Use your books until they're battered, and don't quit after one goWhat should your books look like by exam day?

Use your books until they're battered

By the time you sit your exams, your books should look battered and bruised. Too often, people arrive for an exam with books that look fresh out of the wrapper, with no creases. They tend to fail, and when asked if they used the book, they say they "don't find it very useful".

Your books · keep them open on the relevant page whenever you rewatch a lesson Tab and highlight them (see the colour code in section 12)

Don't quit after one go

Picture someone in a real panic, still early in their studies. A complex topic hasn't gone in, they feel they need the whole thing explained again, and they're thinking of giving up.

The blunt truth: you can't have the attitude that when something's difficult, you'll quit. Nobody hands you the qualification. You earn it by learning it, and that's down to you.

• Sometimes an explanation won't suit you, and that's fine. But give it at least two or three goes yourself before you look for a different explanation.
• Distractions are normal. At home someone brings you a cup of tea and a chat, and you've missed two minutes — at least here you can rewind. Or it's the window, or your phone. Most of us were distracted at school too.
• When it happens, tell yourself: "I took a knock. I'm going to get back up." Then rewatch that part, and summarise as you go using your page layout.