Exams, ugh, what a dreadful, headache-inducing word. But taking one it’s an experience we all have many times in life, especially during our college years. If you’re like me, your first thought when hearing about an upcoming exam is probably, “How am I going to get through this??” You just need to know some effective ways to study to help you survive this exam and all future ones. Here are 5 different effective ways to study for exams.
Cramming for an exam sounds like a solid way to make sure your brain obtains as much information as possible, closer to the big day. You are so wrong. One of the effective ways to study is not to cram but to get a goodnights rest. Sure, this means you’re going to have to start studying days earlier than you originally planned too. Does, “I’ll get to it later in the week” sound familiar? Yeah, drop this method real quick.
Start studying right away; give yourself time every day to study and don’t go so late into the night. A good night’s sleep will help your brain recharge, so being more open to storing the information you need to nail that exam.
Yes, it’s ideal to dedicate hours of your day studying, but not that beneficial if you try to power through the hours. Just like getting enough sleep, taking multiple study breaks throughout the day is one of the effective ways to study that can help you remember the material.
Sometimes, trying to power through can make you anxious and raise your stress levels. Thus, making it harder to absorb the information. If you allow yourself and take at least a 30-minute break from studying every hour or two, you’ll be able to resume confidently and refreshed.
An old school method but works wonders. It’s a good way to challenge yourself and one of the really effective ways to study. You can feel your brain strengthen as you start off not knowing almost any of the answers. Then, slowly but surely, no question is a match for you’re knowledge. Flashcards will have you feeling and learning like a freakin’ genius.
Another old school technique and also another one of the effective ways to study. When you get together with a few classmates, whether in the comfort of one of your dorms or the classic library, the motivation becomes the key to studying. When you are bouncing questions off of each other, you can feel the empowerment of the support you are receiving from each other. When other people are relying on you to complete this study group, you’re less likely to back out so easily, opening the doorway for acing that exam.
This is a powerful technique that is one of the most effective ways to study. Remember when Hannah Montana made that song about all the bones in the human body to help her ace her test? Think along the lines of that. Now you don’t have to make a song out of the answer necessarily, but comparing it to something that is part of your everyday life is more likely help you remember it.
For example:
Question: Who was the 10th president of the United States of America?
Answer: John Tyler
Real life connection to help you remember: That cute guy named Tyler you sat behind in your freshman English class.
10th president > cute Tyler> John Tyler> A on this exam!
Now you might not be able to relate EVERY answer to something in your everyday life, but when you can it’ll definitely make studying way easier.
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