Ways to Succeed

I guess most of you can name a few things you’d rather be doing (like watching the 4th season of Stranger Things) rather than cracking into exam prep. Studying for any subject- can be both frustrating and difficult, not to mention boring! Thankfully, there are some things you can do to make your study time more efficient (waste less time!) and effective (do the right things!).

We asked few of our friends how they prepare for tests and demanding assignments. Here are some of their recommendations, which we hope you’ll find useful and inspiring as you embark on your own exam practice plan.

HOW TO… understand the material

Teach and learn:

• Use online resources.
• Follow a study schedule. (Check off topics from your list after you have finished reviewing them. This can help boost your confidence.)
• Take notes and use your own words. 
• Try teaching the concepts to someone else.

HOW TO… stay focused

Remove temptation:

• Turn off your phone- How do we avoid falling into the trap of social media and internet distractions? I’ll tell you one way to do it. Take that phone, turn it off, put it in another room, and detach yourself for a few hours- it won’t hurt you.
• Commit to study time- To stay focussed, I turn off all my devices, and just allocate some time to just studying. I tell myself that I can’t stop until the time is up, regardless of whether I know the material or not.
• Take breaks when you need them- To make studying fun, I take breaks every 45 minutes. I’ll continually re-evaluate my progress, just so I know that I’m going somewhere with all the time and energy that I’ve invested. These breaks also help in retaining information over time.

Do it your way:

• Take control- You have to study at your pace. Don’t be scared if a peer knows or understands more than you. You might just have to learn that thing another way. Think about how you like to learn and that’s how you should study.
• Know what works for you and stick to it- If you learn best in groups, hold a group study session and exchange solutions with friends. If you learn best by writing things down, write down the math formulas in fun colours. Begin studying by doing what is best for you and then work your way up to solving previous year question papers.

Wishing you all the very best!

– Niyaa Shakthi Meganathan (10D)