Last Updated on December 14, 2015
Many students come to college with bad study habits – including not giving themselves enough time prepare for exams. In addition to time management, successful students complete all of their homework their assignments to help prepare for exams. If you struggle with homework assignments, there are several professional homework services like Mymathdone that will assist you. Even if your homework is complete, you use these services to review your work.
Below, you can find six useful tips to get ready for exams beforehand, to avoid stress and sleepless nights.
1. Create a visible timeline with all the exams
The first important thing is to know when each exam is taking place. Write it down on a wall calendar and hang it in a visible spot or set a calendar reminder on your phone. In this way, the mind will alert you about the incoming event with days ahead.
After posting the timeline, analyze it carefully. If there’s no way to complete all the assignments in good time, ask for help from classmates, tutors or homework professionals.
2. Practice prioritizing
Now that you know the exact time and date for every exam, the next step is to prioritize subjects. Select them like this:
- Subjects of major importance and early deadline;
- Subjects with large amounts information, and early deadlines;
- Subjects with fewer credits/ less new data to take in and early deadline;
- Subjects of major importance/ with tons of new information and longer deadlines.
The best option is to squeeze in lighter courses among others that are more difficult. Allowing enough learning time for priority classes, but you won’t ignore the rest, either.
3. Prepare studying resources
For efficient studying sessions, you need several resources that increase productivity. These are colored pens, highlighters, paper, pencils, and blue pens.
Next, create a pleasant environment: have enough light, peace and quiet.
In the end, don’t forget to feed the brain. Choose fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and yogurt. Also, replace the coffee with green tea and lots of water.
4. Start learning in advance
When is the best time to start preparing for an exam? From the very first class of the semester! Try this easy method: before the beginning of each course, take a few minutes to read the previous lessons. It doesn’t have to be a thorough lecture, just skim through your text books for essential information. By doing this, you won't have any surprises when your studying for the exam – because the data is familiar, most lessons will be memorized in no time!
Another efficient learning method is to start preparing for each exam with at least three days in advance, depending on the course information quantity. Dedicate the first day to just reading all lessons, without stressing about memorizing them. Do this as many times as you can – underline essential info in the process. The next day, spend it on taking notes and creating additional studying materials like diagrams, graphics, schemes, etc. Take a break after finishing them, and then read all the resources in the evening (brain will chew on them at night). In the end, start the morning by evaluating yourself – see what you’ve learned so far and what remains to be still studied. One great idea is to work with professional essay writing assistants who will help you with efficient learning materials.
5. Solve old exams
Make friends with older students and ask them about previous exam subjects for every course. Once you obtain the tests, work on them both for studying and for personal evaluations. These exercises are a great method of becoming familiar with professors’ ways of expressing exam topics. Also, you get to know which lessons are the priority for the final exam.
6. Change studying spots
Some students have a problem during exam – they are terrified by the formal environment and cannot focus. To avoid this, try to study in different places – at home, at the library and why not, in class. Changing locations is also great for getting rid of routine and boosting your motivation.
In conclusion, to avoid stress and sleepless (and useless) nights, get mobilized and start learning with several days in advance. Make the process more productive by having clear schedules, by prioritizing tasks and by learning actively with various resources. In the end, don’t forget to eat properly and to rest!
