This article was last updated on 9 May 2023.
Revision for your GCSEs or Nationals can take over your life if you let it, so it's very important to take study breaks and keep a healthy study-life balance. We've asked our Mind Set coaches and experts to share their tips on how you can keep a good study-life balance whilst revising for your Nationals or GCSE exams.
Watch this short video, and then scroll down for a recap of the tips, and a video from Dr Radha about the importance of a good diet during your revision.
Video: Study-life balance
Iain Don't let studying take over your life. I think it's really important to do things you enjoy.
Rohan I had two hobbies that I kept on during my exams, which are martial arts and stage school.
Milly I love painting. I think it's a really good way of getting your emotions out.
Shay I definitely think that GCSEs can take over your life. When I was doing my GCSEs, there was a few weeks where I barely left my room. But it's so important to go out for walks and see other people and keep your mind active.
Josh Looking after yourself physically and mentally is really important, so that you're in tip top condition to sit your exams. Exercise is a great way to de-stress and feel happier. Everyone always talks about exercise, but it's true. I'd really encourage you to fit even a little bit of exercise in every day.
Baxter Exercise really helped me because after my boxing in for an hour or two hours, I always felt good and always felt like, "yeah, let's just go home this through revision and then tomorrow you can do a bit more."
Josh Sleep hygiene is important. Try to have a routine and to go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day.
Shay I think sleep is so important all the time, but especially during your exams. If you go into an exam and you haven't had a good sleep the night before, you're going to be so tired, your brain doesn't go to work. You can end up falling asleep during the exam.
Lauren A regular sleep pattern is so important because if you start to lose it, then everything else spirals, and also when you are asleep, it really does help your memory just consolidate everything that you've done.
Josh If you find it hard to take your mind off work, play some ocean or rainforest sounds and shut your eyes for 10 minutes. Peaceful moments like these can be really nourishing. Imagine you're in your own happy place on holiday, sitting somewhere, relaxing, spending time with someone you are close to.
Jacintha I like to listen to calming sounds such as rain falls, instrumentals or even crickets chirping.
Josh It's not the amount of time you work for, it's about the quality of work you do during that time. It's much better to spend one hour doing something really focussed than forcing yourself to do three unfocused hours.
Iain I found that if I set amount of time in every day that I could talk to my friends and meet up with them, that meant that I would be more focussed for my exams and get better concentrated revision done.
Jacintha It's very important to choose your study friends carefully. Make sure that you study with friends that will concentrate on their work and won't distract you.
Baxter If you have a best friend and you know he's going to distract you, I'd say just revise on your own, it's probably easier as well.
Chloe I prefer to study by myself because when I'm with my friends, I talk too much.
Josh You'll be juggling a lot of things, exam pressure, revision, possibly a job, friendships and more. Talk to someone if you are struggling.
Nung The school was really helpful for me, and the support was second to none. Never be afraid to ask for help.
Rohan Thinking about the summer holidays was definitely a major motivated me to push through these exams.
Jacintha One of the main things that got me through my exams was knowing we were going to have an amazing summer. It's probably going to be one of the best summers of your life, so look forward to it.
Shay I had concert tickets booked for the day of my last GCSE exam, so I think it's really important to have things to look forward to, so you can take a break after exams are over.
Chloe As soon as summer comes. I have nothing to revise for. I can just live my best life.
Our coaches on study-life balance
It's really easy for GCSE or Nationals revision to take over your life, so you need to make sure to make some time to do things that you enjoy. Iain set an amount of time in his day to meet his friends and talk to them. That meant that he could set some time to focus on his Nationals revision without being distracted. However, Chloe preferred to revise by herself, because when she was with her friends she talked too much! Jacintha has some wise words, "It's very important to choose your study friends carefully. Make sure that you study with friends that will concentrate on their work and not distract you." Nung’s school was really helpful and gave her lots of support to maintain a healthy study-life balance during her GCSE exams – she says to never be afraid to ask for help.
Mind Set expert Anxiety Josh says that looking after yourself physically and mentally is very important. He says exercise is a great way to destress and feel happier. Exercise really helped Baxter with his GCSE revision, doing boxing for an hour or two made him feel good and want to do more revision. But if exercise isn't your thing, you could set some time aside to do another hobby, like Milly did. She thought it was important to make time for doing the things she loved, like painting.
If you'd like to know some more about how exercise can help with your revision, then have a look at this guide from Team GB Olympic gymnasts, Jessica and Jennifer Gadirova.
Rohan said that thinking about the summer holidays was definitely a major motivator to help him push through his exams. Lauren says that having a regular sleep pattern is so important as it helps your memory consolidate your revision.
To find out more about how sleep can be a super power when you are studying for your Nationals or GCSE exams, give this short video a watch.
Tips on eating well for revision with Dr Radha
As well as keeping a balance between your study time and the rest of your life, it’s important to look after yourself by eating properly. Here are some tips from Dr Radha about how to do just that!
Dr Radha I’m doctor Radha Modgil and here's my advice on food and exam success. Make sure you're eating regularly through the day and don't skip breakfast. Your brain needs a constant supply of energy, so make sure you are giving it to it.
Make sure also you're having slow release types of food like eggs, bananas, nuts for example. Not those sugary snacks that everyone tends to reach for when they're feeling a little bit hungry and a little bit bored in their revision.
Make sure also you're drinking lots of water, that’s really good for your brain to hydrate, to keep alert, and to keep focused on your studies. And above all make sure you are eating, when we're stressed, when we're worried we can tend sometimes to not eat enough or not eat regularly and the most important thing you can do for exam success, but also for your health is to eat properly and eat well.
How to maintain a study-life balance
It's really important that we don't overdo it when we're revising and that we keep a healthy balance between work and play. Here's a handy chart to help you remember to schedule time for fun and rest as well as your revision and school work!
What is The Mind Set?
The Mind Set is two things: a series of films to help support you through your GCSEs and Nationals and a group of amazing young coaches who appear in the films.
Our coaches have been through their GCSEs or National Qualifications already. They come from all different backgrounds and all corners of the UK and they’ve all faced different challenges in getting to grips with exam revision. What they’ve got in common is that they all have heaps of exam revision tips, advice, helpful hints, hacks and wonderful words of wisdom they want to share with you.
In the series, we also hear advice from mental health professionals like Josh Fletcher (AKA “Anxiety Josh”) on how to look after your wellbeing and stay resilient during revision and exams season and we have top revision hacks from our very own memory expert, Dr Vanessa Loaiza!
Explore the Bitesize Study Support pages for more information and revision support.
This article was last updated on 12 October 2023.
If you need support
You should always tell someone about the things you’re worried about. You can tell a friend, parent, guardian, teacher or another trusted adult. If you're struggling with your mental health, going to your GP can be a good place to start to find help. Your GP can let you know what support is available to you, suggest different types of treatment and offer regular check-ups to see how you’re doing.
If you’re in need of in-the-moment support you can contact Childline, where you can speak to a counsellor. Their lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
There are more links to helpful organisations on BBC Action Line.
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