Dr don phillips

Which testing window are you actually racing toward?

Before you plan a single study session, be honest about the deadline pulling on you. A student aiming for a February university intake is working backwards from admission cut-offs, which means the useful sittings cluster in the months right before those offers are finalised.

How does a crowded exam season change how you should study?

A busy season doesn’t alter the marking, but it does alter your margins. When dates are scarce, a failed attempt is expensive — you may wait weeks for another slot, and by then your deadline has crept closer. That raises the cost of walking in underprepared, which is exactly why peak-season candidates should study more conservatively than they might in a quiet month. Practically, that means narrowing your focus.

What should your final week look like whatever the season?

Regardless of when your window falls, the last seven days follow the same logic: consolidate, don’t cram. This is not the time to learn new structures or memorise fresh vocabulary lists. Write two or three full essays under strict timing, mark them against the band descriptors honestly, and note the one or two recurring problems you can still fix in a week — usually pacing or weak conclusions.