No one said school was easy but, it is not impossible either; in fact, school is as hard as we want it to be. Even when we were actually learning and retaining all the information that might be useful later on other subjects or even in our professional lives, we might be performing poorly on tests and other assignments and this is because we may not be used to the evaluation system. But don’t worry, there are some ways to take on tests and get higher marks, so keep reading if you want to know how!
First of all, focus on the information you need to process. The key start is attending to all your classes regularly and being fully concentrated there, a nice way to keep concentrated is to take notes while you’re listening. Of course, writing all down will make you miss a lot of things, so you better write down the most relevant things or the topics you don’t understand fully to make a research later on. Also, if you want to know how much do you know, look for some test models to practice.
Once you’ve got clear information, it comes the time to study it. That starts knowing how to manage your study sessions properly. It’s guaranteed that you’ll get more success by studying the material for short periods and several times a week rather than going on deep and long sessions the night before the exam. While studying, exploit your sense memory to its fullest, for example, if you get exposed to the smell of vanilla or a Queen song while studying science, getting exposed to those same stimuli during the test will help you remember the information you were reviewing during your study session.
When it comes to habits, there are several activities that have little to do with studying but will help you perform. For example eating on a healthy way before the study sessions will keep away hunger distractions and tiredness; rest well, there’s no way on Earth you’ll perform well if you’re tired and even less if you saturated your brain with information studying that night before. Also, drink water while studying and doing the test, this will help you think clearly, but be careful with the amounts you drink, we don’t want to hold the urge to go to the bathroom while on the test!
Now, when it comes to do the test, have a blank paper sheet where you can write formulas or important things as soon as the test starts to avoid forgetting them; don’t waste much time on the questions that might seem too difficult to answer, start with the easiest ones and think calmly the other ones; If you’re having a hard time remembering, look for some clues on the other questions and don’t leave questions in blank unless wrong answers have penalization.
Acing your test might be easier than you thought with the right studying and health habits. You have the tips, use them!
— August 13, 2018