Some say children are over-tested these days

The advice of the prime minister's wife made it into the top 10 tips for students issued by the exam board, Edexcel.

Thousands of pupils will be sitting AS-level exams this month and many more will spend the coming months revising for summer exams and tests, from standard assessment tests (SATs) to GCSEs and A-levels.

Pupils are now put through their paces at seven, 11, 14, 16, 17 and 18 and England is said to put its children through more public exams than any other country in the developed world.

In an attempt to quell pupils' nerves, Edexcel has compiled a list of 10 exam tips:

1. Try to keep to the revision timetable you have created. Make sure your parents know that if you are "not working", it is your relaxing time on the plan.

2. Know where your exams are and when they start. Prepare items needed for the exam - calculators, rulers, etc - the evening before.

3. Make sure you have one day over the weekend when you do not do any revision or think about exams - you will come back to it refreshed.

4. Keep bullet points on crib cards highlighting main subject theories. Use these for quick revision and for reading during "dead" times such as waiting for a bus. Use mnemonics - using initials of a word to help memory.

5. If you revise well by listening, record your revision onto cassette tapes and then listen to these while lying in bed, travelling in a car or walking to the shops.

6. Ensure you eat and sleep properly. Now is not the time to diet or stay up all night. Have an early night before the exam.

7. Look after yourself during the exam period - keep a good routine and eat healthily. Be sure to cut down your hours on any weekend or evening job.

8. If you are ill before the exam, or if there is a family crisis or problems, tell your teacher because this could affect your exam performance and special consideration can be taken when the examiner is marking your paper.

9. On the morning of the exam, have a good breakfast, stay calm and allow plenty of time to get to the exam.

10. Remember, you can only do your best and even if you do not do as well as you hope, your parents will still love you just as much - as Ms Booth says.