Written by Mehvish Farooqi
Edited by Lily Galapon
Published 3/12/2024
Everyone can agree that exams can be stressful. And whether it be a hard or easy exam, no one wants to take it. However, there are ways to lessen the stress of exams by studying. There are many study methods and tips that students can test out to find the perfect ones for them.
Tips
Set up for Success
The best way to start any study session is to have a good mindset. To do this, you need to be well-rested and nourished. You can switch up your environment to a place where you know you can focus. You should also eliminate distractions and listen to calm music if it will help you. For example, someone might get eight hours of sleep, eat breakfast, go to a library, and listen to ocean sounds as they study because they get the best results through that method.
Discover Your Learning Style
The three main learning styles are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Discovering your learning style can help you determine the best learning and studying methods. There are many quizzes to help you find your learning style, such as some from educationplanner.org and arden.ac.uk
Color-Code Your Notes
Color coding your notes can help you organize them better. This can help you when rereading over your notes. Colored notes can improve your memory. Warmer colors, such as red and yellow, increase a person’s attention, motivate, and create a positive perception towards one’s study material. Examples of color coding would be to use different colors for various topics or underline important information in yellow or red.
Mind Maps
A mind map helps you organize information in a diagram. Mind mapping can help you see the big picture by connecting certain concepts and ideas. Also, replacing your notes with mind maps instead of simply writing them can improve reading comprehension. To make a mind map, write the main topic in the middle of a sheet of paper. Next, you write subtopics branching from the main topic. Then, you can write keywords or ideas stemming from the sub-topics.
Study Before Bed
Sleep is needed for your brain to function. But, it is also needed for memory formation. Because of this, studying before bed is a great way to learn and help you better recall information. So, instead of deciding to pull an all-nighter, you should study before bed, sleep, and review when you wake up.
Methods
Pomodoro Method
This is an excellent method for those who procrastinate studying. It involves splitting up your studying with breaks rather than studying for 2 hours straight. To practice this method, you would split your study time into 25-minute sessions. Between each session, you would take a 5-minute break. During these breaks, you would focus on something entirely different from your studies, such as reading a book or eating a snack. After four sessions, you would take a 20-minute break. This method allows you to concentrate for a short amount of time without draining your energy.
Spaced Repetition
In this study method, you split your study sessions into intervals. If you have a test in a week, it would be better to split up your studying among those days rather than cramming the night before. This is because of the Forgetting Curve. Developed by Hermann Ebbinghaus in 1885, the Forgetting Curve shows that information is easily forgotten: 65% gone in an hour, 66% gone in a day, and 75% gone in six days. Spaced repetition ensures that less information is forgotten, which can be helpful for an upcoming quiz or test.
Active Recall
This method involves repeatedly testing your knowledge of the material. To do this, you can create your own test questions or use practice tests online, if available. Testing yourself using spaced repetition can help your brain memorize and recall information better.
Feynman Technique
In this method, you attempt to teach the topic to a child as a way to learn it. It can help break down complex ideas to be simple to understand and digest. With this method, you could teach anyone, such as your mom, brother, or dog. Just make sure to explain simply so that you can best absorb the information.
Leitner System
The Leitner system is a strategy that uses flashcards to memorize information better. To use this method, you must first write questions on the front of the flashcards and answers on the back. Then, grab three boxes that would be able to hold the cards. To start, you would place all cards in the first box. Review each card, and if your answer is correct, move them to the next box, in this case, the second box. If your answer is incorrect, place it back in the first box. Once finished reviewing each card, create a schedule for the times you would review each box. The first box should be reviewed the most, while the third would be reviewed the least. The next time you review, if you get any cards in the first box correct, move them to the second box. If you get any cards wrong in the second box, move them back to the first. However, if you get any questions correct in the second box, move them to the third.
PQ4R
This method stands for preview, question, read, reflect, recite, and review. PQ4R is meant to help with reading comprehension. To practice this method, you would go in order of the name. During the preview step, you would skim over the text to gain a decent understanding of what it could be about. The question stage is when you create and attempt to answer questions about the text, such as, “What is this text about?”. Next, you would simply read the text and think back to your questions. During the reflection step, check if you completed all the questions. If not, answer them now that you know the answer. In the recite stage, you should summarize the text in your own words. Lastly, during the review step, look over the text and your questions once more and answer any unanswered questions.
SQ3R
SQ3R stands for survey, question, read, recite, and review. It is very similar to the above reading comprehension method. During the survey step, you would skim over the text, reading headings and subheadings. Next, you would create questions about the text and read the text. Once you have finished reading, you would summarize the text in your own words. Finally, during the review step, you would answer the questions you created before reading the text, going back to the text when needed.
Even though exams can be stressful, helpful study tips and strategies can help. Hopefully you are able to try out these methods and find out which ones work for you so that you can ace your next test!
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