Then subtract that figure by 30.

Your learning pack should contain all the relevant past papers and other stuff.

To determine what this other stuff is, go to each teacher and ask:

‘If you or your lesson didn’t exist, what learning material would I need to achieve an 8 or 9 in my final GCSE exam?’

Then go to another teacher and ask:

‘if I was stuck on a desert island for 3 months and wanted to get an 8 or 9/A* in your subject, what should I take with me?’

They will probably say: “Revision guide x, textbook y, class handout etc’

Note down their answers and make sure you have/buy everything they suggest.

For example, let’s say you are studying 9 GCSE subjects.

1. English texts + revisions guides + past papers = 146 pages

2. Maths textbook + past papers = 221 pages

3. Biology textbook + past papers = 113 pages

.

.

.

9. Geography revision guide + past papers =124

Total number of pages = 1,480

Let’s assume you have 200 days before your first exam. Subtract 30. That’s 170 days.

To achieve top grades, you’ll need to learn 1,480 pages over this time through self-study, in addition to school work.

If you start revising in November, you’ll need to learn 9 pages a day. (1,480 pages / 170 days)

If you start revising in January, that’s 13 pages a day.

February? 17 pages a day.

It’s very difficult to effectively learn 12 or more pages a day. That’s why you don’t want to wait till February – that’s cram territory.

If you’re reading this in February, having done barely any revision, you’ll need to deploy a different revision strategy that we call DC (Damage Control).

On average, our mentees take 13 minutes to cover each page (that’s including time lost through procrastination and daydreaming).

This means, if starting in November, you’ll need to revise for 2 hours a day (13 minutes X 9 pages) or 9 hours a week.

Starting in January? You’ll need to revise for around 3 hours a day.

February? 3 hours 40 minutes

At the start of our mentorship programme, we give our mentees a challenge to learn 10-pages a day for 10 consecutive days.

About 50% successfully complete this challenge, and remarkably, half of them create a permanent habit.

Those who stay consistent right up til exams usually go on to secure 80%+ across all their subjects.

They quite simply build their revision into their routine.

If you habitually wake up every day, knock out 3 pages before school and then a few pages after school every single day, you will nail your exams.