We’ve all been there. The minute right before you have to take an exam, your palm start to sweat and your heart beat races. You start to doubt yourself and blank out on everything you studied. Taking an exam can be stressful, but here are a few tips you can follow to ace that exam!
Plan out your studying.
Research shows that cramming all your studying the night before the exam is actually a counterproductive way of studying. You will tend to forget a lot of what you studied because that information gets stored in your short-term memory. Plan out a schedule for how and when you should study. Spreading your studying out over a couple of days/weeks and repetition of the material will ensure that the material learnt will stick in your head.
Test taking strategies.
It is important to pace yourself during an exam because you do not have an infinite amount of time to take it. If you are taking a test that has multiple choice questions, use the process of elimination to narrow your options down and increase the chance of you getting that question correct. If your test includes a written component, make sure to elaborate on as many details as possible so that you can get the maximum number of points.
Eat breakfast.
A poor habit that many students have is skipping breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and it energizes you so that you can perform your best!
Perfect your studying skills.
Figure out how you study best. Is it by reading the textbook over and over again? Or do you create notes and flashcards for every chapter? Do you study better by yourself, from a tutor, or with a group? Studying will not be effective if you do not know how to be productive with your time.
Sleep.
Being a student, you may be prone to staying up late at night to study or do homework. It is important to get a good amount of quality sleep. Sleep helps your brain’s memory and is key in retaining information while studying.