If you want to be successful in your next exam, you don’t only need to work hard but also come up with a schedule that’ll help you properly manage your studies and change your routine in order to achieve your educational goals.
There are many different strategies you can work on to learn, prepare and practice from your study material in a better way. Starting too late or cramming too much will only make you more stressed. The studying tips we are about to discuss in this article will help you prepare for your next exam effectively, making you feel less stressed during the exam season.
Test Yourself
Self-testing is one of the most effective learning strategies being followed for ages. The very first thing you need to do to test yourself is to go through your study material. Divide it by chapters or topics. Study a particular topic thoroughly and once you’re done with it, try to recall as much as possible from whatever you have studied without looking at the material.
Try to ask yourself different questions on the topic and chapter you’re studying. Another great way to test yourself while studying is to read a passage, put your notes aside and try to remember and write down as much as you can.
Space Out Your Studying
When people cram, their study sessions become long and intense. This may cause them to lose interest in the subject or topic they are studying. This is why it is important for you to space out your studying. To do so, spread out your daily study time and take intervals between your smaller sessions of studies throughout the day.
For example, you can spread out 2 hours of studies into two or more days. With less pressure, you’ll feel more productive and it will be easier for you to prepare for your exams.
Use Pictures
According to a survey, mental imagery greatly helps you to memorize. It is one of the most effective studying tips for your next exam. Pictures will enhance your understanding of the content in your study material. It is a more effective learning strategy than focusing on the words only.
It has been found out in a study that students who saw images memorize better than the ones who weren’t shown any pictorial content. So, if your topic has pictures, diagrams, or different types of images, make sure to have one good look at them.
Make a Plan and Stick to It
Working with an organized schedule will help your brain perform in a more effective way. Outline your study times and set learning goals. It should be the same as we do with work, school, or college routines. We should come up with a proper schedule that is based on different time slots each week dedicated to studying. This schedule should be covering all the aspects of studying and self-testing like reading, learning, and quizzes, as well as the dates, and priorities of which should be set according to your test, exam, and project deadlines.
Create a Distraction-Free Zone
If you’re sitting in a place where there is a lot of noise and distraction, it would make it really hard for you to focus on your course and study material. So, one of the most important studying tips for your next exam is to create a distraction-free zone. Find a quiet corner or proper space in your home, like the study room or library. You can also study in your room but make sure you are not distracted by any electronic devices like your tablet, mobile phone, or gaming console. It is better to turn them off if you want to follow your study plan in a proper way.
Use All Your Resources
Depending on the requirements of your subject, make sure you are using all your resources to prepare for your next exam. It would be ideal to find everything you need to learn in your study material. Otherwise, you can search the internet or head to the library in your school or college to find the information you may need. It is better to check out and analyze every resource for learning. When you find answers on your own, it is like a lifelong learning process and helps you develop a better understanding of the subject you’re studying.
Switch up Your Setting
Even the physical arrangement of your room including the furniture and its impact on the layout of a room could significantly affect your ability to study. Take some time out of your busy routine to come up with a clean, well-organized, and neat workspace for studying, and then try to maintain it that way.
Piece of advice: Remember that if you’re studying in a cluttered learning environment, it could possibly clutter your mind, making it hard for you to learn anything new. So, it is better to switch up your settings.
Silence Your Cell Phone
In today’s world, cell phones are, arguably, one of the biggest distractions hampering your work and studies. People usually have all their social media accounts, streaming apps, and other entertainment features on their smartphones.
If you keep on checking your notifications again and again on your phone every time you receive a text or a social feed update, you won’t be able to pay proper attention to your studies. This is why one of the best studying tips to prepare for your next exam is to put your phone on silent while you are doing your preparation.
Be Relaxed
As discussed, space out your studies. Taking regular breaks instead of studying continuously for hours. It will help you stay relaxed. Do an activity that you would refresh your mind during your study break, like taking a walk or sipping a cup of tea or coffee. Anything would be good to make you feel relaxed until it doesn’t distract you completely from studying your educational material.
Create Your Own Flashcards
Using flashcards is another amazing way of self-testing. It helps you to learn information while testing your knowledge about the things you have recently learned so that you can easily identify any weak spots and work on them. It is better to discover the weaknesses you may have in understanding and memorizing your study material while studying, so you can work on them and get your learning improved.
Snack On Brain Food
You should be snacking on foods that boost your brain health and memory while studying. Some of the best brain foods that you should consider having are almonds, dark chocolate, whole-grain cereal, fruit salad, and hummus mixed with vegetables among others.
There you have it — the 11 most useful studying tips for your next exam. Following them will significantly help you to improve your study habits and perform better in your upcoming examinations. Working on these effective study strategies will also help students to prepare for high school.
If there are other people in your social circle who have their exams coming up, do share this article with them, it might be useful for them as well.
