Introduction
Examination season is when all the students try to study as much as possible and give their best on the final day. However, during this time, it's very normal to feel anxious and a bit stressed out. One can feel pressured because they have to strategize how to get good grades, while also keeping up with understanding and retaining all the information in the textbook.
While different strategies work for everyone, there are some tips that you may follow to avoid getting distracted from your studies. Such smart tips can help you perform well and grasp the most information within a short period. Also, it reduces the likelihood of anxiety and stress as following these tips may help you stay organized and prepare promptly. Keep reading to learn about such smart examination preparation tips.
How to Ace Your Examination Preparation
If you are struggling to keep your focus on your studies and want to improve your learning outcomes, here are some smart tips for making the best out of your examination practice.
Making notes is an excellent way of putting down important information and pointers. By doing so, you do not have to go through the chapter again and again for revision. You can simply go through the handwritten or typed notes and re-read the important information. Additionally, writing while trying to memorize may enhance your ability to retain better. As per the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology published in 2022, making notes not only helps simplify the learning process but also makes revision less cluttered for you.
If you have a timetable, you may feel more organized and utilize your time more effectively. You might often struggle to complete all your tasks in a day because of a lack of time management and efficiency. However, making a timetable and trying to follow it may help you get on track and closer to your everyday targets. To keep things interesting, you may change the course of activities you must do in a day from time to time. Additionally, you may also leave some space in between for rest and rejuvenation.
Sometimes studying a particular subject throughout the day may make you feel bored. Hence, it's essential to rotate things a bit and study at least two subjects daily to stay more focused and engaged. This may help you switch things up as soon as you start feeling disoriented by continuously studying a particular subject. However, during this time, it's important to remember that one must try to complete a particular portion of a subject before switching to the next one. Leaving things in between may not lead to the best learning outcomes.
Taking a written test is one of the best ways to check your preparation and systematically understand your weak points. As per the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education published in 2019, written tests may also help with retention and enhance revision quality. Such tests may also help a child not feel stressed on the final day of the exam, as they have already practiced writing answers. The child is more likely to retain information even in the future if they appear for more written revision tests.
You need to give yourself a little bit of a break between your study sessions. Not taking breaks may make you feel extremely overwhelmed and oversaturated. As per Plos One published in 2022, taking brief breaks in between your long study sessions may help with better concentration and retention. You may use these breaks to have snacks or eat a meal. Additionally, you may listen to some soothing music or play a game to instantly lighten up your mood and get back to studying with a fresh mindset.
While reading is very important for you to truly understand a concept in depth, you may also try reciting what you have just read. As per the Effect of Recitation Method to the Students' Interest and Learning Results, recitation may help you remember more and you may not have to spend extra time trying to memorize a particular piece of information. This also helps in enhancing your logic and understanding of the concept. You can follow a 20% read and 80% recite policy. After reading one page, you may close the book and recite all that you have read to yourself in your own words.
One of the most important things to remember is that other than focusing on your strengths, it's also important to work on your weaknesses. Giving continuous practice tests may help you truly evaluate your weak areas. After understanding your weakness, try to go through that concept again and again until you truly understand it in depth. If one learning method doesn't work out, then you may switch to other resources for better clarity. However, leaving a particular chapter or concept because you don't understand it may create future problems.
Conclusion
By planning your time efficiently and following the above-given strategies, you may observe many positive changes in your performance in exams. Rather than rote memorization, you can focus on conceptual clarity and take effective breaks between your preparation to make the best of your pre-examination time.
