My Studying Tips

Study Tips

Hey everyone, so I know this isn't what I usually do but I know that so many people are studying for exams right now and believe me I know how hard it is.

After doing exams every year for the past 7 years I know what it's like so today i'm going to let you in on my top 5 tips for studying.

1. Past Papers

If you can get your hands on some papers from previous years this can be very beneficial, not only does it help you practice in the same way which it will be laid out in the exam but it is possible that questions may be repeated in following years so you never know when a question that you did in a paper may come up in your own. Past papers also cover all of the coursework  that you have learned throughout the year and so it gives you a variety of different topics and questions that you might want to learn. 

2. Find what is best for you

For me this is an easy one, I discovered this method of learning only about 2 years ago and it hasn't failed me yet. What I do is I make lists. For example when learning quotes for a play which you have to learn simply remember a character name and how many quotes you have for that person, or if it's theory for accountancy then remember different amounts of key points for each part and it makes it so much easier. Some people like to create images in their heads or stories relating to the things which they have to remember which is a really good way because then when you remember the story you remember the points which you have to put down. Making mind maps also helps as you can just remember how many branches each topic has and then try to recall what those key points are. 

3. Highlighting

If you highlight key words in your notes then it makes them stand out more so when you read over them again it's easier to remember what the key word is. Plus highlighting your notes makes them look a lot nicer especially if you use highlighters in colours that you like. I tend to gravitate towards pink, purple and blue because I like the look of these colours together. I then number each of the key words and remember them that way.

4. Music? or No Music?

This is down to personal preference, some people find it easier to work in complete silence and others find it harder. This is down to you as a person, I tend to enjoy listening to music when studying and then when a good song comes on I tend to take a break and have a sing and dance, this takes my mind off the work for a few minutes before I go back to work.

5. Phone Away

For me my phone is the biggest distraction so simply switch it off or put it on silent to make sure that it doesn't distract you. But do remember that if you need help it is okay to phone a friend for help. In my class we have a facebook group on which everyone posts if they have any questions and the rest of the class can answer, I think that this is a really good and modern way of communicating any problems that you might have and I find that generally questions get answered relatively quickly because of the number of people involved in the group.

Anyway I hope these tips are helpful to some of you and good luck with any exams that you have.

Leigh xoxo