Study Tips for the Upcoming Exam Season

With finals and AP testing coming up, everyone is preparing for the plethora of brutal tests they are about to conquer. However, many are stressing about studying more than they are making any progress. Life is so much easier when you don’t overcomplicate things, so here are my simplified study tips to stay stoic during exam season.

1. Don’t study things you already know.

   
   

This may seem overly obvious, but whether it is conscious or not, many will waste their time going over things they already know as if they are going to miraculously unlearn the information in a short period of time. You need to trust your gut on these tests, especially as you start to take more advanced classes. It is not going to be as easy as before when all the answers were as clear as day to you. The tests are going to feel uncertain, but you’re going to be glad you worked through the hard topics and trusted your gut.

2. Make a cheat sheet.

Now I am not encouraging cheating at all in any way, shape, or form, but if you make a paper with all the information you would use to cheat for the test, you’re going to be better prepared for it. 

This also goes along with the first point- this will help you realize what information you really do know and what information you don’t. Oftentimes when information is fuzzy, just the act of writing it down solidifies the idea in your head. 

3. Schedule time to study.

Putting plans into writing is powerful. So many problems are solved just by writing them down. When you schedule time to study, you have no excuses. Oftentimes, we will tell ourselves that we will "study at some point", but never hold ourselves to the promise. 

Saying that you’re going to do something you never get around to does nothing but deplete your trust in yourself. Do the hard things and be better prepared so that future you will succeed.

4. Use the Pomodoro technique.

The Pomodoro technique is a time interval technique for deep work in which you study for a specified amount of time, and take regular breaks, also for specific amounts of time. For example, you can do fifty minutes of studying with a ten minute break, repeated for three hours. 

I get bored very easily when studying, but if I know I can get a little break, I will study a lot more efficiently. Having a timer also helps me try to get as much work done as I can within those fifty minutes. 

I wouldn’t recommend any of the Pomodoro apps; I would just look up Youtube videos with a Pomodoro timer. Doing this can also keep you from procrastinating on your phone.

5. Use time to work for you, not against you.

Have you ever looked back on tests after you received them and thought they were much easier in retrospect? That is because it takes your brain time to understand things. When you cram and don’t let yourself rest properly, it can be hard for your brain to have time to fully process and understand what you’re learning. 

Get ahead if you can. Do not wait until the last second. If you need the stress from cramming, think about how disappointed future you is going to be because you needed to create stress when, apparently, the fear of failure wasn’t enough. Sometimes the best thing to do is not to visualize what you want to be, but rather what you don’t want to be. 

Time is a great blessing if you use it right.

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Although these tips are amazing for me, the key thing is figuring out what works for you and sticking with it. Don’t do things just because people tell you that’s what is best. 

Don’t get too caught up in the stress of the tests. With all honesty, you’re going to be okay. You were blessed enough to be able to go to this school and you’ve barely started life; imagine what other great things are in store for you. Enjoy the process and don’t get too attached to the things you can’t control. Do what you can and don’t worry about what you can’t. May peace be with you this exam season!