The summer holiday may nearly be upon us and many of us are already dreaming about holidays in tropical countries, topping up your tan at the beach and weeks without having to go to school or work. However, for many of us it is necessary to do exams before we can enjoy the summer break.
Here is some useful advice on preparing:
Give yourself plenty of time to prepare. No matter how well you think you know the subject, it does no harm to make sure you are fully prepared. Therefore, don´t wait until the night before to open the book to study!
Practise with old exams. Not only will this prepare you for the style of the exam but it is quite frequent that questions are very similar to previous years!
Study with friends. For some people, it helps to revise with classmates. Not only does this help to motivate each other, but you can also help each resolve doubts and explain answers to each other. Just make sure you are not distracting each other from getting work done!
Drink plenty of water. Keeping hydrated is particularly important for keeping your brain working at 100%. Furthermore, make sure you are eating a healthy balanced diet. Energy drinks and fast food are certainly not going to help you to study.
Take regular breaks. As important as it is to study hard, it is equally important to give yourself regular breaks in order to help you retain the information you have been studying. Making and sticking to regular schedule will help you with this.
Organise your study space. Ensure that you are studying in a well-lit room. Make sure the chair is comfortable and that any distractions are out of sight. Find out what works best for you, some people prefer complete silence whereas others may prefer some background music.
Vary revision techniques. Just doing one style of studying can end up being a little boring. Therefore, try doing different exercises and techniques to keep things fresh and interesting.
Reward yourself! Try to remember, it´s not all about work, you also have to find the correct balance between work and play. If you do a day of 6 hours of revision, you deserve that ice-cream at the end of the day!
If you follow some of these tips, we are sure your studying will get off to a flying start!
