How to Prepare for Exams

Just when you think your day will be relaxing and pleasant, your teacher gives you a test when you least expect it. While we all don’t like exams, they’re still an obvious part of school life. Everyone hates taking exams, but you can improve your test-study skills to avoid falling into an unprepared situation.

Table of Contents

Setting Up the Foundation Before the Exams

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Review your curriculum. Find out when the exams will take place and how much of the total score they will be. Mark these dates in your calendar or notebook, so you won’t be surprised when the exam arrives!

Plan review sessions to begin at least a week before each exam. It’s best to have small review sessions in advance rather than trying to cram everything into one big review session.

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In class, pay attention to the lecture. This may seem like nothing difficult, but actually focusing on listening to lectures in class helps you a lot when exam season comes. Do not rush to think that you will only “absorb” knowledge; Be an active learner. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Listen carefully, as teachers often make suggestions such as “The most important part of this topic is…”. Or maybe, they only emphasize certain words or issues. This is the real key to doing well on the test. The sooner you absorb information, the less you have to learn.

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Take effective notes. Easier said than done, but learning how to take good notes will help you a lot when it comes to revision. Record everything the teacher has on the board or on the projector. Try to record as much of what the teacher says as possible; However, don’t let taking notes distract you so much that you forget to listen. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Review your notes daily, right after class. This helps reinforce what you’ve just learned. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Make learning part of the routine. Usually, it’s easy to see revision as something that just needs to be done at the last minute, and crammed in overnight. Instead, set aside some time to review each day. Planning it like a regular date or class can help keep you motivated to stick to the routine. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

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Ask about the test format. Ask your teacher what the test will look like, how it will be graded, and if there are any opportunities to earn extra points. If they are willing to answer, mark the most important main topics in your notes.

Creating the Optimal Environment for Learning

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Study in a clean, quiet, and tidy room. Keep any and all distractions far away from where you study. Standing up to read text messages on your phone or regularly checking social media is the most taboo thing when studying.

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Let’s turn on the lights! Do not study in a dark room. In the evening, turn on more lights, and during the day, open the window curtains (you can also open the windows slightly). We often study and concentrate better in a bright, well-ventilated and low-noise room.

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Need to turn off the TV. Many students believe they are good at multitasking, such as studying while watching TV or chatting with friends online, but research shows this is not the case for the vast majority of people. ^{[5] X Research Resources} For better learning, eliminate distractions like TV and loud singing. Shifting focus between books and TV so quickly makes it hard for your brain to prioritize which information to access first. ^{[6] X Research Source}

Organizing Learning

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Stay focused on your learning goals. What do you plan to accomplish in this lesson? Setting specific study goals can help. Making a study plan is also a good idea. If 3 of the 5 lessons are not difficult and you can complete them right away, learn them first, then you can spend most of your time on the difficult ones without fretting too much.

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Write your own study guide. Review all your notes and write down the most important information. Not only will this help you study more focused, but it’s also a form of review! Just, don’t spend too much time writing the tutorial: you need time to review it too!

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Renew your own notes into a different format. Taking notes is a good practice if you are an active learner. Mind mapping is the most effective way to do this. Also, as you rewrite, you can think about what you’re writing: what it’s about, why you’re writing it down. Most importantly, it helps refresh your memory. If you took notes from a month ago and just discovered that these notes will be relevant to your exam, rewriting them will help you remember those things when you need them during the test.

Don’t just copy your notes over and over again. This will make you memorize the exact words in the notes, not the actual concepts. Instead, read and think about the content of the note (think of examples, for example), and then rephrase it in other words.

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Ask yourself questions about your documents. This will help you see if you still remember what you just learned. Do not try to remember exactly what is in the notes when answering the questions above; aggregating that information into an answer is a much more useful way.

Answering questions you ask yourself out loud as if you are trying to explain to someone else is also a good practice.

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Review previous tests and assignments. If you’ve missed any questions, now look for the answers and understand why you couldn’t answer them before. This is especially useful if the exam you’re studying for is holistic – that is, it includes things you’ve learned previously in the course.

Learn Effectively

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Find a reasonable time frame. Don’t study when you’re tired. It’s better to get a good night’s sleep after studying a little than trying until two o’clock in the morning. You won’t remember much and will likely do worse the next day.

