The preparations, assignments and deadlines of exam time can be very stressful for students. The constant pressure of performing well for a brighter future and a good career can put a student’s mental and physical health at risk. Assignments, challenging coursework and exams can make it hard for students to manage their time and that causes them stress. The course work material is usually complex and there is an overload of information for students. Students can usually get overwhelmed and study excessively to finish their study material.
The extreme pressure to perform well can lead students to study excessively overloading their brain with information, pulling all-nighters, skipping meals and ignoring their overall health. This can also lead to burnout, which is state of mental and physical exhaustion making the student’s work harder instead of easier. Burnout can harm student’s health, weaken their memory, causing them stress and make them feel constantly tired. Here are a few tips that can help students build healthy habits and prepare better for their exams:
START PREPARING EARLY
Students should attend classes regularly and pay attention during lectures to make detailed notes. Write down important concepts the teachers are explaining in class so you comprehend the coursework. Clarify any doubts or confusion about any topic in the syllabus with teachers. Memorising any concept is easier if you understand it completely. Students will not feel overwhelmed while revising for exams and cover their syllabus successfully. Dedicate a couple of hours everyday to study and understand at least one topic of the syllabus and highlight anything important so you are not overworked during exam time. It will save students a lot of stress and anxiety.
TIME MANAGEMENT
Time management is an essential skill for students to adapt. If students allocate their time wisely to their tasks and studies, they can excel in academics and any project and profession they take up in the future. Plan each day in advance; make a list of important tasks and big assignments that need to be finished and work on them a little everyday so you are not overwhelmed when the deadline of the assignments is near. Always keep track of deadlines and dates of assignments and projects to stay on time with submissions. Every student’s day and commitments are unique to them so make a schedule that caters to your personal needs and tasks.
TAKE BREAKS
Taking purposeful breaks of 20 to 30 minutes from studying continuously can really refresh your mind. A few moments of relaxing and rebooting can help avoid burnout. Studying for long hours and trying to cram as much information in your brain as possible can do more harm than good. The brain needs time to effectively process and store information. Excessive studying will only increase stress and increase pressure. Cramming can have a negative impact on a student’s mental health and will not help you retain information so take a walk to stretch your muscles, take a shower or get some sunshine, listen to relaxing music, eat a healthy snack or take a nap for half an hour to refresh your mind. You will be able to memorise and learn information much better.
SNACKING SMART
Munching on snacks considered “brain foods” during a study break will boost a student’s learning power and improve mental performance. According to several studies conducted, certain foods can affect cognitive process and emotions like mentioned in an article of “National Library of Medicine”. The brain consumes a lot more energy compared to the rest of the body so snacking healthy is way to make sure that energy is provided to brain so it can consume and comprehend more concepts. Foods rich in Omega 3 like walnuts, chia seeds, Avocados, Citrus fruits like oranges as well as other foods like beetroot, eggs, carrots and green vegetables are extremely good brain foods. Snacking on these foods during studying can improve cognitive performance and help students excel in exams.
ORGANISED SPACE
Having a clean tidy space for studying can maximise productivity and help students concentrate better. Students should keep track of their exam schedule beforehand and make sure all their study materials and resources are organised and available so they can be accessed easily during exams so students can completely focus on revisions without any other distractions or being stressed about anything else.
ORGANIZE STUDY TECHNIQUES
Student before exams should make sure they ask their teachers for important questions and topics for the exams, which will make revising easier. Solving Practice question papers and quizzing yourself will help in memorizing and recalling topics during examination. Students can also make flashcards for memorizing definitions and any other topics or information students want to memorize in brief. Another good study technique a lot of students may find useful is to teach other students certain concepts. This will strengthen your own understanding of the information making it easy to remember during examination. Experiment and find a study technique that works best for you, as each student will have unique learning styles.
Exams can pass without stress and anxiety if we are well prepared from the beginning. Incorporating a few good study habits and routines will help students get their desired results.
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