With only a few weeks before exams, this is an important time to focus and minimise distractions to ensure you get the results you desire. Here are some key tips for the weeks leading up to your exams.
1. Plan your time
Take time each week and each day to plan your calendar. First, add all the regular events such as sports, music practice, cultural and church commitments plus meal times. Now, plan around these to ensure you have a spread of all subjects over a week. Focus on one subject at least an hour per day, and at least 3-4 times a week.
2. Minimise distractions
Let people know you are unavailable for the time you are studying. Ensure your family knows you are focusing and maybe more importantly, turn off your social media feed to be able to focus. You can check your social media feed in your 5 minute breaks. Turn off the TV, and any music with words as the brain tends to listen to lyrics and then is not able to focus clearly on what you are learning.
3. Start with what you don’t know
If you have completed your practice exams, start learning the questions you got wrong or did not get full marks for. Of all the tips, this is paramount. Revising what you know just makes you feel good, and does not increase your knowledge and understanding. Alternatively, learning what you don’t know is exactly what studying is all about. Get out your notes and go over what the teacher taught. Use the internet to search for videos, tutorials and study notes to assist you. Ask questions of your teachers and check in with friends who might be able to explain anything you are confused by. The more you go over and over these challenging parts, the easier they will get. Start each study session with the topics you f ind challenging and spend 10-20 minutes on these each day. Over time, you will find that your understanding will improve.
4. Look after your wellbeing
Firstly, water is great for hydrating your brain and making thinking and learning easier. Ensure you have a glass of water or your water bottle handy while you are studying. A filtered source or straight out of the tap is great. Avoid adding anything into the water such as tea, coffee, sugar, colouring, flavouring, etc as this causes your body to use treat the drink as a food and does not directly hydrate your brain. Secondly, great nutrition is also essential. Just like a car, the quality of fuel equates to the quality of performance. Recommended foods for top brain functioning include blueberries, brazil and walnuts, banana, broccoli, wholegrain bread, spinach and tomatoes. Thirdly, take frequent breaks. Researchers suggest to study for 20 minutes then a 5 minute break. In your break, go for a brisk walk, jump of the trampoline or skip with a skipping rope. These activities assist with blood flow, increasing oxygen to the brain and will release endorphins, the feel-good brain chemicals. These can help to reduce stress and ease anxiety and depression. These activities can also leave you feeling invigorated.
5. Use flow charts and diagrams
Draw flow charts and make up diagrams to assist in learning information. A picture is worth a thousand words and this is very true for the brain. Visual images are more likely to be recalled in an exam and also help with understanding when drawn. Once you have drawn and understood a concept, cover it and see if you can redraw from your memory, and repeat until you can.