In these tough times preparing for exams requires you be a soldier fighting at different battle stations simultaneously. With ever demanding exams and social pressure you need to do more than just cramming few hundred pages. This article is all about preparing exams at your best.
Here are the 10 tips in few words. But I recommend continue reading the details under each tip to really understand what each of them means:
- Start what you can end!
- Make short notes yourself
- Revise, Revisit
- Face it earliest what you fear the most
- Find a guide
- Think about passing the exams and not just exams
- Sleep and eat normal
- “Group Study” – A Case study
- Practice in exam like environment
- Leave the rest to ALLAH
1. Start what you can end
All’s well that ends well
Well if you understand these words then why end is not always good? It can be because of two reasons:
- You have a wrong strategy
- You have a wrong attitude
Wrong strategy
Think about what time you WILL HAVE instead of what time you HAVE
Be truthful to yourself right from the start and think about how much time you can devote to studies close to your exams. For me it is a story of every exam session that many students start subjects with much energy but forget to measure if that energy will extinguish right before when it is really needed.
Fact is that many students drop subjects just before the exams, some even drop the subjects even after paying the exam fee and some got so depressed that they drop every subject they prepared for. Therefore, next time when you have that ‘Day 1’ experience don’t forget how was your ‘last day’ last time and map your strategy accordingly and don’t be fooled again by your temporary kick of “I can do this”.
Calculate the number of hours each you can spare for solid studies. These hours must be completely for studies and must not be “make shift” hours. Many students does go like, “I have spare time at my office”. Really? Do you think you can do effective study while you are already occupied. Remember what I said right in the beginning be true to yourself.
So do the counting. On average if you are on job and have family you can hardly spare more than 2 hours a day. And this comes 2 x 4 = 8 hours a week. Again don’t do 2 x 7 = 14 hours math. Keep room for contingencies as if you are with family you should expect the unexpected any time. So with 8 hours/week in hand sit down with your teacher and ask how many subjects can you do in this time.
Wrong attitude
Have everything right and get this wrong and everything will automatically fall in the wrong zone. Ever heard the voice that says:
I will prepare better next time
Kill that voice! If you are telling this to yourself right before exams then kill it right there. There is never next time it is always now or never. I have had brilliant students who wasted money and precious time just by having this attitude of doing it next time and postponing everything again. And the get into this cycle forever. If its on your head then get it done already. Don’t drag it again to next exam session and waste another 4-6 months or even a year in some cases.
Great tips. Thanks