HOW TO STUDY FOR EXAM

Just when you presume the day will be relaxing and easygoing, your teacher springs a quiz or test when you least
expect it. As much as we all despise taking an exam, exams
are, inevitably, an unavoidable part of school life. Everyone
hates taking exams, but you can improve your study
technique for them to avoid being caught unprepared
REVIEW YOUR SYLLABI
Figure out when all of your exams will be and how much
of your great they are worth. Put these dates into your
calendar or planner so they dont sneak up on you.
. plan review sessions beginning at least a week in advance
of each exam ideally, you will do several mini-reviews well in
advance, rather than trying to cram everything into one
mega session.
PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS
This seems like a no-brainer, but actually paying
attention while youre in class will help you immensely once
exam time comes. Dont fall into the trap of thinking youll
just absorb knowledge; be an active learner.
. listen carefully, because teachers often give hints like the
most important thing about this topic is... Or they may just
place emphasis on certain words and issues. This is the real
key to testing well. The more you absorb the information
early on, the less studying youll need to do.
TAKE GOOD NOTES
This is easier said than done, but learning how to take
good notes will help you immensely once it comes time to
study. Write down everything your teacher writes on the
board or puts up in slides. Try to record as much of what the
teacher says as possible, but dont allow taking notes to
distract you so much that you forget to listen
. Review notes daily, right after class. This will help reinforce
the information you just learned

MAKE STUDYING A PART OF YOUR HABITS

Too often, its easy to view studying as something that
only gets done at the last minute in a huge overnight cram
session. Instead, try setting aside some time every day to
study. Scheduling it just like another appointment or class
may help you stay motivated to continue the habit.
ASK ABOUT THE EXAM FORMAT
Ask your teacher what format the test will be in, how it
will be graded, if there are any opportunities for extra credit,
and if they would be in, how it will be willing to talk to you
about highlighting in your notes what the most important
board subjects will be.
STUDY IN A CLEAN, QUIET AND ORDERLY ROOM
Keep anything and everything away from where you are
that may cause you to get distracted. Jumping up to read a
text message on your phone or periodically checking social
media is ill-advised whilst studying.
TURN ON THE LIGHT
Studying in a dark room is not recommended. Add lamps
at night, or in the daytime, open the window coverings (open
the window a little, too). People tend to study and focus
better in a brighter, oxygenated room with little noise.
TURN THE TV OFF
While many students believe that theyre good at
multitasking, such as studying with the TV on or while
chatting online with friends, research suggests that this is not
true for the vast majority of people. For better studying
performance, eliminate distractions such as TV and loud
music with lyrics. Rapidly swapping attention between
studying and watching TV makes it more difficult for your
brain to prioritize information acquisition.
DECIDE IF MUSIC IS RIGHT FOR YOU

Musics effect on memory performance varies between

individuals. Some studies have found music to aod the
memory performance of individuals with ADD/ADHD, while
reduving it in individual without the disorder. Classical music
appears to be the most effective in enhancing stuying
performance. You must determine whether youd better of
with or without it. If you do enjoy listening to music whilst
studying, make sure youre actually concentrating on the
material you have to study for, and not the catchy tune thats
playing in your head.
. if you absolutely must listen to music, find instrumental
music so that the words in the music dont interfere with your
studying.
.listen to background sounds from nature in order to keep
your brain active and prevent other noises to distract you.
There are several free background noise generators available
online.
. listening to Mozart or classical music wont make you
smarter or keep information in your brain, but it may make
your brain more receptive to receiving information.
FOCUS ON YOUR WORK OBJECTIVE
What do you intend to accomplish during this session?
Setting a concrete study goal may help you. Creating study
plans is also a good idea. If 3 out of 5 lessons are easy and
can be finished fast, finish then first, so you can spend
quality time on the difficult lessons without fretting.
WRITE YOURSELF A STUDY GUIDE
Go through your notes and rewrite the most important
information. Not only will this give you a more focused way to
study, but it creating it is another form of studying! Just dont
spend too ,much time on the guide itself. You need to have
time to go it over too!
REINVENT YOUR NOTES IN OTHER FORMATS

Rewriting your notes is great if youre a kinesthetic

learner. Mind mapping is the most effective way of doing this.
Also, when youre writing something, you will probably think
about what you are writing, what its about , and why wrote it
down. Most importantly, it refreshes your memory. If you took
notes a month ago and just found out that those note will be
relevant in your exam,rewriting yhem will remind you of them
when you need it for exam.
. dont simply copy your notes over and over again. This
tends to lean towards memorizing the exact wording of your
notes instead of the actual concepts. Instead, read and think
about the contents of your notes, and then re-word them.
ASK YOURSELF QUESTION ABOUT YOUR MATERIAL
This can help you tell if you have remembered what you
just studied. Dont try to remember what you just studied.
Dont try to remember the exact wording from your notes in
your answer to yourself; synthesizing that information into an
answer is a much more useful tactic.
. it can also help to say the answer to your questions out
loud, as if you were trying to explain it to someone alse.
REVIEW PREVIOUS TESTS AND ASSIGNMENTS
If you missed questions on previous work, look up the
answers and understand why you missed these questions.
This is particularly helpful if the exam youre studying for is
cumulative or comprehensive, meaning it covers things you
also covered earlier in the course.
FIND THE RIGHT HOURS
Dont study when you are really tired. Its better to get a
good night sleep after studying for a short time than to push
on at two in the morning. You wont remember much and
youre likely to see a performance drop the next day.
START AS EARLY AS POSIIBLE
Dont cram. Cramming the night before is proven to be
ineffective, because youre taking in so much information at

