Key to Exam Success: Prepare and Plan Effectively for Exams

Do you find yourself procrastinating over the huge syllabus to cover and not making a study session into a productive one? “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” It applies to all areas of life and even to a student's life whether you are studying in a school or college or for a competitive exam. Most students are wound up in repeated waves of procrastination and lack of motivation. Not having goals is the number one reason for procrastinating. Putting off things for tomorrow and getting overwhelmed by the amount of syllabus one needs to cover are some of the signs you are procrastinating. The only solution to this is to start with a goal. Having study goals is essential to finding success as a student. Making this goal happen requires one to have a solid plan to follow.

You can significantly improve your scores and get success as a student once you have the PLAN-

P for Procrastination – Kill It!

Like we mentioned earlier, procrastination is the biggest enemy that stands in the way of achieving anything. Procrastination delays your chance of success. It hampers your productivity, not to forget how it can also take a toll on emotional and mental wellbeing. It can also hinder academic progress and waste your precious time. This can become an ingrained habit if not managed properly. Let us see how to tackle this issue-

• Break your tasks in small sizes rather than trying to complete it in one go.
• Remove any distractions such as social media or TV.
• Take timely planned breaks.
• Hold yourself accountable by joining a study group.
• Time-block your study sessions.

And always remember perfectionism is not productive, perfectionism does not beat procrastination. Consistent efforts do.

L for Lack of motivation- Cure It!

Lack of motivation can be one of the reasons why students do not progress in academic and perform well in the exams. It can happen to the best of the students, yet we are here to tell you that motivation can only get you started, but it is discipline that yields long-term success- whether it is in an exam or any other project that you are working on. The only solution to it is building a disciplined routine and following it religiously. Here are some other pointers that can help you cure the lack of motivation to study.

• Reward yourself (with something good like a healthy snack) after you complete the task.
• Use the 10-minute rule. It builds momentum. You are likely to complete your desired amount of study if you just start with one or two sums for the first 10 minutes.
• Learn why you want to get good marks? Is it because you love learning or want to go to a good college? Make a list of it, and stick in front of your study desk.
• Indulge in active learning, rather than passive learning. Get the help of tutors if necessary. We have the best tutors, students with us have accelerated two grades ahead in one year, amongst many like you have found the suitable differentiated instruction necessary to cure that lack of motivation and achieve the target. To know more about our classroom and teaching experience, book a free trial.

A for Action on your study goals - Achieve it!

Once you get rid of procrastination and keep the lack of motivation at bay, it is time to put in the real work. Identify and set your study goals.

• Be specific with your goal. Instead of setting a goal like “I will study for 3 hours today”, be more specific like “I will study math for 3 hours from 10 AM to 1PM”. This compels you to act towards what you have set your mind on.
• Get realistic with how much you can achieve. Studying for 10 hours a day could be too good to be true, rather, be realistic based on your capacity to study. For instance, you can achieve more in less time if you study in blocks of 4 hours each, this way you have studied 8 hours a day and you have achieved more too.
• Break down your goals into short-term and long-term goals. Long-term goals can be what you want to achieve, in say, one month, and to make it possible, you would need to make short-term goals. For instance, you want to cover the entire syllabus of a subject one month before the exam starts, that is your long-term goal. To make it possible, you need to study five times a week or five hours every weekend for one month. To achieve a long-term goal, one must bring short term goal to fruition.
• Be consistent and do what works for you- set attainable goals and work consistently on it. Just like the old saying goes, success is more about consistency and hard work.

N for Notes and Effective Techniques – Use It!

Simply putting actions on your study goals will not get you the desired results. What are the techniques you are using for studying? Are you revising effectively? Identify your learning style. There are several forms of learning style, one could be using a mix of each or may have dominant learning style in one of the forms. Do you learn better with mind-maps or by writing and reading, with revision notes or by assessing yourself with mock tests? Find out the best learning style suitable for you. Here are some other pointers to keep in mind.

• Do not neglect difficult topics. Revise it well before the exam time. It builds confidence necessary to tackle the difficult concepts, and even if you don’t end up getting high scores you will be really confident about attempting it.
• Taking notes is one of the best ways to retain what you have learned and also comes handy while revising or studying. Cornell Note-Taking method is said to be one of the effective ways to note taking.
• Follow a revision timetable that allows spaced repetition and allows all the topics to be covered.

Summary:

P-L-A-N out your study sessions and see the difference it gives in your performance. We understand that revising can feel like a chore, especially with so much to study and no time. Worry not, we are back with Math Revision Marathon 2.0. Math Revision Marathon 2.0 is set to take place beginning from April 2022 over weekends. It will cover all the topics from each domain. Doubt solving live sessions will also take place. Register here for Math Revision Marathon 2.0 and keep up your revision game on top.