School and
University can be extremely stressful, especially at the end of a semester,
when students have to take many exams. To keep a cool head, here are some tips
and tricks that should help you not to freak out while studying.
1. Get
organized! Write down the dates for your exams (if your teachers are generous
enough to inform you at least one weak beforehand), calculate the time you will
need to learn all subjects and set up a well-structured practice plan. And most importantly: Stick to it. Otherwise
it will be useless.
2. Stay away
from entertaining things! If you study on your couch, with your Playstation and
your TV right in front of you, you might most likely get very frustrated. This
also applies to your smartphone, or any other gadget that has facebook on it.
Trust me, even if you think you are a disciplined person, your subconscious
mind will hate you for any temptation that it has to fight.
3. Make sure
that you have enough to drink and to eat! Either you find yourself a very nice
person, who is willing to prepare 3 meals a day, or you just buy a huge amount
of softdrinks, chips and sweets. It is very important that you don’t have to
cook yourself. Time is money.
4. Have a
break every now and then. Scientists have found that already after 30 minutes
of intensive studying, concentration ceases significantly. You could for
example use the time to check your Facebook messages. But keep the breaks
short. You might fail the exam if you
take less time for studying than for breaks.
5. Have a
positive attitude! Remember that knowledge is power and that you study for
yourself. Not for your parents, not for your grandma, not for your teacher and
not for your friends – just for yourself. Tell yourself that you can pass the
exam easily, if you study enough. This will help you to stay motivated.
6. Practice
SPA-studying. Why not apply a face mask (if you are a guy, leave that step
out), jump into your bathtub and take your school books with you? Meanwhile you
can also enjoy a glass of Champaign. If you don’t have a bathtub, a footbath is
a great alternative.
7. Try to get
some sleep during the nighttime. I know it is tempting to pull an all-nighter
just before an exam, but trust me, I made some experience with that and I can tell
you: Everything you study in that night is in vain. Moreover you will most
likely get a blackout during the exam. You should sleep at least one or two
hours per night. It will make a huge difference.
8. If you have
a problem with getting up early, you can study in your bed. Just make sure that
you have your books and your notes on your night table, so you don’t have to
move too far to reach them in the morning.
9. Don’t waste
your time trying to invent a super innovative crib sheet. You will be very
annoyed if your teacher still catches you at cheating and even if you pass the
exam you will fail the next one due to your lack of previous knowledge.
10. If you
still fail the exams, don’t get desperate. Life goes on and you will probably
get a second chance to prove your skills very soon.
I hope
these tips have helped a little bit and you don’t take this post too seriously.
Good luck with your exams!