I am an author who loves to read and write about non-fiction and fictional stories. I am studying Cognitive Sciences and planning to pursue master’s in philosophy. I am hoping to become a professor one day. My aspirations for others are to learn and have fun while studying in university. I am an accomplished student who wishes others will feel the same about school as I do.
— Isabella Ciaravino
Mastering Exam Season: The Best Study and Stress-Relief Methods
It’s back, exam season. I know how you’re all feeling: stressed, tired, sad, and overall questioning about how smart you think you are. From the concerning amount of questionable foods, to staying up from sunset to sunrise, studying is just so painful from head to toe. I get it, we get it, we are all in this together. Though, as a fourth year student, and with many trials and errors with studying for exams, I have finally mastered how I can not only study efficiently with time and resources, but I have also found many ways to study for exams where I can guarantee an amazing and deserved grade. I know how you’re feeling, but with this approach I am about to give you, this can become an opportunity for personal and academic growth, learning stepping stones, and development!
Create an ideal study plan
The primitive step towards creating good goals and overall great grades for yourself as a student is to create an ideal well-structured plan as a foundation for exam success. to create a structured plan for your academics is a necessity to organize time effectively and overall being certain of covering all the material that is needed. What I usually do is, by the required textbooks, go over the lectures that were posted, go to office hours, and watch any recorded lectures that were posted., structure it where you take it either hour by hour, or day by day. once you've set a clear goal as to where and when and how you've developed a plan, break down the study sessions into chunks of time where you feel the most comfortable, organizing your time not only effectively covers everything but it also keeps yourself in control to specific topics that you struggle with the most, and it also helps with how well you know material best. After making such a schedule, you must stick to it. I'm going to put the most emphasis on, you must stick to it, because the time slots designated to each topic shows the consistency and determination towards a great grade. The last and final thing towards this point is to use the resources that are given to you. professors usually either give a study guide, or practice questions on eClass that can be used as a great resource for studying. If not, you can always visit office hours when they cater it. though with these resources, you can always test your knowledge and create more questions like how they provide it. This helps strengthen your memory and understanding of how your professor formats exams, and it gets you in the flow of an exam structured studying session. It's never good to put yourself in a position where you feel like you don't know anything, but just remember a professor is there to help you bloom as an individual, so never be scared to approach them with any questions or concerns you have towards any material they give.
Try techniques that work for you Mentioned, there's always a trial-and-error aspect towards studying. Sometimes you fall, sometimes you flourish. but how do you truly know which one works for you best? you must know that not all study habits are going to be easy for you and easy for others. A few techniques that can boost the efficiency of how you study through techniques is to section out the times you take a break, and you study. What I usually do is write down everything in my notebook, or a piece of paper for your liking, or even a document, from either lectures, slides, recordings, etcetera. Once I complete that, I get a new piece of paper, and I write down the most important bits of what I just wrote previously. with this, it turns four pages of notes into one. Another great technique that I like to use is once I have that piece of paper with all the important information, I walk around in my room, and I speak about certain topics like I'm a professor teaching the material. does not only help vocalize the material, but it gives you an idea of understanding the material like a professor would. Soon enough, you start to master each topic and each bit of information you're presenting. Whether it's in front of the mirror, pacing around in your room, with a friend, or with a family member, I feel as though this technique is the most efficient for getting a great grade. For any students that need to remember diagrams or flowcharts, another thing I like to do is something called Mind mapping, where it is to draw what exactly I need to remember, so that I could visualize such information to organize specific concepts and overall make connections between what I am learning into a picture. With this, I stick it around certain parts of my house, so that every time I pass by it, I am forced to recognize the image given to me, and soon enough answer it. With time, I can finally master the visualizations of the diagrams I provided myself.
Manage your stress during exam season Free University students, stress is an uncommon thing we all go through. something I need to remind myself every day when doing an assignment, homework, or for exams specifically, I must realize that everyone is in the same boat as me, and it is not an unusual thing you feel during this time. Stress is an inevitable feeling during these four years of academics, but again, you must remind yourself that it's going to be okay. To manage stress, what I usually do is take a walk. It's never bad to step away from what you're doing for a period to just recuperate. It is also known that physical activity reduces a high level of stress, so psychologically your brain needs a break sometimes. Another thing you should note that is highly important is to get a good night's sleep after studying. and by a good night's sleep, I mean around 6 to 9 hours per night, though it is essential for you to rest and recharge your brain. You should never underestimate the power of what rest can do for the brain. For me, I've noticed that it does refresh me physically and that it can increase concentration for myself.
Make sure you are eating healthy I cannot stress this point enough, as someone who has horrible eating habits when it comes to exam time, I do not want you to make the same mistake I did. I've noticed that when I eat bad foods, I feel more lethargic, tired, and less active within my studies. However, I've noticed that with foods like celery, strawberries, salads, etc. it feels like a good night's sleep while awake. Your brain absolutely needs fuel to keep itself active and at its peak cognitive performance. So alongside eating healthy, one thing to also note is to always drink water. Keeping yourself hydrated increases my focus, and for me, it makes me more awake. During these four years, I drank more Red Bull than one can ever think, and I've noticed that it does more harm than good. coffee as well, was my biggest enemy. I noticed that with enough sleep, and enough water, and enough good food for me, coffee and Red Bull have become almost irrelevant and overall made me more stressed than you think. Having a caffeine overload diet within your body just makes you physically alert, but cognitively, my brain was all over the place. So, make sure that you
Think about how far you’ve come I was always insecure during exams, questioning my intelligence. I always thought that my academics defined who I was. oh boy, was I far from the truth. underestimating your intelligence during exam Seasons the last thing you want to do, because you must maintain a positive mindset, which would greatly influence the way you think, the way you see life, and your overall grades at the end. remind yourself that you are capable enough to receive the grade you deserve during studying. you are capable of succeeding, you can do well, and you are capable of anything you put your mind to. you must have self-confidence in yourself because you and your brain work together to get that degree at the end of the years to come. Rather than worrying about everything at once, you must ground yourself and remind yourself that you must focus on one Topic at a time. Navigating your way through life needs a bit of patience, so smaller baby steps rather than big, huge leaps to the finish line will get you there more efficiently. That one nursery rhyme regarding the tortoise and their hare taught us something, though I never thought it would be for exams. Slow and steady wins the race. Mastering exams feel impossible to do. With this blog post, I want you to keep in mind that you can do anything you put your mind to, it just involves self-confidence, time, and patience. by using these study techniques, do not forget to take a moment and appreciate how far you've come here. I've no doubt that anyone reading this will do poorly on their exams, I know everyone reading this could do more than they think. we are all in this together, you got this!