1 – FUEL – It’s essential to fuel your brain in order to tackle your TMA. I know it’s bad but I fuel my TMA writing sessions with chocolate! I’m certain that it wakes my brain up and helps me to focus. You don’t have to use chocolate, use whatever works for you but make sure you’re alert and ready to go.

2 – THINKING TIME. You’ve read all the books, done the exercises and watched the DVDs provided but you may well need time to digest it all. I know I do. Having time to think about everything I’ve learnt is crucial to my understanding. During my thinking time I often get into deep conversations about the subject. All this helps me to digest and ultimately build my own conclusions ready to answer the TMA question. Once you start writing, take a step back every now and then. Think it over again, are you getting your points across clearly?

3. A SHOULDER. Yes, a shoulder. That’s one to cry on! If you’re lucky enough to have someone supportive around then grab onto it and use that shoulder when you need to. Writing a TMA can be extremely challenging and sometimes all we need is that bit of support from someone who cares, someone to listen and encourage.

4. TUTOR. Your tutor is there for a reason, use them. It is an important part of the journey to be able to understand the materials for yourself but that doesn’t mean that you can’t ask for clarification or assistance. Your tutor is trained to point you in the right direction and a little advice can make the difference between a challenging TMA and an almost impossible one.

5. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. I know it sounds cheesy but it’s an important lesson to learn. Often I will start with a very simple point in my head which is the main point to answer a TMA (‘The answer to that TMA question is basically this…’). Then I create a huge load of stress, go off on all kinds of tangents, fill my head with way too much detail, think I don’t know how to answer the question, think I can’t do it at all and sometimes cry. Then I get back to the most succinct points (which are usually my original thoughts). So trust yourself, you’re probably right!