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Get started as soon as possible. Don’t cram. Cramming the night before the test has proven to be ineffective, because when you’ve loaded up on so much information at once, you can’t memorize it all—if not you can hardly recall any. whatever. Reviewing in advance and reviewing it over and over again is really the best way to learn the material. This is especially true of history and theoretical subjects.

Always practice whenever you get the chance, even if it’s only for 15 or 20 minutes. These short lessons will help you remember the lesson very quickly!
Divide study time into 25-minute sessions, using the Pomodoro technique. After each batch, rest for 5 minutes; Repeat the process 3 times, then take a longer break of 30-45 minutes.

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Practice according to your learning style. If you are a visual learner, you can use images. Auditory learners should read their notes aloud and record them, then express them differently. If you’re active, lecture yourself (say it out loud) – using hand language or moving around; This will make it easier for you to remember.

Stay Excited

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Let’s rest. You need time to relax, and reviewing when you feel comfortable is more effective than exhausting yourself from studying all day. Schedule breaks and study times carefully. Usually, studying for 20-30 minutes with a 5-minute break is the most effective method.

If you don’t come in forever, instead of studying without interruption, divide your study session into 20-minute periods, with 10-minute breaks at the end of each session.
Make sure you divide up your study time so that you don’t interrupt memorizing concepts each time, as this can make it harder to remember the whole thing.

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Think optimistically but work hard. Confidence is important; Hanging around thinking why I’m only revising a little or I’m going to do so badly will only distract you from studying to get good results. However, this does not mean that you should not study hard. You still need to work hard, even when full of confidence. Confidence only helps you remove obstacles to success.

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Let’s study in groups. Arrange group study sessions at the library with friends to compare notes or explain things to each other that others may not understand. Working with others can help you close your knowledge gaps and help you remember more knowledge, because you may have to explain or discuss the problem with your friends.

If you ask others for help, don’t worry about joking around. Stay focused on what you’re doing.

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Actively ask for help. If you’re stuck in a subject, don’t be afraid to call your friends and ask for help. If friends can’t help, ask a tutor for help.

If you have time before the exam and realize you still don’t understand the lesson, ask if your teacher can explain it to you again.

Preparing for Exam Day

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The night before the test, get plenty of rest. On average, elementary school-age children need 10-11 hours of sleep to do their best. In contrast, for young people, you normally need at least 10 hours of sleep. Poor sleep has been shown to be cumulative (also known as “sleep deprivation”); To make up for a long-term sleep-deprived habit, you’ll likely need weeks of good sleep before your body can bounce back to optimal performance.

Do not drink coffee or any other stimulant within 5-6 hours before going to bed. (However, if your doctor has prescribed you to take a stimulant at a certain time, take it regardless of whether you are drowsy or not, and consult your doctor before making any changes.) whatever). Such substances reduce the effectiveness of sleep, meaning that even if you have had enough sleep, you will not feel refreshed when you wake up.

Advice

If you’re going to start studying at a certain time, say 12 noon, but forget and realize that it’s already 12:10, don’t wait until 1pm to start. It’s not too late to start learning!
Rewrite a few important notes as bullet points. They are much easier than reading a whole paragraph.
If you have an idea of a question that will appear on the test but find it difficult to remember the answer, write the question on one side of the memory card and the answer on the other side. Also practice relating the question. with the answer, because this can help you remember the answer.
Take a break between classes to help your brain rest and absorb the knowledge you’ve just learned.
Practice according to the timetable.
Don’t study while lying in bed because you can easily fall asleep.
Turn off your phone, social media sites, and TV while studying.
Get enough sleep and eat a healthy breakfast.
Review each chapter kindly instead of studying it all at once.
Don’t eat too much before you sit down to study because it can make you feel tired or lazy.
Getting active (running, cycling, etc.) before you start studying can help you focus and think more clearly.
Tidy up your study space, as it can help organize your memory.

Warning

Don’t just study the night before the exam. Learn everything little by little when you come home from school every day. Cramming everything at once is a waste of time.
If possible, stay away from stress from others. Creating a negative and suffocating atmosphere while studying will make you want to avoid studying.
Cheating won’t help you pass the exam, you’ll get caught sooner or later. There are severe penalties for cheating, such as being marked on a report card or even expulsion.

Steps