School’s in session, and with that comes one guarantee, exams! Don’t get bummed out, even if you have always struggled with exams, there are many ways you can improve! Let us help you with these exam study tips that will ease your worries and have you prepared and confident for test day!
- Study when you’re most awake – You may be tempted to stay up later than usual to get some extra studying in, but this is counterproductive because you will start falling asleep while studying. You will not remember information as well when you are tired, so try to do most of your studying at the time of day when you are most awake.
- Take frequent short breaks – You will remember the information that you study first and last most. Taking frequent breaks is helpful because then you will have less information in the middle where you remember it least. In addition, breaks allow you to relax for a short period of time so that you don’t get tired as quickly.
- Study in multiple places – If you study the same material in multiple locations, your brain will make new associations each time that you study and you will be more likely to remember it on test day.
- Only study in groups if the others are serious about the test – Studying in groups can be very helpful because you can get multiple perspectives and your group can motivate you to study longer. Unfortunately, group studying also provides distractions and often deteriorates into procrastination. To avoid the negative effects, only study in groups when all the group members are serious about the test.
- Outline instead of just reading – Reading over your notes or textbook does not give you the same level of comprehension as outlining. When you read something, process it into your own words and then write it down again, you internalize the information. Outlining the information you study makes you much more likely to remember it.
- Learn general concepts first – Instead of getting overwhelmed by everything you are studying, learn the general concepts first before studying details. This way, your studying will be more efficient and you will understand the subject better.
- Turn details into a story to help you remember – Making silly associations can help you memorize details. If you have a list of information that needs to be memorized, make it into a crazy story that includes all the elements and retell the story to yourself while taking the test to remember.
- Quiz yourself – You may think that you know a subject but forget the details when you are actually tested on it. To ensure that you actually know your information, quiz yourself until you can get everything right.
- Reward yourself – Studying is difficult, so reward yourself for your hard work! Studying will be easier if you are looking forward to a treat afterwards and it will be easier to push yourself to study one more section if you know that you will get your reward when you finish.
- Take care of yourself – Your brain can’t function properly if you are not taking care of your whole body! Be sure to eat well, sleep enough and exercise regularly while you are studying and on the days you take your exams.
We hope that these study tips were helpful. If you are not taking any tests this year, share these tips with someone who is. Good luck on your exams!