How to overcome nerves, inertia, stress and make a study plan that will help you excel your exams. From finding online help, study buddy, utlizing multimedia.
You’ll have to study to pass your exams and get through college. But it’s not enough to just read the textbook and memorize what’s on the page. You have to put in the effort if you want results.
You can get stressed after even small exam changes without the right effort. For instance, the changes made to exams due to the recent pandemic led to exam stress and anxiety in over 75% of the surveyed students. Use these strategies for studying to help make sure that your hard work pays off.
Make a Study Plan
Before you study, it’s important to make a plan for how you’re going to do so. You have to be realistic about your time and consider any distractions that might come up between studying sessions. Also, remember how much time you’ll need for breaks and how much time you can devote to studying before the exam.
Breaks are an essential factor in increasing your focus ability. Studies show that taking purposeful breaks can help refresh your mind and body. This can further assist you in concentrating and remembering better. You can take anywhere between 5 minutes to 60 minutes for breaks. However, this does not mean you can scroll down through social media because studies suggest that it is not counted as a purposeful break.
If possible, try scheduling your exam when distractions are lower. For example, early morning or late at night, and give yourself plenty of breaks during the day if necessary. Consider rewarding yourself once you finish studying. This will help motivate you through tricky times.
Memorize Important Formulas
Formulas are one of the most important things to know for an exam. This is because formulas will give you the information you need to solve a problem, and it’s also possible that some questions will test your knowledge of them.
Math is one subject where you will need to remember a lot of formulas. Sadly, US students face troubles in mathematics. Data shows that US mathematics scores lag behind those of other countries.
If you’re struggling with memorizing the formulas, here are some tips that can help:
- Take Notes: If a formula is given in class, write down what it says in your notebook. Then, if you have time during breaks or after class ends, review those notes so they stick in your memory.
- Write Out The Formula: Sometimes, writing something out by hand makes it easier to remember than looking at it on paper or on-screen. Try writing out key equations several times throughout the semester. Over time, they’ll stick in your mind better.
- Practice Solving Questions With That Formula: Solving practice questions will help reinforce what each formula represents and how they work together within different scenarios. These questions should be answered using only known information, so make sure not to forget them while answering practice ones.
Get Online Help
Online help to practice for an exam can be a great way to ensure success. Many online resources are available to students, such as online practice tests, study guides, and video tutorials. These can be great tools for reinforcing the material you have already studied and better understanding the topics you are struggling with.
Additionally, online forums can be a great way to connect with other students studying for the same exam, ask questions, and get feedback on your progress. Taking advantage of online resources can help you feel more confident and prepared when taking the exam.
Many education platforms are available to help you with study help. The platforms have experienced tutors and subject experts to help you with your doubts.
You can also browse through these tags to learn about the topic you are weak in and increase your efforts to excel in exams. There are several online platforms offering study help and resources you can go through for help with your exams.
Find a Study Buddy
Studying with someone you know who is also taking the exam can be helpful because they may have taken it before and can provide advice, tips, or test questions. The study buddy should be at the same level as you so that you both feel challenged but not overwhelmed. Make sure your study buddy is motivated to do well on this exam. If not, it will be hard for them to keep up with their studies and help boost each other during your sessions.
Go over old exams from previous years if available. If old exams from past years are available to prepare for an upcoming exam, go over them. These exams will give valuable insight into what questions were asked in previous years’ tests and show how much has changed. For example, did multiple-choice questions used to come in two parts? Did essay prompts contain more information than they do now?
Study Using Multiple Media
There are many different ways to study, but the best way for you may depend on your learning style. If you’re not sure which of these you lean toward, ask yourself how you learn best:
- Visual: Do you prefer reading and writing? Do diagrams help you understand concepts? Are visual aids helpful?
- Auditory: Do you like listening, or do lectures bore you? Are podcasts and audiobooks helpful for absorbing new information?
- Kinesthetic: Does physical activity help keep your mind engaged in learning? It might be beneficial to move around while studying or taking notes.
Multimedia studying can be beneficial for extensive understanding. It can also help with problem-solving capabilities and access to diverse knowledge. But more importantly, it can help with personalization.
According to a study published on the NCBI website, tutors and course developers can use different media to engage with varying audience groups to offer personalization.
Conclusion
In summary, several strategies can help you study for an exam. The most important thing to remember is that you shouldn’t feel overwhelmed by the process. Take it one step at a time, or break up your studying into small chunks, so it doesn’t seem daunting. Then allow yourself plenty of time for preparation so you won’t feel stressed out during finals week.
