Exam preparation · lesson 1 of 24 · free

Dreams vs goals — Exam preparation tips

“I want to be great at maths” is a dream — a wonderful wish, but it has no plan yet. “I will solve 10 sums each day until the unit test” is a goal: it is clear, you can check it and it has a date. Dreams give direction; goals are the steps that get you there. You need both.

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Study tip

Dream big, plan small — “turn a wish into a clear target with a date and a first step”

  1. A dream is a wish with no plan yet: “be famous one day”, “be really smart”.
  2. A goal is a clear target with a plan: a number, a date or a first step — “read 2 books this month”.
  3. To turn a dream into a goal: write it down, add a clear target and a finish date, choose the first small step and check it every week.

Use it for: New school year, after a result, before the holidays and whenever you feel “I want to get better at…”.

Worked example: 🌈 Dream or goal: “read 2 books this month”? → a goal

  1. It has a number (2 books) and a time (this month), so you can check it.
  2. So it is a goal.

Check: Try it: write one dream, then turn it into one goal with a number and a date ✓

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✏️ Practice

Work it out in your head or on paper, type the answer and press Check. Stuck? Press “Show me how”.

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🏁 Lesson 1 test

20 questions. Check each answer, then go to the next one. Get 16 or more right to pass.

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🖨️ Goal Setting Worksheet: Dreams vs Goals

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