Ace your final exams like a pro!
Studying smart can ease a lot of stress during exams. Instead of struggling with multiple revisions of the entire syllabus, students need to focus on their learning process. While the exam formats are standardized and cannot be altered, the learning process can be made less stressful and more exciting for students with the help of technology.
To drive out panic and ace your exams, here are some smart ways to stay ahead of the game:
Revise Strategically – Dedicate a good amount of time just for your revisions. Planning and setting daily goals will result in a productive and fruitful learning experience. You don’t need to spend hours each day studying if you start well in advance! After all, the core topics remain the same and it gets complex as a student moves on to the higher grades. Therefore, identify the areas that need improvement and give more emphasis to them. Many students follow last minute memorizing techniques that help them scrape through their exams. However, this does not ensure long-term retention of the concepts studied. Learning core topics clearly during the formative years will help students master the advanced concepts in the years to come.
Focus on the basics – Getting the core concepts right should be the key focus in your preparation process. If you feel you aren’t getting hold of a concept, check out the basics of the concept that would have usually been taught in the previous grade. Make sure you understand it thoroughly before you move to the advanced applications of that concept. Learning becomes fun when the core concepts are clearly understood. It is always suggested to go back and relearn the basics in order to get a better grasp of complex concepts.
Understanding is critical – Concepts will never be retained well if they are not understood first. A lot of concepts like Sound & Force in Physics, Equations and Circles in Math, Atoms and Molecules in Chemistry repeat year after year. Every year, you will get to learn the next or advanced step if these concepts. Understanding them thoroughly in the first year will make learning them a cake walk in the coming years! Associating concepts with real-life scenarios or examples will help you understand the concepts eventually leading to better retention. Learning concepts thoroughly can help you predict questions that can come on that concept!
Efficiency in Time – Technology can significantly help reduce the time required to grasp a concept. Effective time management is very important. Keeping in mind the large portions and multiple concepts can get tricky, hence divide the portions and dedicate set time for each subject. This will help students avoid last minute tension and prevent saturation during your learning process. For example, a topic that is taught in two hours in the classroom can be effectively taught within 30 minutes with the right mix of visuals, graphics and interesting analogies. This way you study smart, not hard!
Visualize and learn – Visual aids are extremely effective. Do not try to cram large texts as this will only slow down the learning process. Students can get creative and use word associations and makeup rhymes to help with proactive retention. The revision will be easier while referring to a concise version of the syllabus in the form of charts and notes.
Not a 100 questions, but the 10 possible types – Practice tests are available for all subjects on the BYJU’S app as well as online. Take as many tests as possible to evaluate areas which need improvement and also to help you get better at time management during the actual exam. Taking tests on platforms like Quizzo, make the test-taking process much more fun, engaging and interactive because you get to challenge your friend on the exact same concept! It becomes more of a game than a chore. ‘Practice’ is another important feature where you can test yourself based on your understanding of the concept. This adaptive testing mode gets more challenging as your understanding gets deeper! What’s important to understand is that it’s not about solving 100 random questions but understanding the 10 possible type of questions that can come with each concept.
Eat healthy and sleep right – Eating right food items at the right time and resting with a good night’s sleep can help students concentrate better and also increase the retention capacity of the brain. Getting a minimum of 7-8 hours of sleep before examination days is a must.
Overall, stepping out of the monotony of rote learning will not only result in better learning outcomes among students but also make them lifelong learners. After all, cracking an exam is all about having the confidence that you have learned right and taking an exam more as a point in the journey rather than the destination. Simple tips can make the whole exam season a stress free on both students, as well as parents!