Hello!
First off, sorry for my absence the past week. Finals have begun for this semester and I've been busy, busy, busy. Busy studying, that is. We are halfway through with exams, though! So far, so good - I am confident in myself and am not too worried.
How are you? Have you had exams/any stressful school or work (or anything in general) situation recently? If you want to rant or talk, you can e-mail me or leave your message in the comments :)
Because it's exam week where I go to school, I thought I'd do a post about my exam tips/advice!
1. Don't Cram
Sometimes, I am guilty of this. The only thing that ends up happening as a result of cramming is me stressing and wearing myself out. In my AP Psychology class, we learned about the spacing effect - if you rehearse knowledge more frequently and over a long period of time, you will learn the material more easily. Cramming might keep the knowledge in your mind for a day or so, but studying several times over a longer period of time will produce a better retention rate.
2. Use Resources (Online and Off)
The Internet is such a vast place. You can find textbooks, worksheets, notes, diagrams, practice tests, and so much more - all through your computer screen. I will usually find a released exam of the subject I am studying for and complete the practice questions. It can sometimes give me an idea of what I'll be tested on/the format of the exam. You also have class notes. Those are probably your best bet. For example, I took the practice quizzes in my Psychology workbook to test my knowledge and read through my World History notes to refresh my memory.
3. Get Enough Sleep
The night before exams began I got a good amount of sleep (for a teenager, lol). Last night was a whole other story. I slept a lot less and it definitely had an impact. I could still remain focused on taking the test, but I was yawning constantly and fell asleep once I had finished. Sleeping allows your body to recuperate, reenergize, and get ready for the next day. It's important that you are awake, focused, and concentrated while taking an exam. It is recommended that teens get 8-10 hours of sleep each night, but we all know that isn't a reality. Go home, get done what you need to get done, and put your body to rest.
4. Power Boost Breakfast
I am someone who eats breakfast every single day. Some people don't, and I don't get how. I love breakfast. I'm sure you have all heard that it's the "most important meal of the day." It really is. When you eat breakfast, you are feeding yourself and your brain. You're giving your brain the fuel it needs to do it's job - think (among other things). I usually eat scrambled eggs with toast. I'll also usually spread cottage cheese on the toast. Eggs and cottage cheese are protein-rich foods, so they will help you when solving tough questions. If you're a cereal lover like me, and you have to have your cereal in the morning, I'd recommend adding some fruit to it or on the side. I'd recommend some sort of berry.
5. Hydrate
This is not just an exam tip, it's an everyday tip. Water is so important to maintain internal balance. Make sure you are drinking water every day, throughout the day. It will refresh you and may even help you regain your focus.
6. Read Carefully
This tip is for when you actually take the exam. On almost every assignment in elementary school, we were told to read the directions. This is probably one of the best pieces of advice ever. Read the question word by word, read every answer choice word by word, and don't skim. While I was taking my psychology test, I stared at a question for 2 minutes because I didn't understand it. When I went back to the questions that I left unanswered, I read it again and realized I completely missed a word that was essential to the question, and I was able to find the answer with ease.
7. Use A Variety Of Strategies
Whether it's process of elimination, annotating/marking up the text, summarizing the passage, writing down all your formulas in the first page of your booklet, or highlighting key words in the question, use tools to help you come to a conclusion on which answer is correct.
8. Manage Your Time
Where I go to school, our exams are timed. We have to get the test done in x amount of time, so it's important that we set ourself realistic time limits for each question. Look through your booklet, judge how much time you should spend on each question, and try to stick to that. If you're stuck, skip the question and come back later! You don't want to end up with a bunch of blank circles on your answer sheet because you focused all of your time and energy on a few questions.
8. Don't Stress!
Lastly, don't stress. Exams are not (I repeat, not) the end of the world! Sometimes, I definitely feel like they are. But in reality, that's not the truth. Do the best you can, put in all of your effort (into both studying and actually taking the exam), breathe/take mini breaks while testing if you feel overwhelmed or frustrated, and remind yourself that: it will be over soon, you'll be free once it's done, and you did the best you could - so there's nothing else you can do.
I (try) to use all of these tips while taking exams. They might seem simple, but they definitely do make a difference. I hope they helped, or will help, you.
Good luck on exams if you have them!
Thank you for reading and I'll talk to you soon.
XOXO
Harel
