What are the best tips to ace exams? Exam season is just around the corner, and first I want you breathe! The absolute worst thing that you can do when you have a bunch of important tests coming up is to freak out and cause a scene in your own mind because once you push yourself off of that mental ledge, it is almost impossible to climb back up and come back to succeed. The general belief is that if you go into exam season armed with all of the tools and tips possible, you will come out on the other side in one piece and with a hopeful view of what your results are going to be. Luckily for you, there is a list of tips and tidbits of advice coming your way right here right now. Here are the absolute best tips to ace exams.
Understanding your exam situation is one of the best tips to ace exams. Make sure that you are completely aware of the importance of these exams. If you have ambitions of a particular career path, then you will be well aware of the kinds of requirements that that will take, so put your business head on and get out there and achieve the first step on a much larger ladder.
Ideally, you should be studying and doing extra revision from the very first day of your classes! This might seem extreme, but by the time exams come around, you will already be filled with so much knowledge and confidence in the topics that it just won’t feel like that big of a deal.
Even if it feels like you are out there dangling on a tightrope of anxiety, it can help to remember that you are absolutely not the only one who is experiencing these emotions at this time. Talk to your friends and classmates. They will be able to empathize and help you relax.
Don’t rely on suggestions and favours from other people as the main part of your exam prep. If a classmate has promised you access to their notes before the test but then doesn’t turn up to meet you, what would you do then? The best thing to do is make sure that you do all of your vital preparation at home, on your own, with the use of your own notes and tools.
The internet can be your best friend for revision in the form of old test questions and exam papers that can be found online. Gather as many of these as you can and do test runs on various questions. The good thing about dedicated subjects and syllabuses is that things never change too drastically from year to year.
If you get the opportunity to talk to a student in the year above you who has already taken the exam, then do so. The questions you get will probably be different, but they will be able to give you at least a few pointers on what to expect, and will also be able to help you manage the pressure.
Don’t be afraid to turn yourself into a more selfish person during exam season, you need to keep your own success at the forefront of your mind and put your own needs first. Don’t worry about doing favours for others during this period, the only thing that should matter is you getting all of the revision and studying time that you possibly can.
On the whole, social isolation isn’t really a good thing, but in the microenvironment of exam season, the best thing you can do is shut yourself away from all outside distractions and get your head in your books. There will always be time to do plenty of partying and socialising when the hard work is done and dusted!
One of the worst things you can do is fall into a social media shaped procrastination hole, it is actually unbelievable how much time scrolling through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram can waste. Instead of using it as a crutch, treat your social media platforms as a reward for when you have done a really good session of revision. Ten minutes scrolling for an hour of studying seems like a sensible ratio.
Sure, you can’t study when you are sleeping, but in turn, if you don’t get enough rest during exam season then you are not going to be performing at full capacity when the most important moments happen. You need to make sure that you are getting at least seven hours a night in order for your mind to be fully sharp and fully ready to take on the challenge of writing an exam paper. If you go into an important test with feelings of exhaustion, then there is only one way that that paper is going to go. Badly!