Let’s be honest, exams aren’t the best thing in the world. It can be a stressful time, especially if you are aiming for a particular result. A lot of late nights up studying, a lot of notes taken and revision, and if you are lucky, the ability to prepare some notes to take into the exam with you.
A lot of this can sound a bit dull and boring, but studying for your exams doesn’t have to be this way. These are a few ideas that I have used to make studying for your exams fun.
Get colourful
When you write lots of notes on a piece of paper or on your laptop, it can look like a bit of a blur. So much writing, and it can all get confusing. While you can organise it to make it easier to read, why not add a bit of colour?
Get those highlighters out and go nuts. You can do this both on paper and in Microsoft apps with the highlighter tool. Use a different colour of each idea or concept. That way you can link ideas to a particular colour, and this is something you can use in the exam room. If you’re having trouble remembering a particular answer, it could be blue or green and boom, it’s back in your head.
Try not to go overboard however, sometimes too much colour is even more confusing than none whatsoever. And try not to just highlight the entire page in one go. Look for the important themes and concepts that are both crucial and easy to remember.
Record yourself
Pretty much all of us hate the sound of our own voice, but recording yourself reading your prepared notes can act as a great catalyst for thinking. Like listening to audiobooks, recording notes and listening back to them can be very convenient, as you can literally do anything else while listening to it. Travelling to and from your exam for example, or cooking and cleaning.
You can even mix it up. Instead of just reading the notes straight from the page, why not try it in spoken word poetry or create a song from it. Just think of all the jingles from television that get stuck in your head. What a way to easily remember your notes. Most phones these days have a voice recording function, so go ahead and get recording.
Have a break, have a KitKat
Studying can be long and tedious. Whether you are taking notes, recording your voice, highlighting until your heart is content, completing past papers or doing lots and lots of research, it will most likely take a bit of time. While you are studying, remember to look after yourself. Have a break if you feel you need one. Set break goals or even food goals and reward yourself when you’ve reached one.
Doing a past paper? When you reach the end of page 2 or 3, you have worked hard so have a two minute break and reward yourself with whatever you fancy. Obviously, I am not saying that a three-hour Netflix binge is on the menu, but just little rewards to help you get through your exam preparation. After all, life is pretty good with a full stomach and happy taste buds.
Finally, good luck with your exams. Whether they are online or you will be in the exam room on campus, it can be stressful. Regardless of the result, always remember that you are awesome and that you have worked hard. Be proud of yourself.
