ROdown Blog
How to deal with being swamped
Up until this year, I never had to worry about exams. My high school focused more on keeping up appearances rather than teaching us anything worth knowing. I learnt more about chess in maths than actual maths. At the time i thought that was great, i did hardly any work and passed all my classes. I laughed at the schools around us that sat any exams, even practice exams.
Going from that environment with no work, homework or exams, to pre-tertiary Year Eleven classes where they give out one or two big assignments every week, wasn’t something I was prepared for. Right from day one exams were looming. They were talked about in classes constantly, the teachers telling us what we’d need to include in our exam for this type of question or what background information we’d need to give to give this example. Every time someone mentioned exams I felt pressure. I didn’t know how to study for exams; I’d never studied before in my life! I could barely understand the exam timetable. But with some advice from some teachers, family and friends who had sat exams before, I set about learning how to study.
Getting the motivation to start studying was the hardest part of the whole process. I think studying is built up to seem more stressful and strict than it has to be, making it seem more challenging than it actually is. Making that first leap into studying is the most important part, starting with a small task like reading over your notes or writing down some important names and quotes on sticky notes is enough to get you started! There are two main factors to make exams less stressful and make sure you get a decent result; being organised and being relaxed.
Something I learnt from my Psychology class is that the brain remembers more information over time, so I started studying months before my exams. This can help to relieve exam pressure, because you don’t need to constantly study. The best way I’ve found to study is to be organised. I studied for each exam in the order that they appeared and focused on one at a time. You might find it effective to create a study timetable with study times and breaks!
Despite what your parents might think, relaxing is almost as important as studying. Everyone has their own way of relaxing; meditation, reading, exercise etc. Don’t be afraid to try something new, like yoga or meditation, even if it’s not your usual thing.
Try not to get overwhelmed by exams. As cheesy as it sounds, you can only do your best. Don’t spend the night before exams cramming, your short term memory only lasts eighteen seconds and going to sleep and being fully alert for your exams the next day is much more important!
For more tips, ideas or information on relaxation or studying, check out these incredibly helpful factsheets:
What is your never fail method to relax?
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2 Comments
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MaddieWorledge
7 months ago
Reply ReportThanks Lauren!
DarwinLoz
7 months ago
Reply ReportThis is awesome Maddie :) good luck with exams everyone and remember to take time out to destress!