Exam Preparation

By Uzair

Exams can be the cause of a lot of stressfor students; especially the first exam you take for a new course, as thestudents have no idea how strict the teacher is with the testing and howlenient they are with marking. For a huge majority of pupils, an exam revisionsession is the perfect way to alleviate some of their exam stress and get ridof some of their anxiety. Most modern courses follow the idea of covering manytopics in a short space of time instead of covering less topics in more detail,and this method leaves students with only a quick introduction to the topic withouttaking enough time to digest and process all the course material andinformation properly. Having the privilege of analysing and evaluating thematerial or being able to apply the material on these types of courses isvirtually non-existent. Moreover, what is worse than this is that students areput under immense pressure to study in order to do well on their exams insteadof taking the time to study in order to gain a detailed understanding of thematerial they are covering. This has proven to be a major problem in courseswhere there are huge chunks of material being covered and the assessments are mainlyalways in the form of multiple-choice examinations. Of course this is why it isno surprise that most students ask for revision sessions before exam time.

My Top 10 Tips for Effective ExamPreparation

Make sure you leave enough preparation timeto study before exams

My suggestion would be to create a studyschedule and mould it to your own style of studying and do notprocrastinate and leave any studying until the last minute. Make sure you coverall the material on time and stick to the schedule you create. Some people(like myself) do work better under pressure and are quite effective whilestudying last-minute, but most of the time this method of studying is notconsidered as the best way to prepare for exams as it is not worth the risk.Personally, I would recommend you make a note of the number of exams you have,how much material you need to cover, and the days you have until the exam. Onceyou’ve figured this out, organize your study schedule accordingly.

Organize the space where you study

Organize your study desk in a way where youcan spread out your revision notes, textbooks and any other revision materialsclearly with enough space. Make sure that your study room has good lighting andis bright enough to keep you from feeling lethargic. Make sure your chairis comfortable enough for and take into consideration any other aspects of yourstudy space which might affect your performance. Pay extra mind to thosethings that may distract you and remove them from your room. Make surethat you are totally comfortable in your study room and are able tofocus without distraction. Some people enjoy studying with no outside noise (insilence) and others enjoy listening to music and find that it helps them tofocus. Discover what works best for you and utilise that to your advantage.Make sure the ambience in your study room or your study space is comfortable,relaxing and friendly in order for you to be able to concentrate on yourrevision.

Use Visual Aids

Diagrams are extremely helpfulwhen studying material over. When you start revision of a new topic, makea note of all the things you already know about the topic. When you start toget closer to the actual exam time, convert your revision notes into a flowchart or a diagram. This way, the visual aids will increase your remembrance ofthe course material and help you to be much more ready when you take the actualexam.

Practice Papers

One of the most common tried and testedmethods of preparing for examinations is to revisit past test papers. Gothrough old versions of the exam you are supposed to be taking and timeyourself to complete the exam under exam conditions. An old exam paper willhelp you to understand the format of the questions and the layout of thepaper. It will help you to be prepared in terms of knowing what to expect butalso as a good way to practice measuring the amount of time you mightneed to sit the final exam.

Peer to Peer Revision

Use your fellow pupils to your advantage.Mark each other’s practice test papers and share answers and explanations witheach other. Explain to each other, why you have answered a question in the wayyou have. This will help get rid of any doubts and concerns you may have withregards to exam technique and answers.

Create revision groups

Revision groups are a good way to get allof the answers that you need and cover any material faster. It is important tomake sure that the group is solely focused on the specific topic that youwant to cover and they don’t get distracted by anything so easily.

The Importance of Breaks

It is very important to take regular breaksthroughout your revision sessions whenever needed, because the brain needs torefocus sometimes. One of the worst techniques you can use for revision isstudying long hours, because trying to retain a lot of knowledge in thelong-term is more or less impossible. The key thing to consider whenstudying is to try and develop a revision routine and schedule thatfits your style of learning.

Eating Healthy

Eating healthy is the best option whilestudying. It is important to keep your body and your mind healthy by choosing natural,fresh and nutritious foods that are good for you and would help to improveyour levels of concentration and your ability to retain key information.

Plan for Exam Days

Make sure you are well prepared forthe exam. Plan carefully the route and the time it takes to reach thedestination of your exam and add on some extra time to stop you fromgetting stressed out if you’re a little late. The worst start to an exam isarriving late and then having to suffer extra stress and anxiety before theexam even starts. This will severely affect your examination performance.

Drinking Water

Whether you are revising for exams ortaking an exam, it is important to drink water and keep hydrated. Stayinghydrated will keep you in a positive mood and will keep your brain functioningat optimum levels.