Study Tips for the Upcoming Exams

19th Apr 2022

Overall performance in STEM courses depends heavily on examinations. And, now these examinations are upon us. Back to the drawing board, we go to further strategize our examination preparation. In this blog, we go over a few broad tips that can help improve our performance in examinations.

If you want a quick summary of the tips I provide here in the blog, here is a quick TLDR section. However, to internalize these strategies, it might be helpful to understand why we use them. Hence, it might be worthwhile to read the entire blog.

Too Long Didn’t Read

Here are a few tips that you should keep in mind during your study sessions.

Studying with others can help you overcome procrastination. Moreover, this might help you in grasping concepts faster.
Practice applying your knowledge by solving weekly assignments, past papers etc. (your examination will test your ability to apply your knowledge)
Understand the structure of your examination. Most examinations have a few recurring themes which help you develop an idea of which are the most important topics.
Develop a hobby that you can reliably fall back onto without disturbing your study schedule.

Study Tips

As they say, “there’s no substitute for hard work“. However, there are some hacks you can use to make your work smart. Here are some of these tips –

There are some obvious advantages to working with others. Firstly, you avoid procrastination. Moreover, regular study groups can help you become more accountable to yourself. Secondly, the wisdom of crowds is undeniable in such situations. A group collectively knows more than an individual. Hence, you can tap into this bigger knowledge pool and learn faster.

On the other side, there is the usual problem of a group of friends coming together. It has the potential to turn into a disaster. So, it’s a subtle balance and it’s your job to figure out if this works for you.

STEM examinations, especially physics exams, are application-oriented. Your ability to apply your knowledge is tested in these situations. So, after a quick theory refresher, pick up your weekly problem sheets, past papers or any other application-driven resources and test yourself against them. I discuss the efficacy of such learning techniques in my blog about ‘the Science behind Studying’ here.

Every exam has a structure to it. You can ace your examination by accustoming yourself to the structure of your examination. Moreover, exams have a few types of questions that are recurring. Doing past papers can help you identify such types of questions. A bonus tip – leave the most recent past paper to the end. Consider this the final ‘boss fight’. A reminder though; check for any updates to the examination structure or syllabus that might make these resources obsolete.

Having a hobby to fall back on while studying helps you relax. This way, you can balance studies with something you enjoy. Try maintaining a schedule, for instance, a 45 minutes study session followed by a 25 minutes hobby break. Avoid any major distractions such as your phone during these break sessions. This avoids any derailment of your study plan. I enjoy playing quick online chess games and they have helped me relax.