Exam time can be a difficult period for anyone. There's so much to learn and remember, and so much that you'll be afraid of forgetting!However, developing a positive mindset can act as motivational booster and fight exam stress. There are ways you can encourage your brain to adopt this attitude to help you produce outstanding exam results.This slide set will give you five tips to help get you exam-ready:Planning, revising, streamlining, memory-boosting and attentive reading.
There are not many who will argue with the benefits of a good plan. It allows you to break down work into manageable chunks. This is vital
to keep you motivated and to reduce procrastination. Your focus will
improve when you have specific tasks to accomplish.For
studying, it’s only the start of the battle however. The bigger
challenge is to stick to your plan, especially when you’d rather be
doing something else.
So how can you do this? Be realistic. Set yourself achievable goals or tasks. The more you complete successfully, the more you will be
motivated to continue. Also review your progress at regular intervals.
Once you see how much you’ve done, you’ll be galvanised to keep going to complete the task.
Don’t just study the topics you have covered most recently. Final
exams include questions related to the entire subject and the exam
questions will assess your overall ability and knowledge of a subject.
It’s important to master the foundation of the subject by covering introductory theory before advancing to deeper topics. Flashcards
can help you understand key definitions and terms to build your base
knowledge. Using these study aids will also allow you to quickly review
your notes before the exams.
If you have to revise as well as cover new
areas, you will probably start wondering where you'll get the time. The key is
to be efficient and cut out material you don't need. Yes, you read that correctly - reduce your workload. This does not mean that
you should remove topics or paragraphs at random. You should find a way
to reduce the volume of what you have to study without harming your
level of knowledge.
The key is to use Mind Maps.
The trick with mind mapping is to use keywords and logically relate
them in a way that your brain is capable of filling in the gaps. Your
brain should be capable of developing a paragraph with sense for every
node or keyword outlined in the map.
Once you fully comprehend the structure and format of the exam for
each of your subjects, you can develop a strategy to test yourself. For
example, preparing for an MCQ type of test will require a different
skill-set than essay answer format.
Engaging your brain in active recall on a regular basis enhances your
learning and strengthens your ability to remember information. Building confidence in your
learning ability will also motivate you to study for longer and reduce
exam stress. Take a look at the GoConqr's Quiz tool for more information and examples.
On the day if the exam,
nerves can play a big part and sometimes negatively affect your
performance. This can lead to reading questions incorrectly and
approaching the answer in the wrong way.
Don’t let this happen to you! Spend time carefully reading the
questions and jotting down some notes for when you are writing out your
response. Having the structure of your answer clear before you put pen
to paper can help you focus on the task and include details that will
get you those extra marks.