3 Things You Should Be Doing Now Exams Have Started

Let me get straight to the point and tell you one thing you should not be doing during exams time: stressing!

Many of you have now reached that point you have been preparing for, for so long, and are in the thick of exam season. You have probably read loads of articles on how to revise, how to stay calm on exam day, and so on, but how about what you should be doing while in the momentum of exams?
Hopefully, these tips will help you stay calm, focused and exam-ready.

1. Maintain a Healthy Work/Relaxation Balance

Have you ever been in that situation where you are reading and re-reading the same line in a book but nothing seems to be going into your head? And then you walk away, and come back to it later on, and you only have to read it once?

It is of course important to work hard. But it is just as important to relax.

There is no hard and fast rule for the ratio of working to relaxing. You need to find what works for you and when doing this, the best tip I can give you is, don’t wait until your attention is waning. Take a break while you are still feeling fresh. That way, when you relax, you will simply be taking a break, not ‘recovering’.

Also, think about what you are doing to relax. Since you are in the midst of studying and trying to remember lots of information, try not to do anything that clutters your brain for instance, reading a challenging book. Physical exercise is brilliant.

2. Stay Calm – You Will Never Know Everything!

When looking at last minute Exams revision, it is easy to find topics that you may not know fully and try and cram. But ask yourself, how well are you likely to know that topic after studying it last minute?

In my experience, cramming can work, but only for very small chunks of information, usually to support what you already know. Not when learning something brand new.

You will never know everything, so instead of trying, focus on knowing what you know thoroughly.

3. Study Strategically

Strategic study is key when it comes to exam technique.

You will naturally spend most of your time revising and learning topics – quite rightly. However, make sure that you don’t neglect understanding the assessment objectives – i.e. the criteria the examiner will use to mark your papers.

If you are not aware of the assessment objectives, it doesn’t matter how well you know a subject, you will not be able to craft answers to collect the most amount of marks possible.