- MyAssignmentHelpAu
- 16 Jul 2019
Exams are around the corner and if you haven't touched your books yet, it may turn out to be your biggest nightmare. You cannot just cramp up the syllabus of almost a year in just a few days. You get anxious and you have no idea how you should cope. Hard exams are tough to come by. So what can be done during these hard times for college students? Let us have a look at some tips that will be helpful for you.
- Summarize the information by simplifying it for yourself
Your approach to studying matters a lot. Many times you might have to go through excess of study material that may become tedious and confusing for you to remember. Try to read the study material by breaking it down into parts by making tables charts or diagrams. This helps you remember the information and the key points which you can further elaborate on your own.
- Highlight and then write important points by taking notes
Research says that what you write is what you remember. Therefore instead of typing in your laptop, make use of the good old-fashioned pen and paper to take down the notes of your study material or while studying a chapter. This helps you learn faster and remember longer because when you take notes, you have to reframe the information in your own words. When you do that, you are more likely to better translate these notes in your exams or tests. This method is quite useful as you involve your senses and memory from which you will easily be able to retrieve the information.
- Relax and Exercise
It does sound lazy, boring, and tiring, but exercising and meditating/ relaxing will help in boosting the overall brain power as it helps in getting the required oxygen into our body that in turn supplies nutrients to our brain. A little scientific fact, but is true!! It is important that you take care of your health by drinking enough water so that you do not dehydrate your brain because that is bad for your memory and brain. The most important is sleep. You must get enough sleep for at least 8 hours minimum and straight.
- Reward yourself by completing the daily targets
Make a weekly layout or schedule of your studying time. Set a specific reward for each session or target that you complete. This helps promote memory information and target setting study that is quite effective. They could be as simple as going out for a walk to buy an ice cream or maybe eating something that you have been thinking of eating for a long time.
- Always take short study breaks
It has been proved that taking breaks in between increases productivity and concentration and improves focus. It is a bad idea to get holed up in your room or library for 6 hours straight to study for your test. It is important that you take a break after every hour or an hour and a half because when you get back to study, you start again with a fresh mind. And just maybe you are able to solve that difficult math problem that you were trying for so long.
- Give enough time to study
Don't rush when you are studying. Give proper time to each subject. Try and make a schedule or a planner according to your time schedule and don't leave out things for the last minute. Last-minute studying is partial studying and is not the best approach to studying for an exam. Try and organize your study habits accordingly. If you find a particular subject hard, give it more time.
- Keep your Study pace organized
Try not to clutter your study space and keep your table/ desk clean and organized. Do not study in the dim light and make sure that the area is well lit so that you don't strain your eyes. During the time of your examination, remove any sort of distraction so that you are able to maintain focus during your study time. You must be comfortable in the place where you are studying.
- Practice Previous Year Papers
The most efficient way of practicing and testing yourself is to practice your old exams. This helps you to see your progress and highlights the area where you need more focus. These tests allow you to see a particular question from various perspectives and how you can answer them. It gives you an idea of how well you have studied and also provides an analysis of your time management skills. How coursework help to boost your grades.
- Organize Study Groups
If you are comfortable studying with a group of friends then that is in itself an effective way of memorizing things. When you discuss things with your study group, you remember them well. Try making flash cards during your group study. It helps in retention and last-minute revisions.
- Use flow charts for simplified studying
Visual learning is always helpful. Have you ever wondered why books have diagrams and charts and tables and figures? It gives you a brief idea of what you have studied or what you are going to study. Try to make short notes of the objectives that you have studied and then during the exam time when you are going through it, make sure that you practice by making diagrams or flow charts. This is so because when we write things, we remember them over the things that we have read.
Health is of utmost importance here. Students sometimes don't eat and sleep well during their exams which is not right. What's the use of studying so much when during your exam, your mind is tired and you feel sleepy? For some time, avoid unhealthy food because it doesn't keep you fresh and instead makes you lazy. Keep your body and mind fresh by eating vitamin-rich fruits such as almonds that also help in maintaining concentration and memory.
One last tip is to make sure that you get everything ready before the day of your examination. Pack in your backpack all the stationery that you would need during your examination and some snacks such as granola bars and a water bottle to keep you hydrated. Leave timely and reach your examination center well before time so that you do not have to panic about any sort of delay.
Well, we all know that there is no shortcut to success. No matter what we eventually have to work for it. That too hard work. So if you are working hard, you may as well use these smart tips to work smarter.
