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Have you ever had a nightmare about an examination? Maybe you dreamt that you studied for the wrong paper or arrived at the examination center without studying for the exam. Many people have nightmares about examinations long after they have finished their education! This happens because examinations are stressful at any age. Whether it’s competitive entrance exams, school or university exams, or adaptive tests like GMAT and GRE, examinations cause nervousness and stress.
An effective study plan can help you score well in your examinations without having to worry or work deliriously through the night. You can rely on study tips and tricks to streamline your preparation.
Read on to learn about critical study tips and exam tips for students that will help you study without pressure, organize a study schedule and score well in exams.
Study Tips For Students
Before we share tips for exam preparation, let’s revisit the purpose of exams. Examinations are meant to help learners assess their knowledge. They show you how much you have learned and help you identify areas where you need more practice.
To build an actionable study plan for a successful examination attempt, it’s important to develop a growth mindset and to learn from your experiences.
Consider exams a part of your learning journey. They enhance, improve and help you apply your knowledge. Rather than fixating on getting a high score, focus on doing your best while preparing for your tests. Let’s look at some exam preparation tips to help you create sound strategies for success.
Here’s a list of 10 handy study tips for students:
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Make A Schedule And Stick To It
Organizing your subjects in order of preference, urgency and importance will help you figure out the best way to prepare for your upcoming exams. A schedule makes it easier to get into the habit of studying at a particular time.
For instance, you can plan your studies according to the level of difficulty of different subjects. If you find calculus challenging, you can schedule it for your most active hours—morning or night. This will help you get into the habit of picking up your textbooks at the same time every day.
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Pick A Conducive Study Corner
Once you have your schedule in place, it’s time to pick the best place to study. This is one of the most overlooked study tips because no one really pays attention to where they sit. But your environment and study area play a critical role in exam preparation.
For instance, a study desk with a comfortable chair in a quiet corner of your home will help you focus better than studying while sprawled on your bed. Some people find it conducive to put on music. Find out what kind of environment works for you and use it to study better.
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Familiarize Yourself With The Question Paper
While you need to cover the curriculum, you also need to familiarize yourself with the features of the question papers. Attributes like the number of sections, scoring pattern, question types and the time allotted will prepare you for what’s in store. This will also help you practice in a more streamlined manner. Your focus should be on working smart, rather than working hard.
Many times, students forget to look at past test papers and test formats. This can lead to unnecessary surprises during the exam that can throw you off. Preparing yourself beforehand will help you skillfully navigate the exam.
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Study Your Past Performance
Learning from your mistakes and experiences is one of the most important study tips for students. If you can look back at your past performance, you’ll figure out where you need to pay more attention.
Say that your English language score wasn’t up to the mark. Try to identify whether you need to work on grammar or vocabulary to do better next time. Reflecting on how you’ve performed is key to developing better strategies for the future.
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Use Creative Ways To Learn
Important study tips like using mnemonic devices or flashcards are quite helpful for preparation. You can create your own mnemonics with word associations and storytelling. Creating a background around what you’re trying to learn helps you retain more information.
For instance, in schools, teachers rely on quirky and fun mnemonics to help students memorize the periodic table. They take each element and create an anagram for easy memorization.
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Reward Yourself
Instead of beating yourself up for every wrong answer, reward yourself for every right answer. Celebrating your wins are important study tips for exams. They help you stay motivated and encourage you to put your best foot forward. It’s easy to fall into despair every time you get a question wrong. So, it becomes equally—if not more—important to lift yourself up with positive self-talk.
Reward yourself with a quick break to refresh and rejuvenate. This way you’ll come back recharged and ready to take on more challenges.
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Identify Strong And Weak Areas
Identifying your strengths and weaknesses is key to creating a useful study plan that will help you meet all your targets. Record your progress and review it regularly. This will help you understand which areas you are excelling in and which ones need more work.
One way of doing this is making a graph of all the areas you have to cover and filling it in as you go along. This will help you stay on track and also enable you to manage your time well. You’ll know which areas require improvement and will be able to allocate more hours to them.
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Take Practice Tests
Take practice tests to familiarize yourself with how the exam is structured and what you can expect. This is one of the most effective study tips for exams as it’s the closest you’ll get to the actual paper. A self-assessment will keep you on your toes, provide relief when there’s too much to cover and simplify the process.
Put yourself in a simulation to prepare for your exam. Pick a room with a similar environment, choose your medium—computer-based or pen and paper—and time yourself. You can also evaluate your scores and identify what more you can do to improve.
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Always Revise
Preparing for an exam includes answering old or mock question papers. As you practice answering questions, make it a habit to revise your work. Sometimes we tend to overlook the smallest mistakes under pressure. This can mean an unnecessary loss of marks or points.
Get into the habit of going over your answers, reading them carefully and making sure you’ve answered the question correctly. Set time aside to do this. Create a habit of either checking each answer as you are done writing it or going over all your answers at the end.
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Remember To Take Breaks
You have to take breaks while preparing for exams to make sure you don’t burn out. No matter how much work there is, you must make time for rest and relaxation. Plan study breaks to rest your mind, destress and feel refreshed. Make them a part of your study schedule.
You can go for a quick walk, grab a bite to eat or watch something fun to recharge your batteries. Short refreshers are more effective than hour-long breaks.
These study tips for exams will prepare you for the toughest exams. Concentrate on what you’re doing, avoid distractions and take small determined steps with these effective study tips.
Creative Ways To Practice For Exams
At a time when online learning is becoming increasingly popular, you don’t just have to rely on traditional study methods. You can use free resources like YouTube to learn, practice and revise. Here are some creative study tips for exams to make your study time more fun:
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Study Groups
Reach out to friends who are studying for the same exams. A study group encourages discussions and it’s the quickest way to solve your queries. You can ask each other for help, challenge each other with complex problems and find solutions together.
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Teach What You’ve Learned
Another fun way to retain what you’ve learned is by teaching others. Whether it’s friends or family, you can use a chalkboard to explain complex topics simply—you can even make notes or presentations to bring everything together.
Learning is all about planning well. If you’re thinking of studying for an exam as a chore, you may not get your desired results. Customize your study plan according to your preferences. You can find out more about exam tips and how to stay focused with Harappa’s Learning Expertly course. It will teach you how to navigate challenges, learn from past experiences and reflect on your actions. Be adaptable and learn to take things in stride with help from our expert faculty.
Explore Harappa Diaries to learn more about topics related to the THINK Habit such as Why is Design Thinking Important and Brainstorming Methods to think and focus clearly.
