8 Exam Preparation Tips That Can Change Your Life
Whether you are an average student or a topper or a “poor” student, we all deal with a lot of stress due to examinations. The pressure from parents, teachers, peers, and your own expectations sometimes can make you go through really tough times. Like everyone, I have also dealt with a whole lot of sleepless nights, s tens of cups of black coffee, and the constant urge to pull my hair off.
Over time, I have learned to use some tactics and tricks to deal with such situations, manage my time and get good grades. Some may be cliché but that’s the thing, basic approaches that we ignore can help you get through these times! So I want to share those approaches which worked for me and might as well be beneficial to you.
1. Make a rough action plan
I mean make a routine about how you will finish revising all your lessons. If you don’t define what you do while you study, you will find yourself spending endless hours on a single topic, taking meaningless notes, and scrolling through TikTok in between. To avoid such situations, create a specific action plan and start working. Divide the chapters into three categories- the ones you know by heart, ones you kind of understand but have to go through it again, and the ones you have no idea what’s it about. If your exam is very near, start revising from the chapters you are well-known about, then go to the little-known ones. I used to read confusing chapters first and then get really overwhelmed and mess all other chapters that I knew by heart and then feel guilty about myself. Making a plan makes you feel less out of control; it feels less unknown.
2. Organize your study space
Cleaning and organizing your desk can make you feel motivated and also help you to focus. The unmanaged and messy environment can get you irritated and divert your mind somewhere else. The cleaner the environment, the calmer your mind will be which will help you concentrate. Put all your distractions aside, avoid clutter, and sit with a clean desks with pens and other stuffs you need.
3. Take breaks- Pomodoro Technique
Studying continuously for a long time is exhausting and not productive at all. Although if you break down your study work into intervals and take some breaks in between, it will retrain your brain to focus. Taking a break can be so important than you realize. Traditionally, it’s 25 minutes of work and 5–10 minutes of a break but you can modify it as your wish and concentration power. I have been following this for some months and trust me, it does wonders to your study patterns and productivity.
4. Quiz yourself now and then
Ever studied all day, thought you will excel in the exams, and opened your book once again to revise but then realized you forgot everything? Hah. Been there, done that. It’s the most annoying thing, right? To avoid this mistake, I try to quiz myself after every chapter. Note down the important points that you remember roughly. Try asking questions in your head. Repeat this process after every chapter and while you are at it, revise the previous chapters too. This will prevent the concepts you learn to fade away. Also, explaining or teaching some topics to someone helps you to better grasp them and makes you crystal clear about the topic. So next time you are studying, don’t forget to explain the Second Law of Thermodynamics to your little sister, she will be astonished.
5. Use apps and websites
As ironic as it may sound (since phones are huge distractions), some amazingly cool apps might be a huge advantage for you. Apps like Forest, Todoist, flora, etc help you concentrate and maximize your productivity. Sites like Brainly, Socratic, Quizlet, Chegg can help you solve all your doubts. So, use your resources wisely.
6. Reward yourself
Doing something without having some obvious external rewards can feel really demotivating. Remember when you were smaller your parents used to bribe you to clean your room by rewarding you with chocolates or a ride to the fun park. Use that approach here. Studying can be boring and draining at times. Most of us experience this a lot but we tend to beat ourselves up to the deadlines due to the fear of exams. This kind of approach creates unnecessary stress and will get you nowhere. Instead, after an hour or two of studying you can reward yourself by taking a short walk around a park or a cup of coffee or a short comedy youtube video. But keep in mind; one hour of study doesn’t equal four hours of binge-watching Netflix shows. While this reward-based approach may not develop intrinsic motivation, it will definitely drive you to do something distasteful like studying.
7. Stay hydrated and sleep well
You may get aggressive and frustrated and pull an all-nighter but your brain can’t function normally with the lack of sleep. I used to feel like I am wasting time by sleeping and I used to sit for the exams with 2hrs of sleep, all drowsy and dizzy. NONE of the exams that I had taken that way has gotten be good marks. So trust me or all the scientific research that has been done, 7–8 hours of sleep is a must. Also, you can check out the book ‘Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker which has pretty insightful concepts about sleep. Also, while studying drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated will prevent you from getting weary and also improve your concentration, as they say.
8. Be calm. Try Meditation
Exam times can be really rough. The frustration and anxiety can eat you up sometimes. You have to acknowledge that exams are just a part of life and will come and go. Think about how many exams have you given till now. This too shall pass. Also, to manage this sort of stress, I tried meditating for about 15 mins by just closing my eyes and taking deep breaths and it has done wonders for me. Just letting your thoughts down and being with yourself for some time can calm you down. If you don’t believe me, there are so many researches done in this area. Researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center claim meditating can change the structure and function of the brain through relaxation, which can: Reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, increase focus and learning concentration, Improve memory and attention span.
There are other basic things to keep in mind that you may already be familiar with. For example; get rid of your distractions, study in groups (if you are comfortable), eat healthy snacks, take as many practice tests as you can, and a lot more.
