5 simple study habits for exam success
/)
Exams are a necessary part of every academic journey. And while they’re something most students feel at least some dread towards, they really don’t have to be as dramatic as they seem. When you build good study habits, exams become easier and easier to manage and eventually excel in. Here’s how to map out studying for exams.
1. Treat it like a project
During school, we’re used to completing plenty of assignments. You’ve become a master of mapping out your time to complete your day-to-day projects. However, some students struggle to take that same level of dedication and apply it to their exam preparation.
The idea of having a huge test coming up that you’re expecting to ace in one go can be daunting enough to derail some of that productivity. If you just look to it the same way you would any other project, it takes a lot of the pressure off and you have the chance to prepare with a deadline in mind. Breaking it all down into smaller chunks to bite off and then applying that to the day of your exam will help tremendously.
2. Set a schedule
From your first day of class, you already know that it’s going to conclude with an exam. Make the most of that information. If you’re treating your exam preparation time as a grand project, you need to set up a study schedule.
This will help you to build out the times you need to spend on each subject and how much of it you need to allot to something else. Setting a schedule also ensures that you’ll never have to worry about focusing too much on one subject or leaving one out. A great way to do this would be to have a look at the projects you have coming up.
3. Measure strengths and weaknesses
Since your exams will be on multiple subjects, you need to make sure that your studying time is well-rounded, covering all of the most important bases. But some subjects might be harder for you to grab onto than others. Take the time out to chart which subjects you feel you’re strongest in and the ones that you feel you’ve not understood as readily.
4. Find additional study help
Self-study is a key part of academic success and it’s a great skill to have in other aspects of your life. But you won’t always be able to study enough to feel prepared in a subject that you struggle with. That’s why you have teachers and access to tutors.
When there’s something you feel you don’t fully understand, get some help and work together to find the best solution. Whether that’s asking your teacher for some extra time after class or finding a tutor on the subject, work in a way that helps you to improve your understanding.
5. Make the most of your resources
In addition to access to your teachers and tutors, there are several resources available to high school students. Study hall is one such resource, as it’s regularly worked into your weekly class schedule. You can also form a study group by reaching out to students in your different classes.
If you want to pool some resources off campus, have a look at some of the online resources available to students of all ages. Websites like Udemy and Skillshare are great places to gain some additional knowledge on a subject but you could even make use of free resources like YouTube or Reddit.
At EF Academy, students are able to excel by exploring new subjects while being immersed in the English language and the academic traditions of the US and the UK.