HOW TO PREPARE AND PERFORM WELL IN EXAMS?

Exams are the most critical period in a student’s life where every student feels or experiences some sort of anxiety. While the unprepared student has obvious reasons to fear exams, even the prepared ones consciously or otherwise, fear the outcome and what it signifies. how to perform well in exams?

There could be several reasons that can negatively impact a student’s performance making them helpless to perform well in exams. Some may fear the family pressure which indulges a student in stress and some might be afraid of the consequences or the results.

Many students worry about their future and believe that the results of exams will determine their future. They do not try to foresee the worst case scenario and the options that may be available in such a scenario.

It is natural to feel a bit of anxiety when it comes to giving exams. However, the most important thing is to control your nervousness before an exam.

HOW TO CONTROL YOUR NERVOUSNESS ON EXAMS DAY?

Enlisted below are some of the basic tips to cure your anxiety on exams day:

· REGULAR EXERCISE

Physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Indulge yourself in physical exercises. Regular exercising can severely reduce the stress level for students and can help cope up with tension.

· DEEP BREATHING

Stretching your body while you are studying relaxes your muscles and mind and helps in reducing stress. Before exams, deep breathing can help lessen stress and anxiety and you can do well in your exams.

· TIME MANAGEMENT

Managing your time better can reduce your likelihood of experiencing anxiety before exams. Excel yourself in time management as it reduces stress and simplifies things like last minute anxiety.

· STAY POSITIVE

Students may get stressed before exams but there are ways to increase your confidence and overcome your anxiety. Think positive and feel confident that you can do better in exams. Always have positive vibes and ensure that you have good friends and support around.

PRE-EXAM STRATEGIES AND EFFECTIVE TIPS TO PERFORM WELL IN EXAMS

There are many ways that might help you get relieved from the stress during the examination period. However, this can only happen when we prepare ourselves well before the exams and shall not leave everything to last minute preparations.

Pre-exam strategies and different preparation techniques can help you prepare for your exams in a much better way and can also relieve last minute anxiety. Let’s look at some of the effective tips and techniques to prepare and perform better during the exams period:

EXAM STUDY STRATEGIES THAT REALLY WORK!

Effective study skills must be practiced in order to improve your performance and to perform better in exams. Enlisted below are some of the effective ways to achieve your desired results and success in the exams:

· Creating the Right Environment for Studying

Before you start preparing for the exams, it is highly important to create the right environment that is moderately comfortable and free from all distractions. Try to use the space that is yours only and doesn’t have to be shared with other family members. Keep your study space organized and keep all the necessary materials at your side.

· The Value of a Well- Structured Study Schedule

Allocate your time effectively by creating a schedule of the entire syllabus. The time taken to create the schedule will save you much time that could have been lost to disorganization, stress and poor planning. If you don’t have a schedule to keep you focused and realistic about what you need to accomplish, you may not be able to do well in exams.

Obtain an exam outline for each of your courses including what material will be covered, the length and format of the exam. An outline is a quick way to understand your exam structure and key topic & areas to be covered.

Complete all the preparation that is required to study effectively before you sit and actually prepare for the exam. Keep all the necessary things like notebooks, helping material, stationary etc. by your side to avoid wasting time in searching for things later.

Realistically plan for the amount of time that you think will be required to review the material of the course at least twice and then double that amount of time. This will help in concepts reinforcement, effective time management and to perform better in exams.

Decide which previous commitments will need to go ‘on hold’ while you are studying. Nothing is more important than the exams itself. Make every hour count in your schedule, time at lunch, before school and after school.

Begin to study for each exam at least a week before it will take place to have plenty of time to ask questions and to review your answers. Prior reading will give you an assessment of your preparation for the exams and provides you an opportunity to focus on your weak areas more.

Give yourself reasonable breaks and try to maintain your schedule as ‘normal’ as possible in terms of sleep, time, eating etc. Remember, it is important to keep a balanced approach towards study and spare time activities.

Proven Study Strategies Facilitates to do Well in Exams

The best approach for the preparation of exams includes a well-planned study strategy.

a. Getting Organized

It is important to get yourself organized way before the exams. Putting in extra effort and time to organize your notes and material required for the course may help you perform well in exams and achieve better results.

b. Reading with Purpose

Don’t waste your time glossing over reading material. It is advised to actively search for the important ideas and think about them while you are reading. Purposeful reading greatly enhances the memorization skills and improves your performance.

c. Getting the Main Ideas

Frequent questioning is the best way to judge your exam preparation. Ask yourself questions related to the core syllabus like main points of a particular topic, important headings, material /contents of assignments or chapters you are reviewing.

d. Extracting Important Details

Adopt a smart study approach of highlighting key information of a topic or chapter you are studying. Make an outline of the course and underline key concepts. Considering key information that support the main ideas and thus give them more meaning is highly valuable for a better performance in exams.

e. Taking Notes

Always remember to take your own notes while studying. Hand written notes help to memorize the concepts more strongly than mare reading. Also, while preparing notes, underlining important details and categorizing key information helps to remember concepts more clearly and precisely.

f. Outlining Textbooks / Supporting Materials

If you are consulting more than one material for your exams preparation, it is advised to make an outline of the topics from the original course book and supporting materials. Making notes on key main ideas and supporting details helps to reinforce the concepts for better understanding of the methodology.

g. Memorization Strategies

Another tip to help you achieve well in exams is to use an effective memorization strategy. Some material for your courses will simply require that you memorize the information. Memorize key words that can be associated with the main concept of the topic, use visuals to remember a list, create a story where each word connects you to the next part.

h. Concentration Strategies

Studying for exams is a mentally engaging activity. Exams can become a very stressful situation especially when something important depends on the result of the exams.

For succeeding in an exam, concentration is a very crucial factor. Greater the concentration, better the results.

Some of the most effective and proven concentration strategies that students can use to how to perform well in exams include:

Study in a set place that is naturally free of distractions, as lack of concentration can severely affect your performance in the exams.
Stick to a routine by developing a realistic and effective study schedule with in-between breaks. Continuous study can also exhaust your mind and body.
Focus on your goals with the material you are studying every time. Try to use visuals for better concentration and understanding of the concepts.
Change your study topics every 1-2 hours to keep things interesting. Don’t stick to the material that is difficult to digest.
Vary your study activities. Don’t try to study in the same way for more than an hour or so.
Take regular scheduled breaks and enjoy them.
Give yourself rewards for even small achievements with your studying.

Conclusion

The aforementioned strategies might be helpful to control your anxiety on exam day and equip you with some of the valuable tips to perform well in exams. Remember, the examination makes us more confident about the knowledge and potential that we possess. We must do our best efforts for exam preparation instead of developing fear from exams or waiting for the last moment of preparation.

The better we do today is the best we get tomorrow.