How I Learnt What Works Best For Me When Preparing For Exams

There are many ways to prepare for an exam — read the class notes, read the textbook, look up other online resources or even create a mind map and your own notes. I have experimented a couple of ways before concluding on what worked best for me. 

Exam preparation is a highly discussed topic, and many students spend a lot of time trying to find the best way. From my end, I will be sharing some of the best practices that you may wish to explore. 

 

Study a couple of subjects a day if possible and pace yourself 

It is more effective to study multiple subjects each day, than to spend the whole day on one or two subjects. For example, if you are preparing for exams in math, geography, physics, and chemistry, it is better to spread the studying across a couple of subjects a day. 

This approach will help you to absorb faster than by focusing on just one subject a day because you are likely to confuse similar information if you study a lot of the same subject in one day. Usually, how I prepare for exams (at least one month before the exam) would be to create a timetable for different subjects for revision or just to practice exam papers. 

Personally, I would try to review my notes and subject materials periodically, instead of compacting my revision. Regular review is important if you want information to be retained as part of your long-term memory. The more the information is used, the higher the chances of it becoming a long-term memory. 

Study smart and spread out your study time for each subject. In so doing, your brain will have more time to absorb your learning. 

 

Try not to multitask 

Multitasking makes you less productive, more distracted, and less focused. There are many studies which show that people who multitask are actually less efficient than the average person. 

Speaking from experience, I have tried multitasking from secondary school to junior college and even till now. To me, this is a bad habit that one should not form. Smart students focus on just one at a time. 

These are some of the practices which I did to help me avoid multitasking: 

• Turn off notifications on your phone or place it away when you are studying 
• Turn off the internet access on your computer unless you are picking out online materials 
• Only place the subject you are studying on the table 
• Try not to listen to loud, trashy music when you are studying 

By creating good habits, you eliminate bad habits. 

 

Simplify, summarize, and compress the information 

There are many ways to help students to memorise information from the various subjects that you are studying. For me, I used to love mnemonics and creating small mind maps to help me remember stuff easily. These tools help reduce my studying time and allows me to just do a short recap right before the exam. 

Mind maps are powerful tools for accelerated learning. By creating a mind map, you can break them down into smaller steps for study and revision. You can use mind maps to solve problems, break complex systems down into small, simple processes, or even deconstruct a complicated task. 

Learn more about how to use mind maps here. 

Examples of mnemonics: 

This can be used even in math! TOA CAH SOH (for trigonometry) or even ROYGBIV (this is taught in primary school) 

Examples of mind maps: 

 

Taking notes by hand and positioning yourself to help stay attentive 

Now, learning is done primarily through laptops and digital devices. However, I still prefer the traditional way of taking down notes. I tend to remember things better writing it down, processing it at the same time, and thus retaining the information. 

If you can choose where you sit (this does not apply to those in secondary school and below), choose to sit in front. When you are seated in front, you tend to not talk to your classmates and use your phone. Your attention is placed more on the teacher/lecturer, and by doing so, you make full use of your time in class. 

Embarrassingly, I only managed to find this useful when I was in University. 

 

Write down your tasks for the day 

Students usually set out things that they would like to achieve for the week — for example, completing 10 papers for math and science — but always fail to come close to their goals. 

What I usually do while prepping for my exams is to come out with a plan for the week, as well as an individual plan for the day (i.e. finishing up 1 paper for math and 1 paper for science). 

Some tips for this: Whenever you set out a plan for the day, list down each and every item that you intend to complete within the day itself, however small it is and try to strike off those that you think can be accomplished easily and leave the hardest to the last. 

Another tip is that you need to know where you are going, and how to get there. Break down your progression into a series of simple, believable stages, or targets, that you must achieve. 

Personally, I always believe that goals need to be broken down into multiples steps. By creating small achievable targets for yourself, you will build up your confidence slowly and you will definitely achieve what you set out to do, or get close to where you want it to be. 

 

Test yourself frequently and try teaching your friends if possible 

Just reading notes or listening to lectures will not make the information stick. Being able to test yourself to find out if you have absorbed the information is critical. As you complete a chapter from any of the subjects, spend at least half an hour to do a recap of what you have studied, followed by testing yourself to see how much information you have retained. 

Many students, myself included, tend to passively read the textbook or class notes. Study smart by testing yourself on the key concepts and equations. When you prepare for a test, expose yourself to as many questions as possible to understand if you are able to apply the concepts. 

If you are studying with a group of friends, try teaching them what you have studied or revised. This actually helps reinforce your knowledge and will help you to remember better. Studying with my friends gave me many opportunities to help some of my friends who were weaker in math, and as a result, that knowledge was reinforced. 

Students need to complete lots of questions or tasks on the content and, crucially, receive feedback on their work. It is far easier to learn a skill when you can practice it easily. The key to retaining information is practice. 

 

Plan for breaks and rewards 

Before starting the day, set a specific reward for completing the session. 

The reward could be something as simple as going for a short walk or listening to your favorite music. Taking regular study breaks helps to enhance overall productivity and improves focus. It is not a good idea to put yourself up in your room for six hours straight to study for an exam. 

You may feel like you get a lot done this way, but the information that gets retained drops after a certain period. I use a timer or stopwatch to remind myself when to take a break and when to get back to studying. 

Another very important aspect of preparing for exams would be to get more sleep! Research has shown that if you get enough sleep, you will be more focused, you’ll learn faster, and your memory will improve. You will also deal with stress more effectively. 

 

Figure out what works for you 

The bottom line is that there are many methods out there, so explore and choose the ones that are suitable for you. What works well for others might not work well for you, so do not follow blindly. This is truly a process, one that needs you to assess and readjust — I’m sure you will be able to learn more about yourself through this process as well.

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