I'm in première and I just started reviewing for French. I have friends who use apps like Studyrama or Bac+ to practice, but I'm not really sure if they're actually effective. Are there methods that work well for the written exams and the oral?
How many texts do you have on the syllabus right now, three or four?
Apps are fine for quick revision and quizzes, but don't treat them as your main source. They give you a false sense of progress because you're just cramming. For the written exam, what actually works is reading the texts on the syllabus multiple times, annotating them properly, and then writing full literary commentaries. Not summary sheets - actual commentaries from start to finish. You'll see where you're really struggling, whether it's with structure, quotations or analysis. And redo them. And redo them again. It's wild how much it changes after three times.
For the oral exam, read out loud. I know it sounds weird but honestly it changes everything. You get a sense of how you're explaining things, where you speed up because you're not sure, where you lack clarity. Record yourself if you can and listen back afterwards - it's not pleasant but it works. Apps for cramming dates and facts are okay, but spend most of your time on the texts themselves, not on sheets. And ask people from your class to read your commentaries - a fresh pair of eyes really makes a difference.
Apps can help you out, but don't mix up revising with actually working through the texts. What people forget is that you need to read the whole books, not just summaries or study sheets. When you're working on the written exam, you need to be able to quote accurately, to explain a passage without having it in front of you. The quizzes and multiple-choice tests on apps give you the illusion that you know stuff, but they mostly test your short-term memory. It's like doing 100m sprints every day and thinking you're ready for a marathon.
For the written exam, make yourself problem-focused sheets instead of basic summaries. Like, instead of "the hero faces destiny," write "how does the text deal with the conflict between freedom and determinism, with two or three key quotes." Work on transitions between your ideas too - it sounds obvious but that's what makes the difference. The oral exam is way more about fluidity and your ability to defend an interpretation. You need to reread, to recite out loud, to go up against someone asking you unpredictable questions so you can check if you actually understand it or if you're just repeating stuff.
What exactly is your topic on the syllabus? Because prep depends a lot on whether it's poetry, theatre or a novel.
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