How I Got 100% in My A-Level Psychology Exam
Getting 100% in A-Level Psychology wasn’t because I’m some genius. It was about having a proper system – knowing the specification inside out, doing every single past paper, and actually looking after my brain.
This guide is what I actually did to get the highest Psychology score in the world. No fluff, no “just revise more” – actual strategies that work.
The Question Every Psychology Student Asks
Here’s what it comes down to: master the specification, complete every past paper, and actually take care of your brain. That’s it. Let me show you exactly how I did each of these.
1. Start With the AQA Specification (Not Your Textbook)
Most students don’t realise this: AQA writes the specification and the exams – not your textbook. Your textbook is someone’s interpretation of what might be useful. The specification is the exact content that will be examined.
Every mark scheme is built directly from specification points. If you’re not using the specification as your main study guide, you’re probably wasting time on stuff that won’t even come up in your exam.
Get the Official AQA Specifications (Free Access):
- For 2026 exams: AQA A-Level Psychology Specification (7182)
- For 2027 onwards: AQA A-Level Psychology Specification (7182)
Download these, print them if you want, and keep them next to you when you study. Everything you need to know is listed here.
What I Did:
- Downloaded and printed the full specification – had it next to me every time I revised
- Highlighted every specification point as I covered it – gave me a visual checklist of my progress
- Checked the spec before starting any topic – so I knew exactly what depth I needed
- Made notes structured exactly by specification sections – not textbook chapters, but actual spec points
If you want to save time, check out my specification-aligned revision notes – they’re structured exactly by AQA spec points with all the AO1 knowledge and AO3 evaluation you need.
2. Complete Every Single Past Paper (Yes, Every Single One)
Past papers aren’t just practice – they’re honestly the most valuable resource you have. They show you exactly how AQA phrases questions, what level of detail they expect, and what mistakes to avoid.
Access All AQA Past Papers (Free Access):
Download every past paper from 2015-2024: AQA Psychology Past Papers & Mark Schemes
Get both the question papers AND the mark schemes. The mark schemes show you what examiners are actually looking for.
The approach: Start with open book past papers to learn the content, then move to closed book timed papers to simulate real exam conditions. The papers will tell you exactly what you need to work on.
What I Did:
- Completed every single past paper from 2015-2024 – not just recent ones, literally every one available
- Started open book – this helped me learn what level of detail was needed
- Moved to timed, closed book papers – simulating real exam conditions with no notes
- Marked using official mark schemes – not teacher resources, the actual AQA mark schemes
- Made a master error document – every question I got wrong went into one document, organised by topic
- Copied exact mark scheme wording for each error – this showed me the pattern of what I was missing
Example: I kept getting counterbalancing questions wrong. Instead of just reading the mark scheme once, I copied every single counterbalancing answer into my error document. After seeing the exact wording 5-6 times, I spotted the pattern and never got it wrong again.
How I Tracked My Results:
Initially I used pen and paper to track which past papers I’d done and what grades I got. It was honestly a mess – sheets everywhere, couldn’t see my progress properly, kept losing track of which papers I’d completed.
So I built the Student Dashboard to solve this exact problem. It automatically tracks every past paper you complete, shows your grade progression over time, and highlights your weakest topics.
It’s what I wish I had when I was doing my A-Levels – proper systematic tracking without the spreadsheet chaos.
Check it out: Mr K Psychology Student Dashboard
3. Master Memory Techniques (Psychology is Memory-Heavy)
Let’s be real: A-Level Psychology requires memorising a massive amount of information. You’re presented with over 100 studies (seemingly random ones scattered across past papers and textbooks), hundreds of key terms, dozens of theories, and evaluation points for everything.
You can’t wing this. You need proper memory strategies.
The Content Volume Reality
To get A*, you’re looking at:
- 11 core topics with over 50 specification sub-points
- 100+ studies with exact procedures, participant numbers, findings, and conclusions
- 200+ key psychological terms with precise definitions
- Dozens of theories and models with detailed explanations
- Evaluation points (strengths, limitations, real-world applications) for every single topic
This volume needs systematic memory training.
If you’re struggling to keep track of all the supporting studies you need to ace your exam, check out my 200+ selected studies document – every study formatted exactly as you need it for exams.
What I Did:
- Memorised a deck of playing cards every night – this trained my working memory and showed me I could memorise huge amounts of information
- Used active recall religiously – tested myself on blank paper every night, no notes, just memory
- Explained concepts to my family – my brothers, my friends, anyone who would listen. If I couldn’t explain Bowlby’s attachment theory to my 14-year-old brother, I didn’t understand it properly
- Applied spaced repetition – revisited content after 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks to cement it in long-term memory
Why Teaching Others Works:
When you explain psychology to non-psychologists, you’re forced to actually understand it – not just memorise it.
Example: Instead of saying “Lorenz studied imprinting,” I’d explain: “Lorenz discovered that baby geese will follow literally anything that moves during a critical period – even him! He had goslings following him around thinking he was their mother. This showed that attachment isn’t just about food, there’s a biological drive to attach to the first moving thing you see…”
If you can make it interesting to people who don’t study psychology, you understand it at A* level.
