just by memorising a topic.

Practice past exam papers – This is a great way to gain confidence over your knowledge and understanding of the subject. But don’t try to cram more than 2-3 practice papers a day. Also try to time yourself while solving a paper, to have an actual and real exam feeling. It helps one in handling the exam time pressure. Don’t forget to check the right answers of your practice paper. One can easily find Cambridge IGCSE Past Exam Papers online.

Devise some study tools – You must be wondering what are study tools? Well, study tools are basically smart-ways to memorise or remember what you studied. There are tools like Mind Maps that are defined as diagrams used to visually organize information. It is an image drawn in the centre to which associated or main words or parts of words are added to connect with the main central concept. These words and ideas that branch out are basically overview of the main with clear subheadings, like the one shown in the image below:

Yet another study tool is Note-taking, which is often mistaken to be a very time-taking task. Note-taking doesn’t mean writing everything that you study, rather it is about writing down examples, key concepts, equations, formulas etc. Picking up important things taught during a lesson is an important skill. It improves your observation and listening skills. Note-taking is not just restricted to when the class is going on, but is equally beneficial when you are reviewing your lesson at home. It helps you in checking your understanding of the topic.

Since the IGCSE syllabus is quite vast with objective type exam patterns, study tools like Mind-mapping and Note-taking can be of great help for IGCSE students.

On the Day of the Final Exam - And finally, on the day of your IGCSE exam, take a good night’s sleep, don’t burn the midnight oil; resting your body and mind is more important just before a day of your exam. It also helps in getting up early in the morning of your exam day. Sleeping helps in retaining the learned information, making you more productive. And don't forget to double check your Exam I-Card, Stationary Items etc.

While giving the Exam – Ensure reading the instructions before attempting the questions carefully. Then read each question carefully and skip the ones that might take too much of your time. Note down these question numbers at one place and try attempting them at the end. Solving the ones first, you are confident about, is making use of every minute during the exam.

Last, but not the least, an ultimate formula to succeed in the IGCSE exam is by following the 4P’s Formula: PLAN - PRACTICE - PREPARE - PERFORM