I have yet to meet anyone that is excited by the thought of sitting through an exam; as much as this is true, exams are still part of campus life. Not to worry, a number of techniques highlighted below will help you get through this.
Adopt studying as a habit
Majority of students view studying as a last minute thing that involves cramming and dipping legs in cold water even past midnight. Have you ever heard of a guy who spent the entire night studying for a morning exam only to oversleep and miss it? I know I have. It helps to set aside some bit of time daily to study, this way it develops into a habit and eventually may help you improve your memory as opposed to cramming.
Summarize your notes in writing
Research has proven that it is easier to recall content when you read and write as opposed to reading alone. Summarizing notes helps reduce the number of words and material you would need to remember, once you have identified a topic, highlight the key words and memorize them. The main focus here should be rewriting the material in your own words, this way it’s easier to remember.
Review previous assignments and tests
I remember this lecturer in campus who used to give us complicated take-away assignments. Being a lazy guy, I did whatever any ordinary student would; I copied the answers from a friend of mine. As if the lecturer knew of this trend, he set the exams purely based on the assignments he had given. Sure enough, anyone that took their time to tackle the assignment on their own passed the final exam with flying colors, but unfortunate souls like me barely passed the tests.
Join a study group
Studying with friends can be fun and at the same time make you remember the answers easily. Also, it is recommended that you exchange papers, motivate each other, bounce ideas between the members and help out in solving difficult concepts. Who knows, you might actually pick a trick or two from the study group.
Avoid cramming
“The last minute can save a man”; I have always lived by this famous saying. While it may pack some truth to it, it does not apply here. In fact, the last minute can devastate a man/woman. Stick to the material you have been studying, trying to read new topics will only confuse you and make you nervous.
Take breaks
Studying consumes a lot of brain power, taking breaks will help you relax and at the same time help the brain re-call what you already learnt. Fruits, almonds and yogurt are the best choices to replenish the lost glucose. Sleeping for approximately eight hours is healthy for the body and is ideal during the exam period.
Identify the technique that best fits you
Just because your colleague studies with loud music playing in the background does not mean the same technique could work for you. Try figuring out what suits you because everyone learns differently. You have to be realistic with this approach though, for example, studying in a dark room is an impossible task, unless of course you pack a nice set of night vision enabled pupils.