4. Look After Your Brain (Sleep, Exercise, Nutrition)
Your brain is literally your exam tool. If you’re sleep-deprived, eating rubbish, and never moving, you’re sabotaging yourself – doesn’t matter how much you revise.
This isn’t just motivational stuff. The neuroscience is clear: sleep consolidates memories, exercise promotes neurogenesis in the hippocampus, and nutrition affects cognitive performance.
What I Did:
- Slept minimum 8 hours every night – non-negotiable. The hippocampus consolidates memories during sleep. Without sleep, you literally cannot transfer information from short-term to long-term memory
- Exercised 3 times per week – gym sessions that increased BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), promoting neuron growth in memory-critical brain regions
- Daily walks – even 20-30 minutes gave my brain unconscious processing time
- 5 portions of fruit and vegetables daily – your brain uses 20% of your body’s energy. Poor nutrition = poor cognitive performance
- Drank water constantly – even 2% dehydration impairs memory and concentration. I kept a bottle with me at all times
The Psychology of Physical Health:
Sleep: The hippocampus transfers information from short-term to long-term memory during sleep. If you’re scrolling until 2am, you’re preventing memory consolidation.
Exercise: Physical activity increases BDNF, which promotes neuron growth in the hippocampus – the exact region responsible for forming new memories.
Nutrition: Your brain needs glucose and nutrients to function. No fuel = no performance.
5. Eliminate Distractions Completely
Distractions don’t just waste time – they completely fragment your attention and prevent deep learning. Every time you switch from revising to checking your phone, your brain takes 20+ minutes to get back into proper focus.
Social media, notifications, and constant connectivity are incompatible with A* performance.
What I Did:
- Deleted all social media – Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, everything. Completely off my phone
- Communicated via email only – forced me to be intentional, not constantly checking messages
- Limited TV to 20 minutes daily – one episode maximum, no binge-watching
- Put phone in another room during revision – out of sight, out of mind
- Used website blockers – stopped me from unconsciously browsing during study sessions
Why This Matters:
Your brain can’t multitask. When you think you’re “quickly checking” social media during a study break, you’re actually:
- Breaking deep concentration that took 20+ minutes to build
- Triggering dopamine responses that make getting back to revision harder
- Preventing your brain from unconsciously processing information
- Creating shallow learning patterns instead of deep understanding
6. Take Proper Breaks (Revise Smart, Not Just Hard)
This sounds backwards, but breaks are when your brain does its most important work. Memory consolidation, pattern recognition, and deep understanding happen during rest – not during revision.
Revising for 8 hours straight will give you worse results than 5 hours with proper breaks.
What I Did:
- Scheduled real breaks – not “study breaks” where I checked my phone
- NO revision during breaks – completely stepped away from psychology content
- NO doomscrolling – no social media, no news, no infinite scrolling during rest periods
- Screen-free activities only – walks, cooking, talking to family, playing sport
- Gave my brain processing time – this is when unconscious consolidation happens
The Neuroscience of Rest:
During rest, your brain enters the “default mode network” – a state where it consolidates memories, makes connections between concepts, and integrates new information with existing knowledge.
When you doomscroll during breaks, you stop this process. Your brain stays in input mode and never gets the chance to properly process what you’ve learned.
Result: You revise for 8 hours but retain less than someone who revises for 5 hours with proper breaks.
Common Mistakes That Stop A* Grades
- Passive reading without active recall – re-reading notes feels productive but doesn’t create long-term memories
- Revising while exhausted or poorly nourished – your brain can’t function properly in this state
- Not tracking past paper errors systematically – you’ll keep making the same mistakes
- Ignoring the specification – you end up learning stuff that won’t be examined
- Skipping breaks and burning out – stops memory consolidation and leads to worse results
- Not using proper evaluation with SO statements – this is what separates B grades from A* grades
The Bottom Line
Getting 100% in A-Level Psychology wasn’t about being naturally brilliant. It was about:
- Systematic preparation using the specification and every past paper
- Evidence-based memory techniques that actually work (active recall, spaced repetition, teaching)
- Optimal brain function through proper sleep, nutrition, exercise, and hydration
- Strategic rest to allow memory consolidation and deep understanding
- Relentless tracking of mistakes to stop repeating them
Every element works together. Miss one, and you’ll plateau below A*. Master all of them, and 100% becomes achievable.
Ready to Get Your A* in Psychology?
I’ve helped hundreds of students implement this exact system through my bespoke tutoring programme, comprehensive study resources, and systematic tracking tools.
Get the complete system:
- Student Dashboard – Track every past paper, identify weak topics, visualise progress
- Complete Studies Guide – 100+ exam-ready studies with full methodologies and evaluation
- 1-to-1 Tutoring – Personalised A* strategy with the world’s highest-scoring Psychology student
Contact me at mrkpsychology.co.uk/contact to start your journey to an A* .