Making the Most of Your Studying Sessions

Let’s face it, when it comes to exam season, there are two kinds of people. The kind that has been preparing for months by studying regularly, and the other that leaves it until it is deemed to be necessary. The latter of which usually attempts to cram months’ worth of work into a day or two of studying. Unfortunately, these marathon sessions are not always healthy and may prove to be insufficient in terms of absorbing and understanding the material.

While the intention may have been there to get started sooner rather than later, we all know how life tends to creep in and before you know it, it’s the week of the exam. Now there’s the additional pressure of trying to get everything in as well as coping with the stress of the other exams that may be coming up shortly thereafter.

It’s not all bad news though. With some careful planning, you can make the most of the time you have available and ace the upcoming assessment

Our Top Tips for Exams

Split it up

Consider the question “How do you eat an elephant?”. The answer, bit by bit, makes it seem less overwhelming, does it not? The same can be said about studying. Trying to get everything done at once is near impossible, but breaking it up into smaller, more manageable portions will make it a whole lot easier.

Give yourself a break – or two

Your brain – and body – need to take breaks to function optimally. Try to schedule your sessions in such a way that you can take regular, distraction-free breaks for some fun, placing big bets or any other recreational activities. Setting alarms will help you keep track of it all and boost your productivity. You need to take these breaks and use them as breaks, don’t use them to read through your notes or discuss the coursework – it’s an opportunity to give your brain a break from it all.

Split it into three categories

Most subjects will be made up of memory dependant things that require repetition, problem-solving abilities, and interpretation. We recommend starting with the memory-related topics and then slowly making your way through the different topics until you understand each element.

Read, write, and perform

Research has found that simply reading through your work is not sufficient for studying but reading and writing down your notes will go a long way. What always works is pretending to teach yourself the work, breaking it down into easy-to-understand bits of information.

The entire semester is a build-up

In most cases, a lot of what appears in the exam may come from discussions held during classes and lectures. Participating throughout the semester will help you build a solid foundation of knowledge for the pending exams and make studying a lot easier.

The truth is, we are all different and as a result, we all respond to different approaches to studying. We have found that the above-mentioned tips work for most people, and hope that you will find them useful in avoiding burnout as you prepare for exam season.