Things you need to do before you start to study

Studying for an exam includes learning, re-learning and revising topics that you covered throughout the year.

In order to do this, you first need to have the right resources. 

Make sure you:

• Take good notes and save any handouts from your teacher
• Go to any and all revision sessions to fill in the gaps of things you may have missed (this is especially important if you were sick or away when your class was taught the first time)
• Ask your friends or teachers if they can share any information or handouts that you don’t have already
• Get copies of previous years’ practice papers (and also the answers)
• Check exactly what content and learning will be covered in each exam

Break up your Time

If you’re on study leave, it may feel like you have weeks and weeks before your exams. It’s easy to trick yourself into thinking that you don’t need to start studying yet as there is still heaps of time.

Alternatively, you might be feeling really stressed and panicked, like you’ll never be ready.

Either way, the solution is the same – make a study plan.

• Be realistic about how many hours a week you will spend studying – it’s important to set achievable goals.
• It is also important to set regular routines that play to your strengths. If you’re on study leave and you think best in the morning, then regularly aim to do a couple of hours of study straight after breakfast.
• Prioritise what study is most important. Focus on studying for the exams that come first.
• You might also be feeling really confident about one subject and less confident about another. If that’s the case, you should focus on the subject you find harder. It can be tempting to spend time studying the subjects you like and find easier. However, that probably won’t be the best use of your time.
• It’s also important to choose the right environment for your study. It’s recommended you find a quiet, airy, well-lit place with no distractions. ‘Distractions’ include your cell phone and social media. While you might need to use the internet to help your study, turn off notifications on your phone whenever possible.
• Lastly, you absolutely must check when and where your exams are. What day of the week? Are they morning or afternoon exams? What rooms are they in? This is something that you really don’t want to muck up.

Work Smarter not Harder

In order to make the most of your time, it’s important that you study smart. There’s no point reading over your notes a million times if that won’t actually help you to remember the content on the day of the exam.

So what can you do instead?

• Make a brainstorm/mindmap of everything you need to know for that exam.
• Make a plan of how you would answer an essay question.
• Make flashcards.
• When you go through them, put the ones you got wrong in a separate pile to the ones you got right. Then, focus specifically on the ones you got wrong (this is especially useful when you need to memorise quotes for an English exam or Chemistry equations). 
• Do a practice exam. Don’t let yourself look at the answers. Don’t even peek. Then, once you’re done, you can check. That way you know for sure which sections you need to work on.
• Talk with a friend about bits you’re struggling with. This is particularly useful if there’s content that you don’t understand that they can help you with, or vice versa.
• Revise regularly. The more you revise something, the longer it will stick in your memory. Come back to something 10 minutes after you first study it, then an hour later, then a day later, etc. Soon you’ll find that the information you need to learn will forever be stuck in your brain!
• Give your brain a rest every now and then. Take a 3 or 5 minute break after a certain amount of study.
• Try and relax. If you’re stressed, nervous or agitated, it will be much harder to get anything to stick. Take a deep breath, sleep regularly, eat healthy, and if you’re still not feeling confident about the exam, ask for help. After all, your teachers do want you to succeed!

Before your Exam

• Check the time and place for the exam. You will probably be allowed into the exam room 15 minutes before the exam starts, so aim to arrive well before that time. (If you arrive more than 30 minutes after the exam has started, you will not be allowed to sit the exam). 
• You must make sure you bring the correct equipment to the exam and ensure it is working. If you need a calculator, make sure it’s approved.
• If it’s a morning exam, eat breakfast. If it’s an afternoon exam, eat lunch. Try to be healthy and eat lots of ‘brain food’.

During Exam

• Stay calm. Relax. Stay focused. Tell yourself that you can do it. 
• Read through all the questions first and familiarise yourself with the exam booklets. If you’re meant to have a resource booklet or a separate booklet for your answers, make sure it is all there. 
• If it doesn’t matter what order you answer the questions in, try and answer the easiest questions first. It is a really good feeling once you’ve got something down on the page.
• Read each exam question twice. Highlight or underline keywords in the question.
• Try not to spend too long on each question. It is more strategic to answer as many questions as you can, than just get one single question right. You can always return to the hard questions at the end if you have spare time.
• Use the planning pages!!! Taking a moment to plan out your answer and make sure you include everything that is needed. If you’re writing an essay and need extra planning paper, you can use a page in your answer booklet. Just write PLANNING at the top and then once you’re done cross it out by drawing a big X on it.
• Remember – twink and red pen are banned. You also should not use a pencil. 
• If a question says ‘you may use a diagram to support your answer’, use a diagram. Make sure to label it clearly. 
• Watch out for plural terms in the question. For example, ‘Name features of graphs’ means that you are required to write at least two features.
• Always try and proofread your answers if you have time at the end. Ask yourself: have I written a complete answer? Have I answered the question?