exam season: how to NOT stress out
hello everyone! Christmas is right around the corner and it unfortunately means one thing... finals. as much as you may rather cuddle up in your bed with twelve blankets and a cup of hot chocolate watching home alone, preparing for final exams is still important and deserving all of your attention. these exams place a lot of pressure upon students and can definitely be stressful, but below are a few tips that i find, make studying less painful, stressful and irritating.
stay organized
set out all of your notes and organize them for each subject. as an exemple you can use post-its of different colours to colour code your text book or note book... you want to study a little bit each night instead of cramming everything in your brain last minute. it also helps you to stay calm a little more knowing you don't have to stress over it as much. most teachers will give you hints and tips on what is going to be on the exam so try to keep an eye out for that!
make summary notes
this tip may not work for everyone but, I find that making notes helps me memorize my material easier. note taking can get much more exciting if you use different colours, highlighters or make mind maps.
don’t wait
if you wait until the last minute to begin studying, you're more likely to get overwhelmed and stressed out. the earlier you begin reviewing, the more time you will have to get comfortable with the material. start reviewing some of the topics a few weeks prior to the final exam so you don't end up cramming weeks of lessons into a few days.
healthy diet
healthy foods are good all year around but eating energizing food will help give you energy and motivation to study, and also helps you to stay awake! my favourite is green apples with peanut butter, mixed in with granola, (trust me here it's so addictive!)
do the review packets
if you are lucky enough to have a teacher that gives you a final study guide, do it. or at the very least, look over it and see what areas you need to focus on because chances are you forgot something (or, like, a lot of things) over the course of the semester. if your teacher does not give you a review, look back to the study materials you used for earlier exams.
stay well-rested
sleep is very important, especially during finals. make sure that you get at least 7 hours of sleep every night. pulling all-nighters to finish studying shouldn’t be an option. choose to study in the morning instead of night.
find your study place
whether that’s your desk area, a library or a local coffee shop, make sure that whenever you are there you won’t get distracted or interrupted.
study selectively
do not waste all your time reviewing a concept that you've mastered. go through your notes and highlight what you know in green and what you need to study in another colour. this will make it easy to see what you need to give attention to and what you can give just a quick glance.
take breaks
don't cram too much information into one session or you'll probably end up crying and/or panicking. study for 30 minutes at a time, then take a short break; get some food, take a walk, have a spontaneous dance party, spend time with your pet or even just check your phone for a few minutes. it is important to keep your energy up and your blood flowing, so get up, do some stretches and eat a snack (like candy, because you deserve it - treat yourself!).
reach out for help
if you don't understand something, ask your teacher questions sooner rather than later. if you wait until right before the final, odds are you teacher is getting swamped with desperate emails from students, causing him to either take a long time to respond or to give a rushed response with little depth and explanation. but, if you reach out early enough, your teacher will explain the material in a way that you understand, so get over your fear of asking for help. your teacher wants to see you succeed!
look for other ways to study
if your notes aren't helping you, look up videos online such as a crash course. hearing the material being presented in a different way from how you learned it may help you understand it better the second time it is taught to you. just make sure the source is reliable!
be positive
lastly, remember that finals aren't the end of the world. be positive and take care of yourself. don't push yourself too hard because your mental health is what's most important! you will succeed if you apply yourself, and in times of doubt and frustration remember these quotes and sayings:
make it fun
make mind-maps, use acronyms, quiz yourself and reward yourself after every successful study session. don’t be so hard on yourself. finals week can get easier if you find ways to make it fun.
use apps for studying
these are some great apps that i use a lot:
· quizlet
this is the best flashcard and revision app ever! you can make your own flashcards or you can use other people's pre-made ones. it's so effective and really helpful.
· befocused
this app is a pomodoro method timer. the pomodoro method is a time management technique for studying where you work for mostly 25 minutes and have 5 minutes breaks or longer depending how much work time frames you've completed.
listen to music
make your own playlist for studying or find one that works for you. there are tons of playlists on spotify and youtube that are made for studying. most of them are classical or instrumental, but they definitely don't have to be. however, instrumental music can make it easier to concentrate (especially if you're reading something) because you won't have to read something and hear something different at the same time. here's the link to a youtube playlist that I use to study:
don’t let the grades define you. there is so much more to each of you than the exams and the results you get in them!
study hard & good luck ♡
V
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