Are you an exams candidate? Do you have exams just at the corner and are worried because you feel you are not prepared? If so, you are not alone.

Candidate

Many students who are preparing for exams especially after coronavirus lockdown feel the same.

But you need not worry.

The good news is that there is a way out.

See, there’s a very obvious reason behind the fact that some students always score well in exams and others don’t.

Yes, intelligence is certainly a factor, but more importantly, it depends on the choices that students make.

What one needs is the brain of an average student but the zeal of a winner.

I’m going to give you 15 strategies, what I call the 15 commandments.

Say no to group study:

Avoid your friends like plague! When four buddies get together, we all know the books feel ignored. But if you can arrange a group study session with the studious topper, that can be permitted. What I’m trying to suggest here is know what’s good for you. No one knows your circle better than you do, so if a student thinks that a group study session with friends will seriously get things done, he can go for it. Otherwise, the suggestion is to stay away.

Focus on your progress:

Some students cannot bear the fact that others are getting ahead. May be someone else has completed a greater part of the syllabus. For all you know, perhaps he is not doing it as seriously as you are! So always stay focus, don’t bother about others.

Don’t put pressure on your hand:

Yes, one must practice writing to improve his speed and to remember things better, but one must not put too much pressure on their fingers or they might get stiff while writing the paper! That would be a pretty bad situation!

Get away from phones and laptops:

Major reason for examination failure is the attention deficiency visible in today’s generation. You cannot read two pages without checking your Whatsapp, Can you? These are the things one must avoid during finals. So the gadgets must be kept out of reach while one is studying.

Don’t sit all day:

This will drive you crazy and leave you frustrated. That’s not how one should get things done. Fix study hours and stick to them diligently. Also, when it’s not study-hour anymore, do not go near the books.

Watch your food:

No binge eating, no unhealthy food, no reckless eating before the exams.

One simply cannot afford to fall sick in these times and therefore one must be careful. Healthy diets must be followed and one must eat at proper times. During exams, one’s personal routine goes for a toss, so the digestive system definitely needs some assistance.

Don’t over work:

Avoid studying late or studying for too long. Take rest when you need it. The mind works overtime during the exams and consequently one feels more tired. On top of that, if you start denying yourself the required hours of sleep, your body might not be able to withstand the strain.

Work hard now:

No one can get things done before they enter the exam hall. That’s an absolutely impractical plan, so whatever needs to done, must be done while there is still some time left.

Pack things beforehand:

Don’t get so immersed in your studies that you forget to carry along important things like the pen, calculator or ID card during the exam. It’s better to keep all the important things and documents packed beforehand, so that you can simply pick them up before leaving.

Believe you can do it:

If at any point you feel you’re forgetting things, revise them quickly once more. If things get too hard, just breathe in and breathe out, calm yourself, tell yourself you can do it and start again. It’s very important that you don’t give up on yourself. Nothing is unattainable if a person believes he can do it.

Give your mom/dad a tight hug:

With emotions running high on exams, you might feel like you’re all over the place.

Stop for a second, take a deep breath and give your parents a big tight hug before you leave for school.

Receiving a hug from your loved ones can actually help you feel more relaxed and calm, as it increases your oxytocin level, a hormone that helps reduce anxiety and stress.

So keep yourself mentally and emotionally stable for exams by doing lots of hugging!

Don’t discuss your answer:

Seeing your friends rush to the teachers with the exam papers to determine if they’ve answered the questions correctly is a common occurrence. Perhaps this habit stems from our natural behaviour as students.

However, what’s done is done. Curiosity kills the cat. Don’t waste your time thinking about what you have answered. Finding out the right answers will only make you more nervous for the upcoming papers, especially if you spot a mistake that could lead you to dwell on it for hours.

Instead, once you’ve completed an exam, stuff the question papers into your bag and keep your mind focused on the next exam. Keep your mind on the present!

Don’t compare yourself with others:

Many of us are guilty of comparing our revision progress among our peers. We tend to be curious about how much they’ve studied and want to know if we’re ahead or behind. This, however, may not be a healthy habit.

Comparing yourself with others can cause you to feel dissatisfied with yourself, leading to lower levels of confidence. You also don’t want to be seen gloating about your progress as it may stress your schoolmates.

