The end of the school year is a time when students are eager to wrap up studies and enjoy the summer. However, before that can happen, they have to take exams. Exams are usually stressful, exhausting, and overwhelming, but with the correct mindset and approach, students can make the most of their exams and come out on top.
One key to success is to take care of mental and physical health. This means to focus on rest, nutrition, hydration, and ways to deal with stress/anxiety. Getting enough sleep, eating enough/a balanced diet, and drinking plenty of water are all essential for maintaining energy levels and keeping the brain active. Breaks would also be great, stretching, meditation, etc. can all help.
Another way to make sure your brain stays in tip-top shape is to not overwork yourself. Even though studying is important too much studying can cause issues. It’s best to take breaks to avoid burnout, lots of stress, and anxiety…which are not good for one’s mental health or physical wellbeing.
Schedules are a good way to make sure this doesn’t happen. Fit in time for your life… studying, friends, family, activities, work, etc. Make sure your schedule has time and room for all the things you want or need to do in a day, with plenty of time to rest or have a social life. It’s not bad to have a schedule especially when it can really help with planning things out.
When it is time to study, make sure you have a specific strategy. A way that helps you learn the best, or is the easiest for you to use. Taking notes is a very good way of studying, with the notes on hand you could make flashcards or a game to help with studying. Also studying in a group or with another person can help a lot. It can help find where your worst areas are and that’s what you can pinpoint to study next. Studying with others can also help you stay focused in case you struggle with staying focused during study time.
If you do happen to have an issue that you just can’t figure out, teachers, tutors, and even classmates are all there to help you, all you would need to do is to just ask for help. When you do figure out how to solve the question, study it, and make sure it’s one of your main study points. Watch videos online or look for other ways to remember or solve it if the main way a colleague taught you doesn’t work for you. Make sure to keep track of the problems you have the most difficulty with and study those the most. The more you study them the more you will get the hang of them and will be able to lump them into your “already know” pile or a “small difficultly” pile to study a little more later on.
Stay positive. Believe in yourself and the ability that you have to grow and learn. Be positive toward others who are taking exams, don’t bring them down or make fun of them. Encourage them and others that they should believe in their own ability to learn. Inspire others to try their best on their exams, either on exam day or the days leading up to exam day. Tell others to do their best as they might not need a certain class in their future career.
As well as being encouraging and nice to others, be nice to yourself as well. If anything is going to stop you, it would probably be the downplay of you by yourself. If things don’t go the way you planned, don’t beat yourself up about it, there is always room for improvement. Don’t put any major issues off to the side. If there is stress, find a way to make sure there is none, just so you can be at your best. With being compassionate and kind to yourself it will help you stay motivated, even if you don’t get the grade you want, it can help you stay motivated for the next year’s exams.
Even if exams seem like one of the toughest challenges of a school career, as long as you take care of your physical and mental health. Have effective study methods. And have the correct positive mindset, you can overcome the exam and get the grades you want. Just make sure physical and mental health come first that means prioritizing, resting/relaxing, a healthy lifestyle, and compassion to yourself. Help others out, if you need help, seek for help. That means any type of help, work or health help. It is not bad to seek help with anything that you need, many people will be happy to help. With that being said as long as you have the tools/strategies to help you will be able to come out on top of exams.
