Give yourself enough time to study
Don’t leave it until the last minute. While some students do seem to thrive on last-minute cramming, it’s widely accepted that this is not the best way to approach an exam. To help sort out your time management, set up a timetable for your study. Write down how many exams you have and the days on which you have to sit them. Then organize your study accordingly. You may want to give some exams more study time than others, so find a balance that you feel comfortable with.
Use flow charts and diagrams
Visual aids can be really helpful when revising. At the start of a topic, challenge yourself to write down everything you already know about a topic – and then highlight where the gaps lie. Closer to the exam, condense your revision notes into one-page diagrams. Getting your ideas down in this brief format can then help you to quickly recall everything you need to know during the exam.
Organize study groups with friends
Get together with friends for a study session. You may have questions that they have the answers to and vice versa. As long as you make sure you stay focused on the topic for an agreed amount of time, this can be one of the most effective ways to challenge yourself. Parents and little brothers and sisters don’t have to be annoying around exam time. Use them to your advantage. Explain an answer to a question to them. That will help you to get it clear in your head, and also to highlight any areas where you need more work.
Set reasonable targets
Daily targets help us to mark our progress. Progress provides encouragement and boost our confidence. This “reasonableness of setting targets” is different for the different individuals, it can only be achieved by hit and trial method. Mark your next day targets in the dairy and then evaluate your progress in the evening, if you have missed the daily target even after your full efforts then reduce the target and do vice versa in the opposite case. In a few days, you would find your personalized sweet spot. Also, try to cover difficult parts in the morning(the most productive part of the day) and leave the rest for the later part of the day.
Take study breaks
You can’t work at high intensity forever: you’ll need to take a break to refresh and recharge. The principle of the “Pomodoro” system is that you work to a ticking clock: set a timer for a length of time, work solidly for the duration of that time, and stop work when the timer goes off. This system suggests 25-minute chunks of work followed by a 3-5 minute break, but you will know what best works for you. Always get up from your desk on your breaks: a change of scenery and chance to stretch your limbs, if only for a couple of minutes, is vital to help you reset.