once that its impossible to memorize it at all--- in fact, youll

hardly retain anything. Studying before and going over it
multiple times really is the best way to learn the material.
This is especially true with things like history and theoretical
subjects.
. always study when you have the chance, even if it is only
15 or 20 minutes. These short study periods add up fast.
. study in chunks of 25 minutes using the Promodoro
Technique. After that make a break of 5 minutes: repeat the
process 3x, then make a longer pause of 30-45 minutes
STUDY FOR YOUR LEARNING STYLE
If youre visual learner, using picture can help. Auditory
learners should record themselves saying notes and recite it
afterwards. If you are a physical person, lecture to yourself
(out loud) while also using your hands or moving around;this
way it will be easier for you to memorize.
ADJUST YOUR STUDY TECHNIQUES TO FIT YOUR SUBJECT
Subjects such as mathematics require a lot of practice
with problem sets in order to become familiar with the
process required. Subjects in the humanities, such as history
or literature, may require more information synthesis and
memorization of things such as terms or dates.
. whatever you do, dont just re-read the same set of notes
over and over again. In order to actually learn, you need to
take an active role in knowledge creation as well as
information review. Try finding the big picture among what
youve taken down or reorganizing your notes by theme or
date.
THINK OF YOUR TEACHER
Ask yourself: what is my teacher most likely to ask on
the exam? What materials should I focus on to give myself
the best chance of knowing what I need to know? What trick
questions or wrinkles could my teacher introduce that might
throw me for a loop? This may help you focus on the most

important information, rather than getting stuck on things

that might not matter as much.
ASK FOR HELP
If you need help, ask someone who is good at these
subjects. Friends, family, tutors and teachers are all good
options. If you dont understand what the person helping you
is communicating, dont be afraid to ask them to elaborate.
. asking teacher for help conveys your commitment to the
material and can be helpful in the future as well as with your
exams. Always remember to ask your teacher if you do not
know wht she is talking about or you need more information.
The teacher will probably be glad to help.
. there are often resources at school and colleges that can
help you cope with stress, answer study-related questions,
give you study tips and other forms of stress, answer studyrelated questions, give you study tips and other forms of
guidance. Ask your techer or visit your schools website to
learn how to use these resources.
TAKE BREAK
You need some time to have fun and it is better to study
when you are feeling relax than exhaust yourself studying all
day! Carefully structure your break and study time. Usually,
20-30 minutes of study and then a 5 minute break is the
most effective method.
. if you have trouble bringing yourself to study, instead of
long uninterrupted sessions, chunk your work into 20 minute
periods, taking a 10-minute break at the end of every period.
. make sure that you structure the chunks logically so that
youre not breaking up concepts across chunks, as this may
make it more difficult to remember concepts in their entirety.
THINK POSITIVE BUT WORK HARD
Self confidence is important, focusing on how little
youve studied or how badly you will do on the exam just
distracts you from working on achieving success. However,

this doesnt mean that you shouldnt study hard. You still
need to work at it, even if you have confidence in yourself.
Confidence just keep away roadblocks to success
WORK WITH OTHERS
Arrange study dates at a library with your friends to
compare notes or explain things the other one might not
understand. Working with other people can help you cover
gaps in your own knowledge and also helps you remember
more information, since you may have to explain things to
them or have conversations about the topic
. if you ask help from other, dont joke around. Concentrate
on what you are doing.
CALL A FRIEND
If your stuck on a subject do not be afraid to call a friend
or your tutor and ask help
GET PLENTY OF REST THE NIGHT BEFORE
Adolescents, typically require at least more than 10
hours. Poor sleep has been found to accumulate, in order to
make up for poor sleep habits, several weeks of daily optimal
sleep may be required to return to optimal performance.
. dont consume caffeine or any other stimulating subrance
within 5-6 hours prior to sleeping. Such substances reduce
the efficiency of sleep, meaning than even with sufficient
sleep time, you may not feel well rested upon waking.
EAT HEALTH, LIGHT MEAL
Eat a balance breakfast full of lean protein, vegetables,
omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. A sample breakfast
might include a spinach omelet with smoked salmon, whose
wheat toast, and a banana.
BRING A SNACK
If your exam is a long one, bring a snack with you if
youre oremitted to do so. Something with some complex
carbohydrate and protein, such as a whole-wheat peanut

butter sandwich or even a granola bar, will help boost your

concentration when it begins to flag.
GET TO THE EXAM ROOM WITH TIME TO SPARE
Give yourself at least five or ten minutes to gather your
thoughts before starting the exam. This way, you can get
settled in and have time to relax before the test starts.
DO THE QUESTIONS YOU KNOW FIRST
If you dont know the answer to the question, do the
next one and come back to it at the end. Struggling and
concentrating on a question you dont know the answer to
can be time consuming, which makes you lose valuable
marks.
MAKE FLASHCARDS
If you have a grammar test or english, ites good to make
flashcard to remember definitions of a word. You can take it
to school and just flip through them before your exam start.