A life-saving article for those who remembered exams too late. Here are 7 preparation ideas that are effective if you have a month left.
Study at peak intensity
Most people are incapable of doing quality work for long periods of time. Efficiency research says that peak productivity can be achieved by dividing your time as follows: 52 minutes per task, 17 minutes to rest. For example, you can spend no more than an hour to write my essay, break for 15-20 minutes, and then take another hour or so to work through a version of your variant. The strategy only works if you don’t cheat: don’t get distracted by messages or snacks during the task.
Use flashcards
This method is usually used to memorize foreign words, but it works for memorizing any factual information, too. Can’t learn a formula, date or definition? Then flash cards are the way to go. Write the question, term, or formula on one side and the answer on the back. It’s better to write the cards by hand – the physical action also helps you absorb the information.
The key to this method is regular repetition. Make cards, start learning concepts with them, take a break and repeat the information after 20 minutes. Then repeat after 8 hours and after 24 hours.
Start with the hard tasks
Logically, the more you study, the more tired you get. Don’t use simple tasks for a “warming-up,” start right away with the ones that cause difficulties. For example, from solving tasks of a higher level of difficulty, studying a new topic, or repeating a difficult one. At the end, leave the solving of simple tasks or the repetition of familiar topics.
Explore your grading criteria
Sometimes understanding the criteria for grading assignments will help better than perfectly honed knowledge. Because due to lack of understanding of the task you can lose points entirely, not having perfect knowledge you can lose some of them.
Take notes correctly
Mindlessly copying definitions from a textbook is a useless outline. Effective ways of taking notes involve active work with information, making sense of it. The basic rules of a good outline:
- write down only the essentials, without detail or detail;
- there is a hierarchy in the notes: headings, subheadings, lists;
- the notes have a simple navigation: the introduction, key words, conclusions are highlighted;
- the outline is written in your own words.
Take a Mock Exam
This diagnostic will help you quickly find out what topics you are not good at. For the accuracy of the result, write several test variants.
Also mock tests are carried out in various training centers. The advantage of this option is that you can immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the exam, learn how to work with the test forms and correctly allocate time to tasks.
Watch video lectures on YouTube
It’s no secret that YouTube is a real study aid. It can also help you prepare for exams. Here you can find a huge amount of theoretical material with expert commentary, analysis of tasks of varying difficulty from acting teachers. After the lecture, there is usually a small practical task with answers so that you can practice the material once again.
When exams are just around the corner and there is no time, but you need to repeat the material, you need to manage your time rationally and use only effective, proven methods of preparation.