Spring is here and as the country is moving closer to more freedom, we are all getting ready for some rest days full of fun and drinks. I hate to be the person that will destroy the atmosphere but unfortunately as summer approaches so do exams. It is of crucial importance for any student that wishes to perform well to organize his preparation and try to manage all the stress. Below I will be sharing some tips that I have been following:
1. Organize your material
First things first, you will need to begin with the basics. In order not to get lost or feel like you do not even know where to start with your exam material, you will need to break your available preparation days down to determine how many days you will dedicate to each course. What works best for me is determining the days based on the difficulty level I attribute to each course as well as the number of papers, chapters, and additional material I need to learn. After structuring your timeline, you need to order the courses and starting from the first one start analyzing all the things you need to go through. After writing down everything you will distribute them accordingly to the available days for this course.
2. Frequent intermediate breaks
This might be the most important tip to be able to stay productive and focused. I know everyone has his own style and pace of learning, some people are more visual, while some others like me find it easier to say everything out loud to learn it, however, having breaks even 10-minute ones have been proven to help you stay concentrated and perform better throughout the day. Personally, I have small breaks in between more than 6 time daily. I also find it helpful to have a one-hour lunch break and prepare something myself. Cooking a quick and healthy meal can help you relax and do something different.
3. Take care of your mental health
I can keep providing information and telling you about ways to enhance your performance and perform well at an exam, but this works differently for every student and depends on various factors. Exams can create many negative feelings and you need to find ways to take care of yourself and prioritize that. I am more than sure that you can think of many things that put a smile on your face and make you happy. Take a minute to think about all of them before bed and decide to do at least one of them every day.
Exams are important but our health and well-being should always come first. Wish you a productive but fun month. Until next time stay safe.
