Vie au college

Eleventh Hour Tips To Ace Your Exams

1. Slow down. The more you understand, the less you have to memorize.

 Don't just read. Understand the concept. stop and think. When the book asks you a question, don't just skip to the answer. Imagine that someone really is asking you the question. The more deeply you force your brain to think, better are the chances that you will remember it. Ask yourself doubts and don't just look past them but try finding solutions. You are your own teacher. Ask yourself doubts, solve them, conducts self assessment tests and grade yourself. Learning from your mistakes is the best means.

2. Drink water. Lots of it.

 Your brain works best in a nice bath of fluid. Remember that "Dehydration" can decrease cognitive function. Don't wait to get thirsty. Drink as much as you can to keep yourself fresh. Drinking water can help you stay focused and can dilute your stress levels avoiding anxiety attacks and depression. So make sure you take in enough water before an examination. Better chances are you can remember stuff you've learnt more legibly. 

3. HIGHLIGHTING is the tool.

 Underlining is one of the most important study tips. It's easy to highlight the most significant parts when studying. This plays a very important role when you are revising. You can only retain a certain amount before exams, so it is best you retain what's important. Use highlighters, but using too many colors can be a little or at most times way too distracting. Revision can get a whole lot easier when you use highlighted notes.

4. Mind palace. Sherlock whaaa?

 A good mind map can save you many hours of study. Link the key ideas and then deep-learn those key ideas in relation to one another. Use visualization with spatial memory to quickly and efficiently recall information. 

5. Burning the midnight oil. Hell, No!!

 Most of us love to study late into the night, just before exams. Late nights are normally quiet and we are unlikely to be disturbed by anyone. But science does not agree with us. Late night study is less productive as the mind loses concentration as it is already tired after a day of learning. The mind take take more than it can take. And studying just anything beyond this point is pointless. But at the end, what really matters is not the late night studying or the early dawn studying before exams, but how much you benefit yourself through any type of reading.

6. Mnemonics does the job.

 Use mnemonics while memorizing lists and sets. This allows us to associate certain concepts with other concepts that we are more familiar with. There are a million ways to make mnemonics, but these are individual to a person.

7. Flashcards.

 Using flashcards is a fun study process unlike a lot of other study tools. Using online Flashcards can save you a lot of time in actually creating your own cards.

8. Keep a cool head.

  Make sure you get a good night's sleep before an exam and never skip breakfast. Trust me on this one, but you sure as heavens cannot remember anything if you go for a examination with an empty stomach. If you want to present what you've studied in the most effective way, it would be by remembering everything you've studied and that is possible only by going to an examination with a cool head. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Keep your mind clear and read the questions twice and let the answers flow. Forget not to think twice before answering the questions.