Category Archives: Study & Exam Tips
World Mental Health Day 2019
Today is World Mental Health Day, which is celebrated on 10th October every year in order to raise awareness of and support for mental health issues all over the globe. This year’s focus is suicide prevention. Suicide is tragically one of the leading causes of death among 15-19 year-olds. For many young people, the teenage [...]
When A levels go wrong: Clearing or Retakes?
It’s now only one week until CIE A level results are released and nine days until the other boards’ results are released. You’ve applied through UCAS, you’ve got your firm and insurance offers confirmed, so what happens if you don’t make the grades? First of all: don’t panic! You’re not alone – over 60,000 students [...]
Preparing for University Application – Choices, Choices, Choices
The summer holidays are for relaxing and unwinding after a long year of studying and exams, but they’re also the ideal time to begin thinking about university applications if you’re about to start Year 12, Year 13, or a gap year. Recent statistics show that more and more students are dropping out of university before [...]
Clearing 2017 – the best approach to your clearing call
It is results day and you have missed out on your grades. What is the best way to approach clearing? Your Clearing call could be an interview, so organisation is key. Here are some essential tips: Before the call Make sure you have to hand: – Your UCAS Track username and password – Your UCAS Personal [...]
Clearing and results day 2017: prepare your university back-up plan this summer
Even if you feel confident, it does not harm to have a back-up plan. Here are four simple things you should do this summer: Research universities and courses you are interested in with entry requirements below your insurance offer – you can use the UCAS search function to do so; Make a list [...]
Aptitude tests: preparing for an unpreparable test
As university application season approaches, many students will be gearing up to take one of the many aptitude tests increasingly used by top universities to differentiate between the brightest candidates. Aptitude tests assess general academic skills and thought processes rather than academic achievement or concrete subject knowledge, so many assume they cannot be prepared for [...]
The new-look SAT and the ACT
Students aiming for admission to a U.S. university will doubtless be familiar with the SAT and ACT, two different aptitude tests that are designed to enable admissions tutors to assess the suitability of applicants to academic study. What they may not realise, however, is that the SAT has recently undergone its biggest overhaul for decades [...]
Why retake A levels?
The linear A level system was introduced in the early 1950s, replacing the Higher School Certificate, and allowing students to specialise in single subjects of their choice at a higher level. The opportunities to retake those single subjects did not seem overly restrictive at the time, but in 1989 the AS was introduced, and for [...]
SATs: Different (but do-able) for British students
The following article was recently featured in the Fulbright Commission‘s e-newsletter. In it, we discuss the differences between U.S. admission exams and A levels. The American SATs and ACTs can be something of a puzzle for British students. However, having assisted many successful U.S. applicants, here are some hints. First, a word of warning! Some [...]
How to choose an Easter revision course
Senior Tutor, Matthew Uffindell, shares his experience running the original Easter courses and shares his top tips on how to choose the best course for your own examination revision. Students looking for a revision course know they want help, but are often unclear as to the form it should take. ‘Easter revision’ means different things [...]