Exams ahead? Feeling the pressure of exams to perform better? Exams pressure may cause you stress. Small stress is good to stay focused and on track but when it becomes heavy, you are compromising your exams and mental health. The last 24 hours before an exam can be very stressful and you may be worrying that you have not done enough revision or you suffer from short-term memory loss just before exams.
It is important to keep yourself in tone and use this time wisely for better results. To minimize the exam stress, here are a few useful tips to revise your syllabus quickly just before exams.
Just remember, Don’t Panic! It won’t help you anyway. Instead, it builds more stress leading to the worst results. Stay calm and manage your stress. Also, these tips will help you to utilize your last 24 hours in a better way.
- Wake up early
Make sure you get up a little earlier than you need to, in order to go over your notes. Remind yourself that you got only 1 day to deal with the revision job. Every second count on this day. Set you alarm to a perfect time to wake up early and make the best out of it. Don’t stress yourself by getting up too early on exam day. Make sure to sleep early (at least 6 hours) before exam night.
- Mark Important Topics
Make a habit of sorting out important topics before starting any topic. Get them marked from your seniors/teachers or consult past question papers to find out the hot topics and what’s likely to come up in the exam, so make use of them.
Look out for chapter summaries and key information boxes for a briefer read.
- Make summaries or short notes
It is a good idea to make summaries of long topics and always write answers in flowcharts, or in points with suitable heading and subheading. These mind-maps or one-page bullet point summaries of each topic will give you a quick overview of the topic with important points to remember. If you have not already prepared those, doing so can be a good way to review the topic, and check your understanding.
Writing has the benefit of deeper and long-lasting memory. If you missed revising any topic, these writing notes may help you with your exams.
- No Technology & Social Media
It’s a hard decision to go with no phone & social media for a day but trust me, its worth it.
By turning off the technology, not only will you be able to focus more on the task at hand, but writing things down if you normally keep your lectures or notes online.
- Consider taking a long break: the whole afternoon and evening off
To learn quickly, it sounds strange but you need to learn how to take breaks in between different topics.
Small breaks help you avoid mental and physical stress. Your eyes and your brain could not process the information if you are already studying without breaks at all.
When taking a break, feed yourself first to recharge your body. Just go for a 15 min walk or laugh on some study/exam memes and then return to your work. And don’t forget to set a timer to remind you when to get back to work, as it is easy to get away from studies in your break.
- Review topics one by one
After getting back from the break, open up your topics again and start reviewing them to ensure you remember what you have learned.
If there’s something you couldn’t get properly, try to understand that topic with a different angle or make “certain specific terms” for specific topics to easily remember the concept.
Only move to the next topic when you are satisfied with your progress and not fooling yourself with half-hearted preparation.
- Get ready for the Exam
You want to be less stressful on the morning of your exam instead of looking for things you need for your exam. Make sure to prepare your bag for the exam the night before. Put together your calculator, spare pens, student ID card and other stationery.
Get ready your uniform and clothes which you are going to wear on the exam day. Make sure you are 100% ready for your exam day. Everything that makes tomorrow less stressful will be worthwhile.
And that’s it, you’re done.
Always remember to think positive before your exam.
If you are still facing problems in acing your exam, remember you’re surely not alone…….