Tips to study for exams & how to manage stress!
I think in Singapore, all of us treats education very seriously and we all feel that it's a really important factor to gain competitive advantage for our future! Majority of us wanna do well, get into university and then with the degree, get a decent good paying job! Although not all think this way, but most of us do!
So from young we are constantly being exposed to exams, and as we grow older and pursuing a higher education, the difficulty raises and the stress we need to handle is alot more than before! And I think we need to learn how to manage all these academic stress effectively, if not we will feel very torturous and if serious, might lead into depression! And if we manage it well, we might excel and do even better!
To be honest, I used to be really tensed up and very stressful about exams (in university) during my study break period and if you guys remember, I was so nervous for my first university exams that I even had diarrhea during the exams (I remember tweeting about it before!). I think it's because it's my first exams in university, so that's why I feel it's really important and thus I'm very worried and scared lol!
But after that, I slowly got the hang of it, learn how to handle the stress and find the most effective way for me to study and prepare for my exams. And guess what, I'm now not so nervous and stressful anymore during exams period! Of course, I'll sure still feel nervous and worried, but at least I'm not overwhelmed by it anymore and is able to handle everything well! And so far, I managed to do well for all my exams too!
Okay done, so let's go!!!
I think planning time and your schedule well is one of the most important factor which will allow you to do well for exams, and you also won't feel so stress and nervous! Why is that so?
Because if you have ample time to prepare and revise your exams right, you won't be panicking about not having enough time to finish studying, which will make you less nervous and stressful. And with proper planning of your time right, you can have enough time to study for all your modules and the more you revise, the more confident you will be! So what I suggest is that to keep a planner/to-do-list!
Tadah! Me with my planner!
Actually I just started using planner only, cause last time I don't really use it one but after using it, I find it very useful cause I can plan my schedule and will never miss my datelines! But even if last time I didn't use planner right, during exams period, I'll still plan out the days on which module I'll study (during study break) and make sure I have enough time to cover all my modules and is ready for exams!
Let you all take a peek into my planner! Hahahaha!
I think it's important not to be so last minute in revising for your exams, because usually you will get very stress and super panicky! So remember to plan enough time, and follow your schedule as close as possible!
I think getting out of your comfort zone makes studying for exams so much more effective and you can concentrate so much better! For me, I cannot study at home at all cause there's way too much distraction (my laptop, bed, family, tv) so I would always go out to cafe or library to study! Different people works differently, so you just have to find the place where you can concentrate and study the best.
Some of my friends can study at home but cannot study outside, which is totally opposite from me!
Usually I'll study with my university mate cause I think it's better for me to have someone to study with me because we can study for a longer time! And if you're someone who always lack of motivation, studying with your friend is a good choice cause you can motivate each other and help each other!
But of course, you need to choose who to study with! Don't choose those who won't study but ended up talking and chit chatting instead! Find a few good study buddies (but not too many cause it's not a party lol) and study together and help each other on the stuff that each other is unsure of!
I must say I'm one of them who does this though, which is really bad for our health! So to keep yourself healthy (not to fall sick) and have the energy to study better, having proper balanced meals is important!
We must try to eat more fruits and vegetables during this period and also hydrate yourself with loads of water!!!! Cause falling sick is the last thing we want to happen to us during exams period! Also, if you can try to exercise too! Sweat everything out and you might feel better and doing physical activities also releases endorphin which are feel-good hormones and helps to relieve stress too!
If you're feeling too stressed up, tense or nervous. Stop and take a break! Go listen to your favourite songs or music and relax yourself, it will help you clear your mind for awhile! Or not you can watch funny videos to make you laugh and cheer you up as well! And what's better to watch than #BenRanAway!
Hahahahaha!!! Cause I think it's quite funny what!!! Or you can go watch other random videos as well, which will then allows you to relax your mind a little and after that you can go back to study!
For some people (like me), shopping does help to relieve stress too! I'm sure all of us love shopping, so when you're stress, you can go out and shop! But that doesn't mean you have to spend alot of money, places like Daiso can allow you to shop and not burn your pocket! Or you can use things that you wanted as a "reward" to motivate you, telling yourself that you will study hard now and after exams, you can finally get it!
Don't be afraid to share whatever you are facing with people around you! I'm sure everyone cares for you, so if you're feeling stress or nervous, talk to someone!!! Bet it your friends, your partner or family members! Find someone whom you trust and you're comfortable to talk to, and let it all out!
Don't bottle your problems and feelings up, it's better to let it out!
I think keeping yourself calm and poise will allows you to do better and perform better as well. So before exams right, try to keep yourself calm and don't get too nervous! Just know that you're already well prepared for it and you will do well! Being nervous tends to makes you forget most of the things and as a result might make you do badly! So keep calm! Stop whatever you're doing and take deep breath!!!
Well, I think reading my blog might also calm you down too! Hahahaha!
Last but not least, YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF THAT YOU CAN DO IT!!! No matter how many people believe in you that you can do well right, if you don't believe in yourself, there's no use!!! So believe in yourself that you can do it and know you already tried your best and have no regrets!!!
Not forgetting to have positive thoughts as well, remember I say before to always have positive thoughts and good things will come in your way! Yes, I always have positive thoughts especially during exams and I always do well!!! Don't have doubts, be positive!!!! Stay cheerful and happy!!!
Nice tips *grabs the planner I bought almost 2 years ago and never used*.
Gonna keep them in mind. Thank you and good luck with your exams !!
hi ben whr can i get planner ?
this is so helpful ben thks and update more.
btw.. nice tips.. thanks for sharing!
Hey, which uni are you in?