Therefore, focus on your own studies instead and try to be the light by exuding good vibes. It’s important that everyone is supportive of each other during this critical time.

Don’t Crammed your brain:

If you don’t already know, cramming is probably the least efficient way to study.

When you cram, you’re only temporarily storing the information as you do not have a deep understanding of the subject. Additionally, since cramming often occurs at the eleventh hour when you’re short of time, it can increase your stress levels and ultimately have a negative impact on your ability to concentrate.

So if you haven’t covered a subject or topic, don’t stress yourself out by cramming. Instead, go through chapter summaries to extract key information and work through past year papers to identify topics that you are weak at. This will be a better use of your time.

Don’t Drink Too Much:

Don’t drink too much water, a sip every hour is all you need. Dehydration is not going to be a problem during the exam, but drinking many pints of water and needing a toilet break every five minutes is. The sip is just for a quick diversion to give your brain and hand a breather.

Do What Works For You:

Finally, everyone is different. Some people like to be on their own around exams, others blare motivational music from their earphones. Maybe you’re someone who likes to wear their shiniest pair of high heels for luck. Do whatever puts you in the best frame of mind and you’ll be set up perfectly to ace the exam.

Don’t Panic:

You’ll either get into the exam room knowing your shit and feeling good, or you’ll feel the exact opposite, in which case you’ll be inclined to panic. Don’t. Panicking will only make things worse and will induce a mental block that you definitely don’t need at this moment in time.

Take a few deep breaths, read over the questions and try and recall as much as you can. If you’re still super stuck, harness your inner creativity and rely on the ancient art of bullshitting. At this point, it doesn’t matter what you get down, as long as it’s relatively coherent. Put your mind at ease and remember that this exam means little in the grand scheme of things.

Concentrate:

Maybe it’s the nerves, but for some bizarre reason, it’s always in the most silent and serious situations that we find ourselves struggling to fight back inappropriate but totally involuntary laughter. In an exam, the moment an even remotely funny thought or memory pops into your head, you’re doomed.

Trying to suppress a fit of hysterics in a dead quiet room isn’t easy: your eyes will water, your body will shake, and making eye contact with a friend will only generate more giggles, rendering things a thousand times worse. Make sure you rid your mind of all the recent cat videos you’ve watched and concentrate on the task at hand. As soon as laughter looms, pondering the prospect of a fail should sort you out.

Don’t Rush:

When you’ve got a strict time limit set for an exam, trying your hardest to get through it as quickly as possible is instinct, but also a pretty bad approach to take. Rushing will only mean a higher chance of misinterpreting questions and making careless and preventable errors.

At least once, I’ve found myself halfway through writing a totally irrelevant exam response, all because I didn’t take the time to try and understand the question. If you plan your time wisely and get to know what’s being asked of you, you should be able to glide through the exam stress-free.

Pack your things:

Don’t get so immersed in your studies that you forget to carry along important things like the pen, calculator or ID card during the exam. It’s better to keep all the important things and documents packed beforehand, so that you can simply pick them up before leaving.

Don’t waste time:

Don’t spend too much time on one question. No matter how well you know your stuff, poor time management could end up being your fatal flaw.

Take your time but don’t take too much time, remembering that all questions need to be adequately addressed.

A good way to ensure this is to get all of the more straightforward questions out of the way before moving on to trickier ones.

This saves you the frustration of not getting those easy marks all because you spent too long addressing a single question.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is only an exam. Keep that in mind.

Yes it might be very important for you but no single exam can judge you or determine your entire future.

If it’s important, work hard for it, give it your best effort, but there’s no use in stressing yourself for the sake of it.

As you must already know, some of the richest people in the world today never finished their Graduation.

Some even dropped out from High School, and yet see where they are now!

No, I’m not encouraging you to follow that path but my point is, if you really have the determination to achieve something, you’ll do it no matter what!

So buckle up and study hard, but don’t lose your mind over it!

Well! There you have it — I hope you’ve got a ton of value from this post.

While it is true that preparing for exams can be stressful, what ou need to do is to learn to stay in the present and focus on what you can do instead of what you cannot do. You’ll be at the finish line before you know it!

Which of these tips above will you use in preparing for your exams?

Leave a comment below and let’s learn from you.