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Matty's Tips for Exam Season

With exams right around the corner, stress levels are beginning to rise on campus. So we thought it would be a good idea to give some tips on how to get through exam season in the best way possible.  

Take care of your body

The most important thing that is going to get you through this stressful time is taking care of your body. You need to make sure you are getting enough sleep, you’re eating nutritiously and exercising in some form. Studying for eight hours straight without taking a break to eat or get some steps in is not the way to go as not only will your brain not function properly, but you also won’t be nearly as productive. Take breaks!

Time Management

Being organised at this time of the year is extremely important. Take note of the day and time of each assessment you have and from there plan out how you are going to study for them. I recommend getting a calendar out and planning out how many days you need to review each week’s content with some time at the end to do past papers and revise the topics you grasp the least. Remember to also schedule in time to spend with your family as well as by yourself! Again, self-care is very important at this time of the year to avoid burnout.  

Study Methods

Firstly, working in the right environment is very important, avoid a space that has too many distractions. Secondly, silence your phone or keep your phone out of sight, a lot of us including myself unconsciously grab their phone to check notifications which can be very distracting, and you could end up scrolling through your socials for hours without realising. Thirdly, when it comes to memorising content, some methods work better than others, for me personally, the use of flashcards and the blurting method works best. Another tip is if you have some friends that are studying the same thing, try to teach them a topic, this can help you realise what you do and don’t know that well.  

Dealing with pre-exam anxiety

I myself struggle with anxiety and when it comes to exams, I know many people deal with it. Here are some tips that can help with that exam anxiety:

  • Don’t try to learn anything new on the same day as the exam. This will only make you more confused and you will most likely not remember it during the exam     anyway.  
  • Don’t surround yourself with people that tend to be very stressed before exams because that will only transfer onto you and then make you stressed.      
  • Walk into the exam room with confidence, it has been proven that you have higher chances of doing well if you go into it with a positive mind-set.      
  • Try taking deep breaths with your eyes closed when you’re seated and waiting for the exam to start, this can help clear your mind from any stressful thoughts that could come up rather than looking around the room to see what other people are doing.  
  • Use positive affirmations with yourself! You got this! You’re going to get a first! You’ve studied so hard! You have covered everything you need to know!
  • Read exam instructions carefully. Once you’ve done this it will avoid confusion during the exam which could add extra stress.  

Remember, you are studying here for a reason! As long as you’ve done your part to study the module content, there is nothing more that you could have done, and you have to walk into that exam with confidence. Good luck everyone!

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