How do I revise for my GCSEs when I don't care about the subject matter?

Hi, I can relate to this a lot- I am really bad at making myself study things or do things that do not interest me or seem pointless. And I really struggle with writing and whilst I loved reading I absolutely hated dissecting books for GCSEs or the IB. So I can relate and I know how frustrating it can be. 

My usual strategy is to essentially make whatever seems uninteresting become interesting if I can- find a niche that I can explore or something about it that relates to another interest etc. That might be more difficult in this case though but can you maybe trick yourself into making it into a challenge (like - can I manage to do xx hours on this?) or if you have to go through the characters can you as a bonus maybe think of all the ways in which they are annoying and stereotypical and how you would have made them different? (just an idea) try to turn your frustration with it into something that can somehow engage you. Even if it is just thinking of all the flaws in the book - if it captures your interest maybe it will help you study what you need. I also used to quite like making my own set of nice notes or mindmaps with colours etc and that was quite satisfying and made it a bit more interesting. 

Finally, just remind yourself that in a few months you will never ever have to look at 'An Inspector Calls again' . the big advantage is that the further you get in education the more choice you have in terms of what you actually study. At my university it was amazing and I could pick subjects from year 1 and had a lot of flexibility- there were some topics I liked less of course but by year 3 I had almost complete freedom and could explore what I was interested in. So it can only get better after this. 

And I just want to say as well that I have a huge respect for your writing skills!! I find writing really horrible and I have massive respect for anyone who is so comfortable with it as you!! 

You can do this. Find some way of making studying for this English GCSE into a challenge and if possible try to make it interesting in some way. Good luck!!

I remember those exams, I still think "I've at least got my MCSE" then remember it's windows 2003

It's Maybe time to think about some more current certifications.

That said I've stayed in IT, learnt a huge amount  more , gained experience and done a few moves. but all with the same firm, so it's hard to motivate to get accredited for things unless they are "needed" like trying to get a new job elsewhere.

I'm ASD (diagnosed) and was told I was also ADHD But would need to formally get that diagnosed to have it on my record, I haven't yet..

I have found that now I know why I do things (or don't want to do them!) I can trick my lack of interest in something into becoming an interest. It's all about motivation.

If I don't like the subject of something I need to do and can't commit, I find another motivation for doing it, usually "I don't want people to think im rubbish at this so I'll have to knuckle down", then I think some mechanism from my autistic masking kicks in and makes me pretend to be interested enough to get it done. Failing that I tell myself I'm likely to get sacked if I don't and my self serving ADHD then gets a slap from my more self preserving autism.

I guess I'm trying to say "find another reason to want it, rather than liking it" ??

Once the exams are over you probably won't ever need to think about the subject in that way again.

Good luck! Hope you get on ok.

Honestly this is one of the main reasons I decided I didn't want to pursue film academically. I had been considering it but genuinely, as an enjoyer of "film snob" films I don't want them ruined for me because some underpaid uni prof is looking way too deep into it. The colourful pens/post-its sounds like an interesting course of action! I fear it may be too late for the full extent of that method but I have been doing something similar (I highlight all of my notes in no particular code just so they pop out more and my brain stays engaged with them) for a few years! 

Thus would explain so much actually, but I've been having trouble finding advice in general because despite it being 2024 some orgs still think autism disappears when you turn either 13 or 18 and that only boys can get it :/ BUT I shall take the advice of looking for ADHD stuff because I never really considered it, I always thought it was my autism freaking out about scheduling around my current routine :3

Medication is a weird one because I am not diagnosed yet, I'm on the waitlist. My diagnosis should be sometime in September but until then I don't have many legit means of acquiring medication. I've been considering trying caffeine because it was what two of my brothers use(d) to self-medicate (my older brother favours Monster Energy while my younger favours coffee), but I don't like coffee and I'm anxious about trying new things like that both of my brothers have ADHD (older is undiagnosed, but my mum has offered to pay for a private diagnosis when she gets that on her insurance since he is my step-brother, and my younger is diagnosed AuDHD)

White knuckling it seems like my best course of action, reading this. Which I guess is fine considering none of this will even matter come the end of June.

spiritedmagus said:

No "autism advice for teens" sites have anything close to what I'm asking.

It's probably because this all sounds classic ADHD, to be fair. Might be much more helpful to look up ADHD'rs advice :) 

spiritedmagus said:

I'm struggling to self-motivate because I'm struggling to care about what I'm studying

This is a pretty big life lesson and one for which there is no easy answer to I'm afraid.

You will get this time and again through your life, whether it be studying something new at work, some project you need to do to your home, an issue for your partner or family or even just doing your tax returns.

I hate doing these things but found for many decades that if you don't find a way to do it then you get left in the dust or the implications are dire (in the case of tax).

My solution was to set a period of time aside for it, gather everything needed and close myself away from the outside world without any possible distractions and I could only get out once i was done.

That was how I got through over 20 Microsoft qualifications and a load more technical exams to keep my skills relevant, how I tackled big projects (like moving to a foreign country with a new job without help) and a load more things where the subject matter was boring me to death.

The only way out is through it - once you learn a process that works for you then you know what to expect and how to cope and the anxiety lowers, making it less of a pain and more of a slog.

If your ADHD is really holding you back then have you considered some medication? I believe it is one of the neurodiverse "conditions" that responds well to drugs (the ones prescribed by a specialist doctor, not your neighbourhood dealer that is).

The quickest and easiest way to kill a love of a book, film or play is to have to study it for GCSE or O levels if your as old as me. I've known people with a real passion for Shakespeare for example, but for the one they were made to study at school.

I was told by my special needs tutor at uni to write down various bits of information in bullet points in coloured pens, on cards and stick them on the wall, a different colour for each subject. I'd glance at them during the day, but for me it worked and the information stuck long enough to get through the exams. I dont' know if this will work for you, but try not to get in a flap about it all, EVERYBODY feels the same, even if they loved the book, play or film before having to do it for an exam.