If you are about to start preparing for your upcoming exams but don’t know where to start, then we’ve got you covered. In this article, we will cover a variety of study tips that range from exam preparation all the way through to how to approach writing an exam.
General Tips on How to Study Effectively
While studying for an exam might seem daunting, there are certain strategies and practices you can apply to ensure you get the most out of your studying sessions and effectively prepare for your upcoming examinations.
1. Create a Study Schedule
Before you start studying for any of your upcoming exams, it is important to create a schedule that outlines your study time and process for each subject. Start by making a list of all your subjects. You can then determine which topics and concepts need to be covered for each subject.
It is a good idea to determine which subjects and concepts you struggle with most, allowing you to prioritise those subjects and concepts. This will help you block out the right amount of time to comprehensively study for each subject.
2. Organise a Dedicated Space
It is advisable to create a space that is dedicated to doing school work and studying. Once this space has been allocated and stocked with everything you will need, it is important to organise it effectively and keep it organised. An organised space will help you feel in control and reduce stress.
While organising is extremely important and should be maintained once established, it is important to not become obsessed with organisation. If you are constantly tidying and organising, it can become a distraction and even encourage procrastination. Therefore, try to perform maintenance at the end of each day and get the space ready for your next study session.
3. Remove Distractions From Your Space
Distractions such as phones, TV, radio, and even pets should be removed from the space in which you are studying. Instead, utilise what would be a distraction as a reward for a job well done.
Once you have finished a section and completed a good study session, reward yourself with some screen time, or play with your pets. This will help motivate you to focus on the task at hand so that you may do something you enjoy at a later stage.
4. Be Aware of Procrastination
Have you noticed that you often keep yourself busy with other small, but seemingly important tasks and try to delay sitting down to focus and study? This is known as procrastination. It is something that many individuals struggle with but should be avoided.
Procrastination can cause more stress than necessary, as you are effectively reducing the amount of time you have to study. This will make it much harder to apply effective study methods and will force you to cram before an exam, instead of calmly working through the course material.
If you notice yourself procrastinating, stop what you are doing, return to your studies, and stick to the schedule you have devised. There will be time to complete those small tasks later on in the day or week.
5. Seek Support when Necessary
Exams can bring up a well of emotions, insecurities, and stress. During this time, it is important to be open about what you are experiencing. Speak to your parents about the difficulties you are facing.
They will be able to help you manage your stress levels and can even enrol you in extra tutoring classes if you feel you are struggling with a certain concept. Sometimes, just expressing your feelings will already alleviate the negative emotions you are experiencing.
6. Take Care of Yourself
As you will be expending a lot of energy on studying, it is important to look after yourself. This can include getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, eating healthy foods, exercising, and scheduling some much-deserved relaxation time into your calendar. All of these small changes can make a world of difference to your brain function and energy levels, ensuring that you stay focused and alert during the examination period.
How to Study for Exams
While each student might have a different learning style, there are 2 helpful tips that can be applied by any student to ensure they truly understand their course work and the concepts to be covered for an exam.
1. Write Timed Practice Exams
Once you have worked through your course material and are confident in your understanding of a subject, it is good to test yourself. Make use of past papers and try to complete them without referring back to your study material.
This will give you an accurate indication of how well you understand the material and whether or not some extra studying is required. It will also prepare you for the type of questions that will be asked in the examination.
When completing these past papers, remember to time yourself so that you can be sure you will not run out of time on the big day.
2. AICE Exam Preparation Courses
CambriLearn offers an exam preparation course that will greatly benefit those students who have not yet completed all of the course work as well as those that have completed the course work but want to achieve exceptional results.
The course runs over an 8-week period and contains weekly lessons with a teacher that covers the entire syllabus. The students enrolled in this course will also receive access to the entire lesson library and be able to complete pre-assessments and final exams based on past exam papers. Once a student has completed this course they will be truly ready to take on their upcoming examination.
How To Write Exams Effectively
When sitting down to write an exam, there are some strategies that you can implement to ensure you get the best results possible.
1. Read Questions Properly
While writing an exam it can be tempting to read questions as quickly as possible so that you may have more time to complete the question. However, this can be dangerous as you could miss an important component in the question and perhaps misunderstand what is being asked of you. Therefore, spend time reading the question properly. You can even break the question up into sections to better understand it.
2. Answer Easy Questions First
It is advisable to go through the entire exam and mark the easy questions. You can then answer those questions before returning to the questions that are more challenging. This will ensure that you cover everything you know well and are sure to gain those marks. It will also allow you to spend more time on the tricky questions.
3. Take Care with Multiple Choice Questions
When completing multiple choice questions it is important to check and re-check your answers. Make sure that you have not accidentally filled in two answers to a question (unless requested).
It is also advisable to ensure you answer all of the multiple-choice questions. Even if you have no idea what the answer is, it is better to give an answer rather than none at all.
If you follow all of the tips and tricks suggested in this article, you should be able to work through the entire syllabus, understand the concepts, and succeed when writing your exam.
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