Busy Bee Recruitment writes:
This is such a daunting time for those hoping to get the required grades to be considered for their dream job or for those wanting to gain their place at the most respected university.
We know how stressful and overwhelming studying for an exam can be, we have all been there!
To increase the likelihood of acing your upcoming exams, here are four tips to better your chances.
Create a Study Schedule
The time that you have within the last few weeks leading up to an exam should be spent wisely. It is not advised to be spent pulling an all-nighter the night before, desperately trying to cram the entire course into your head. To avoid this, create a schedule that is easily noticeable as you walk into a room. You could include key dates such as assessment submissions and exams, this way you can set the time scale between these dates that you will use for studying.
Be mindful of where you study
Whether you create a study plan or not, studying will never be productive if your location is not realistic. You wouldn’t be caught studying in the club as there would be far too many distractions, so why choose to surround yourself with other interferences. If your mobile phone or tablet is easily accessible when studying it can be risky ice especially when you are one to be distracted easily. Ensuring that the setting that you choose is peaceful is key as it enables you to concentrate superiorly than what you would in an obstreperous venue. Motivation is important when preparing for an exam otherwise the time you have spent will be wasted due to the lack of attention you gave will mean you will not remember anything. It may be worth having a study group to ensure that these rules are not broken also having someone there that is taking the same exam or trying to complete the same assessment may mean that you can motivate each other.
Use a method that works for you – Flow Charts or Diagrams
Your brain recognises the finer details of information when studying with visual representations of literacy. This is because when you are learning visually you remember more about the subject than what you do when reading text. From a recent study conducted by Columbia University, It has been proven that nearly 30% of the brains cortex is devoted to visual processing which is why we can recall a topic when we have attempted to learn via videos or images. Colour coding and marking next to an important reference as you study can make it easier to refer back to sections that may take longer to cover.
A useful activity is to write down everything you already understand within whichever unit you are covering and then highlight where the gaps are. A motto to go by is that highlighters are your friend!
Do the Past Paper in Full – Time yourself!
Take the time about a week prior to your exam to take past exams and see how long it takes to answer the questions and finish the paper. This way when you start getting the questions correct within the allocated time you will feel better equipped when taking the exam.
We are all far from the same and of course, have different learning styles and studying techniques, therefore, it is crucial that you find the most effective technique for you. If you follow these tips you are at least going to be on the right path.