Released to coincide with the first ever National Revision Week, the findings show that around 65 per cent of students think that they should start revision at least seven weeks before exam time.
However, in reality only 27 per cent actually do. Instead, 33 per cent start five to six weeks before, 21 per cent three to four weeks before, and 12 per cent one to two weeks before. Seven per cent of respondents in the poll of more than 500 GCSE and A level students said they started with less than a week to go.
National Revision Week began on Monday (April 20) and is being hosted by the mental health charity YoungMinds in conjunction with free exam preparation app Gojimo.
At the same time, the respondents were asked, on a scale of one (“zen-like calm”) to five (“terrified an freaking out”), how stressed they were about their exams. Sixty-two per cent said they were at either five or four on the scale, while only 11 per cent opted for one or two.
A campaign website for National Revision Week is offering a range of advice and guidance for students, including planning tools, help getting organised, stress-busting advice, and revision tips.
Gojimo founder, George Burgess, said: “Exam time is the most important part of a child’s progression in life, whether they decide to go on to further education or not, and consequently, it becomes one of the most stressful times.
“For many students, it will be the first time they will have ever really faced stress, worry or anxiety; it was for me. Like most students, I was a crammer, but it’s certainly not something I would encourage as it doesn’t support long-term memory and can lead to stress.
“One of the things we’re now trying to do is encourage students to study little and often, which is far more effective than one big push in the few days before an exam.”
For more on National Revision Week, visit www.nationalrevisionweek.co.uk and for the free app, go to www.gojimo.co