
At this point, if you have followed the advice of the previous phase well, you have an advantage.
So, in addition to applying the 8 tips to study well and quickly, let’s see what the other things are you need to do to prepare for the exam.
1. Study in Cycles
By now even the stones know that studying for hours and hours without ever lifting your head from the book is not productive, I’ll explain it to you also in this article that talks about the importance of breaks!
Your study must include moments of concentration and moments of relaxation, so study in cycles of 40 minutes interspersed with 10 breaks and 10 reviews.
When you are tired you can also do cycles of 25 minutes of study, 5 of breaks, and 5 of review, that’s okay, the important thing is to maintain this study-break rhythm that avoids making you lose concentration.
2. Underline and Find Keywords
Small premise. The most wrong thing you can do to tackle the study of a university exam is to take the manual and start studying it ALL hard-nosed. There is no need to study the entire book meticulously.
Based on what are the most frequently asked questions and the most important information to be prepared at the right point without necessarily having to know every detail of the subject.
When you start studying on the book, try to emphasize the really important things with a conscience. In this article I will explain how to emphasize in a useful way, avoiding finding fluorescent murals between the pages of the manual.
Underlining also serves to bring out keywords, those terms that evoke a specific concept and help you remember it.
3. Make Mind Maps
My favorite moment! Mind Maps are your ace in the hole and if you don’t know where to start, read this article that talks about Mind Map to study at super speed.
With the keywords you highlighted from the manual, create a larger and larger Map of the subject of study. By doing so, you will always have a clear understanding of the structure of everything you have studied, with more general and more specific information that demonstrates your in-depth knowledge of the subject.
Are you preparing for a 500-page exam and don’t want to make several maps by hand? But what’s the problem?! Choose one of the 6 best mind mapping software.
4. Review
Of course, even in this case, you have to review, otherwise, you will not go anywhere.
The reviews must be done following the following cycle:
- the day after
- one week later
- a month later
Doing so will keep the information fresh.
In this article I will talk to you in more detail about the review cycles, I suggest you take a look at it.
Don’t Forget About the Non-academic Parts of the Exam
If you worked well studying a little more than expected day after day during the whole period leading up to the exam, you certainly have some of that famous buffer time left.
You will use it to prepare for your exam presentation.
The oral one is a big obstacle for many: there is no time to think, just those few seconds to recall the answer, but then you have to answer immediately. Not everyone feels comfortable dealing with an oral, so it is important to practice very loudly.
Of course, the written exam is also important and wants its form, so remember to write clearly and with language properties. The main difficulty then lies in managing the time you have available to answer all the questions.
In both cases, what you need to do to prepare is to simulate the exam.
Of course, you will not be able to practice so specifically on the ENTIRE program, the time will certainly not be enough. So, choose some topics, in particular, perhaps those most popular with the professor, and practice on those to refine your expository qualities. For everything else, you will do a notional review.
Taking an exam is certainly not like having dinner with friends, so it’s normal to be a little anxious.
But exam anxiety is not our enemy, we just have to learn to keep it at bay. The trick is to use this feeling to your advantage without letting it take over.
There are many exercises you can do to manage it, I’ll tell you about them in this article dedicated to exam anxiety and the tools to overcome it.
In the End
College is a challenge, but your method, seasoned with a handful of motivation, and served on a plate of willpower is the main course of academic success! Still, you might get exhausted from the constant pressure of numerous assignments, and then you might want to get help from a pro essay writer in order to recollect your motivation and get back into studying with more motivation than before.