At the end of every vacation, we tend to overestimate ourselves a bit. Or maybe we’re just underestimating ourselves after a few months of studies – who knows? We keep bullet journals nonetheless, filling out calendars, and trying to stay on top of assignments and exams that are months away – the motivation is unquestionable before we’ve even started.
How we can keep that flame burning throughout the year, though, and find back to the same energy in November is another question.
I’ll try to answer it in this article, making it a bit easier for you to stay sharp and focused when you need it the most – in the examination room, that is. A lot of the tips here is a simplified version of the Straight-A method so that you don’t have to read your way through the entire idea. You have enough reading to do in any way.
Capture the course
The one tip you’ll find all over the web, from professors and study-geeks alike, is that you need to have a general overview of the course before you start. It sounds overwhelming, right? It doesn’t have to be, though, and by getting this over with right away, you’re actually saving yourself a lot of stress and anxiety in the future.
Each course has a code you can crack – an idea your professor wants you to grasp. Before the semester has started, look over the syllabus, make a note of important assignments, and have a look at past exam papers. It’s not necessarily to start the learning process right away, but rather to keep you prepared and focused on the key topics.
It’s the perfect time to plot the assignment and exam dates into your bullet journal or calendar, by the way, making it manageable and way less overwhelming. Have a look at intelligent.com as well to create an awesome study plan.
Treat your studies as if it’s your full-time job – even if you already have one. This mindset will help you with realizing how much work you should actually put into your studies to succeed and will pinpoint you in the right direction of managing your time.
Your downtime should be spent wisely so that you have the energy to read when you don’t have class; sufficient sleep, exercise, and a balanced diet are obvious keywords here, yet too many students lead a surprisingly unhealthy lifestyle. Find yourself a good mattress at mattress.review, first of all, to take care of your sleep deprivation, and get used to waking up at the same time every morning to read. It’s good for you.
Control Your Workload
Some people may disagree with me on this one, but here it goes nonetheless; if you feel like the plan-ahead mindset and long-term overlook of your course is slightly confusing and overwhelming, it’s alright to focus on the small steps.
Everywhere you’ll hear that the only way to success in college is to grasp the big picture and think ahead, always planning for the next couple of months. While it’s definitely helpful and a sure way to success for many, it’s stressful and confusing to others.
You can easily keep your eye on the next assignment, work hard and get an excellent grade, before looking at the next one. Step-by-step is often the best method when you have a lot to get through; plan a short-term study schedule where you focus on your next assignment, as well as a long-term one with a focus on the last exams, and make an honest attempt at sticking to it.
With these three simple steps, you can easily arrive at the examination hall, well-rested and with a head full of knowledge you can’t wait to share and forget about as soon possible.
I hope you enjoyed the post! What do you do to prepare for an exam? Let me know in the comments! <3
Thanks so much for reading, as always <3
Xoxo, Rae
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