Happy new year! Hopefully, all of you have had a great Christmas and new year. 2021 was a different one, many of us have gone through a lot, but needless to say, it was very meaningful. On the other hand, 2022 is looking exciting and let’s get a kickstart by excelling in the exams! There is no doubt that exams and assignments can be overwhelming and stressful, but in this blog, I will share a few tips and help you cope with your studies.
Get an overview of all topics
Before you dive into the detail of things, it might a good idea to skim through the lecture notes and slides from the beginning of the semester. Summarise the learning outcomes of each topic and write down the parts you are not confident about so that you can come back later and focus on these parts. This method will make sure that you don’t leave anything behind and really maximise your efforts.
Flashcard
For theoretical subjects, flashcards can be extremely useful to enhance your memory. More importantly, the process of making them can also improve your understanding of the topics. You can either make physical flashcards with pen and paper, or digital ones in an app. Personally, I prefer using apps such as Anki or Quizlet. The reason is that first, they are on all platforms, you can access them from a webpage or on your phone, which makes them very convenient and assessable. When you are on your way to watch Spider-man with friends, you can really use the pieces of time to revise with flashcards. At the same time, these apps are also great at tracking your progress and reminding you to study.
Record the process
For process-heavy calculations or subjects such as accounting, it might be a good idea to record your answer for a worked example with details and explanations. Write down the steps of solving in order and note down the things that get mistaken frequently by students. It is also important to explain things in your own words, so that when you want to revise this question type later, it is easy to follow and understand. Most importantly, this will trigger your memory about the question and topic efficiently.
I hope these tips will help! It works great for me, but everyone’s learning patterns are different. So don’t worry if it doesn’t work perfectly as described. Adjust it and find your own best way to study. Keep well and have a great 2022!
