So it’s almost midterm time, I know they’re still a couple of weeks to go, but we all know how quickly time goes by. So before you’re sitting in that exam room, I did some research and put together some study tips to motivate you guys and get you started!

1)      Create a timetable – Don’t just wing it, studying whenever you have the time, or feel like it. Budget your time wisely to ensure that you cover all the topics covered in the exam. Make sure it’s a balanced timetable, even if you are studying a couple of topics a day, start as early as possible. Slow and steady wins the race.

2)      Rewrite your notes to aid memory – Rewriting your notes is great if you’re a kinesthetic learner (remember that communication preferences article?). Mind mapping is the most effective way of doing this. Also, when you re-write something, you will probably think about what you are writing, what it’s about, and why you wrote it down. Most importantly, it refreshes your memory. If you took notes a month ago and just found out that those notes will be relevant in your exam, rewriting them will remind you of them when you need it for your exam. OR if you are tight on time, you could just go over them, and your brain will remember when you wrote it the first time!

3)      Find the right hours – Don’t study when you’re really tired. It’s better to get a good night’s sleep after studying for a short time, than to push on at two in the morning. You won’t remember much and you’re likely to see a performance drop the next day.

4)      Don’t cram– Well, we all love to cram, but unfortunately, cramming the night before is proven to be ineffective, because you’re taking in so much information at once that it’s impossible to memorize it at all — in fact, you’ll hardly retain anything. I know it’s been preached to you many times before, but it’s true: Studying before and going over it multiple times really is the best way to learn the material. This is especially true with things like history and theoretical subjects.

5)      Different subjects call for different studying– If it’s stats or accounting you’re studying for, work on the problems. Don’t just read over it like you would for a business history class, because you can actually do math, but you can seldom do history. Working problems out will help burn them into your mind, and remember: if you can’t solve the problem before the exam, you won’t be able to solve it on the exam either. For subjects based on calculations, it is important to do questions because this is essentially how you are going to be tested.

6)      Take breaks– You need some time to have fun and it is better to revise when you are feeling relaxed than to exhaust yourself studying all day! The only caveat is, you need to avoid procrastination.

7)      Practice on old exams- One of the most effective ways to prepare for exams is to practice taking past versions. This helps you get used to the format of the questions, and – if you time yourself – can also be good practice for making sure you spend the right amount of time on each section.

 8)      Drink plenty of water & stay healthy –As a final tip, remember that being well hydrated and staying healthy is essential for your brain to work at its best. Make sure you keep drinking plenty of water throughout your revision, and also on the exam day. Also:

  • Get plenty of rest the night before. Students in high school require between 8-9.5 hours of sleep on average. Poor sleep has been found to accumulate, seriously effecting your body’s reactions and mechanisms!
  • Eat a balanced breakfast full of lean protein, vegetables, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants. A sample breakfast might include a spinach omelet with smoked salmon, whole wheat toast, and a banana (I know you won’t get such a fancy breakfast, so you might as well just try your best).
  • Get to the exam room with time to spare. Give yourself at least 5 – 10 minutes to gather your thoughts before starting the exam. That means being in the exam room 5 – 10 minutes before the exam starts.

Abbas Hasnain, BBA ’16