Study guide :: 10 effective ways to study for final exams!!!

Hey :)

Even though the birds are singing and the sun is shining (in most parts of the world) a lot of us are unable to enjoy it due to the pressure of exams. So I thought I would share some of my most important study tips that I learned in college and that helped me get top grades in my intensive subjects such as accounting, maths and economics. I have been using these tips throughout college and university so I can safely say these have been some life saving tips specially when I needed to learn things fast.

Tip no.1 :: First things first – read the syllabus

This is what you should always do before starting your revision as it helps you understand exactly how much you need to know and what are the most important topics and textbooks. The worst thing is to read a whole entire book only to realise it was a supplementary book and not the mandatory book which the exam will be based on.

Tip no 2 :: Time management

Know how much time you need to devote to each course/subject, as you cannot spend the whole week dwelling on one course when you have 5 exams that same week. You need to know how to prioritise then divide up your time according to your priorities. A good way to do this is to make a timetable for the weeks to come. I would suggest only doing this one or two weeks before your exam when you need to start revising intensively for it.

Tip no 3 :: Breaks

During intensive amounts of studying we can lose focus and become very irritated. This can demotivate us as well as make us feel miserable from all the studying we are doing. Therefore it is very important you take small breaks in between. I would suggest taking 10 min breaks after every 50 minute of studying but this does depend on what works best for you. HOWEVER make sure you stick to the notion of “small breaks” and don’t end up spending 5 hours on Facebook

Tip no 4 :: Get organised

Organisation is a very important factor to success and being efficient. Therefore make sure you keep track of all important deadlines and dates to help avoid forgetting about them. It can be very easy to forget specially when you have 10 different things in one week hence being organised can help you become prepared.

Tip no 5 :: Flash cards

This is a very effective way to memorise phrases, definitions, lists and etc. in a short period of time and to test yourself to know if you know them off by heart.

Tip no 6 :: Mind mapping

When you know exactly what needs to be learned from looking at the syllabus you can create a mind map to help take note of the most relevant points under each topic.

Tip no 7 :: The right balance of food

It is sooooooooooo important that you don’t neglect eating or neglect eating right when revising for final exams. So many students do this and it can have a huge impact on your concentration. Over eating fatty foods and eating too much at one time can cause you to become tired and lose your focus. On the other hand eating too little can distract you and slow you down. So please look after your diet during the exam period.

Tip no 8 :: Know how you learn best

Different people learn efficiently in different ways through the use of different senses, for example some people learn better from reading, listening, watching, teaching and etc. Its important to know how you learn best in order to not waste time doing things which will not have a huge impact on your memory.

Tip no 9 :: Visual aids – colour coordination

To follow up on the last point a lot of us can be very visual and colour coordination helps our brains separate one thing from another. This can be useful when you have a lot to learn. Something as using different coloured highlighters for different topics in the book can help you link the information better.

Tip no 10 :: Memorise with association

This tip is very good for learning languages and complex terminology. Now this may sound a little weird but it is honestly the best way to tap into your long-term memory but when learning a new word try and think of what it sounds like that you are familiar with.