10 Top Tips for Success in Exams

Exams- the word itself puts a lot of stress on us, doesn’t it?

Lucky for you, we are here to help you deal with the stress and to help you get the grades that you wish for.

Follow these simple tips for exam success:

1: Prepare early:

It is important that you give yourself enough time to study, that is, you start your preparation early. Doing this will give you ample time to review everything you have already studied, and that you have left nothing for the last moment, and to revise what you have studied thoroughly.

Though we understand that some students seem to thrive on last-minute preparation, this way of studying is not the best approach, as it leads to stress, loss of appetite, sleep deprivation, tiredness, fatigue and so on.

2: Make study schedules:

Make study schedules and workout according to how much time you need for each subject. This is a good way to manage your time effectively and make sure you’ve covered all grounds.

Plan your schedule according to your exam timetable, as to how many exams you have, and which days do you have to take these exams and plan your study schedule accordingly, as you would want to devote more preparation time to some subjects than others according to your convenience.

3: Keep your study space organised:

Before actually starting to prepare for the exams, make sure that everything around you is well organised. It is important to keep your notes, textbooks, and study material handy and make sure all distractions are kept away.

Make sure your study space is comfortable, that is, with proper lighting, comfortable chair, comfortable writing arrangement, proper preparing postures et cetera. Some children would be able to focus better when they have complete silence when they study, while others may not, so choose your comfort according to your preferences.

While having everything organised during studying is essential, varying your locations might also help for some. For example, your room, the library at school, a quiet place, the balcony, anything that works for you. Though it is not clearly stated why, research has found that changing your locations when you study can help to improve memory retention.

4: Take care of yourself during exam time:

Children will work better only if they eat healthy, get plenty of sleep, and are well rested.
Eating healthy begins with limiting junk food. Many children tend to eat junk to avoid schedule times for breakfast, lunch and dinner while preparing for an exam. This is not a good idea, as it is important to have a proper diet and good sleep along with some physical activity or regular exercise during studying and exams.

You should make sure that you are snacking on healthy food which is good for your brain, like choosing natural, fresh, vitamin rich food which will improve your concentration and memory as well as rejuvenate you.

Along with this, it is absolutely important to drink plenty of water. This is true while studying for an exam or even during an exam, as remaining hydrated is vital.

5: Practice on old exam papers:

This is one of the most efficient ways to learn how to prepare for exams, as it helps in familiarising yourself with the format and structure of the paper and knowing how much time you take.

So by trying to time yourself while practising on a previous paper, you will know the time you take and practise better accordingly on the sections.

6: Set study goals:

For every session that you study, give yourself a goal. In order to keep track of how much you are studying and how much you’re able to achieve, you need to have a goal.

Before beginning a study session, have a set goal. For example, I will finish these chapters by this time or I would work these many equations within this time et cetera.

7: Use flowcharts and diagrams:

While you are preparing for an exam or during revision, visual aids turn out to be really helpful. Try making notes of everything you know about the specific topic when you study, so that during the exams you can put all those notes in a one page diagram or in flowchart for easy access and better revision.

Having recorded things in this format will enable you to remember everything easily, as visual remembrance can aid readiness considerably before exams.

8: Study groups with friends:

While some children can be very good solo learners, others might find it fun and more effective to study and practice with friends. By organising study sessions with friends, you’ll be able to get answers to all your questions and help people with what you know that they are not aware of. This way the knowledge sharing is vast and not constricted.

It is important to make sure that you do not lose track of time and stay focused on learning while preparing for exams.

Also by studying with your fellow students and friends you will know how much you have studied so far compared to others, which can be a good way to motivate yourself and challenge yourself to keep moving forward towards your goals.

9: Take regular breaks:

As it is true for everybody, we cannot work or study for a solid eight hours, in fact it becomes very difficult to retain the same concentration for more than about an hour or two. This is true even during exams.

You may feel that studying for more hours will give you more productive results. This is not true, as it’s actually the opposite. This type of studying with no breaks will only drain you, leaving you with no energy to study effectively and retain information.

Make it a point to take regular breaks of 10 to 15 minutes, to take a drink or to take a quick walk or play a relaxing game, speak to your friends, basically anything that would rejuvenate you, refresh you and help you concentrate better when you start studying again.

It’s crucial to remember that every person is different, so what might work for one might not work for others. So when you’re building a study routine, consider intervals when it works best for you and doing what you prefer accordingly.

10: Prep the night before your exam:

Making sure that you have everything ready way before the day of your exam, this will help you avoid any last-minute hurry and confusion. Check all the requirements and make alternate arrangements if something is missing for example pen pencil protractor calculator scale et cetera.

Make sure you plan your bag and stationery according to which exam you will have the following day. As all subjects require different stationery and accessories.

Pack everything you need in your bag the night before, which should include all essential items including water and watch as well.

Conclusion:

These are some general exam tips and tricks that work for most students to get the most out of their exams. However, there might be other things that work for some people better, so explore different options and ask peers, friends, cousins, parents around about how they prepared or prepare for their exams, as some of their tips might help you better as well.

We wish you all the very best!!!