Category: Week 08

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Firstly, these tips are for those who have short-term memory. Just to share with you, I was diagnosed with depression last year and I had to take meds, which eventually resulted into poor information retention as its side effects. It is quite hard, especially you’re in the University of the Philippines. But there’s no need to be afraid! I did survive and you, too, can make it!

Now, I don’t know if these will work for you but I just wanted to help those who are just like me. Even if we aren’t like those who are good at memorizing stuffs, all we need to remember in preparing for DevCom exams are these SMART tips.

S – Scribble down notes while you are on lecture classes.

Since we are not good in retaining information in our heads for a long time, we must not waste time during discussions. While listening to the lecture professor, take down important notes. I suggest you take down notes through writing and not through picture taking. Research shows that note taking improves focus and alertness.

You can click here to learn more about its benefits!

M – Make use of the time wisely.

We may not be good at recalling things but that does not mean we only have to review our notes an hour before the exam. It will still be beneficial for us to read the lessons every night. We may not be able to recall everything but at least, as we review the night or a day before the exam it will only be a refreshing of key notes and definitions.

A – Ask for help if you need it.

For people like me who finds it hard to remember concepts for an upcoming test, I think you too will find it easier when you are reviewing with your friends. You can discuss or exchange questions. We cannot perfectly take down notes during discussions or we do not have techniques to remember things. But since we have friends, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. Besides, it’s also an opportunity for you to know who your real friends are, because true friends will help you, no matter what the odds are!

R – Remember to eat before taking the exam.

I swear. This is one of the most important things to remember. I understand that we need  a lot of time to review for the exam since we are short-term memory learners. But if you will not spare time for eating, you will find it hard to focus if ever your tummy will ache during the exam. Instead of thinking about the answers, I bet you’ll end up thinking about McDonald’s hot fudge sundae with burger and fries. You wouldn’t risk your scores for being hungry, would you?

T – Take time to rest.

According to research, sleep deprivation affects our mental health. Therefore, if you do not take care of your sleeping hours, you are more likely to have problems with concentration and focus. You do not need to risk your health to achieve high scores on exam. Remember that you are important more than anything else. So, I repeat: Take time to rest.

To finally end, I wanted to leave a friendly reminder. We do not need to aim to be the best students. What we should be aiming for is to learn. And if ever you fail, it’s okay. As long as you do your best and learned from your mistakes, you are not a failure.

“Don’t beat yourself up. You don’t need to run so fast. Sometimes we come last but we did our best.”

Shakira, Try Everything

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I have an exam tomorrow? What should I do?

Here our five helpful tips to survive /THAT/ exam:

• Read the objectives
• Only the essentials are noted
• Ask and consult
• A&A: Ask and Answer
• Codes and mnemonics can help

Two hours long, and worth more than two hundred points – our first 7 PM exam for DEVC 11 was a memory still dreaded by everyone in my class. A few days ago, our professor scheduled the sequel to next week, and the entire lecture hall was filled with one, loud, synchronized gasp from the class.

Contrary to popular belief, while they make up a big chunk of our grades, exams don’t have to be so scary. After asking around from my upperclassmen (as well as reflecting on my own performance), I gathered a few tips on surviving exams. Read on so you, too, can slay the beast!

Ask why and not what

Before every exam, you will always see students trying to memorize quotes, equations, formulas, concepts, and everything else. However, some concepts are better understood than memorized.

For example, our STS 1 course expects us to memorize the four definitions of technology based on an assigned reading. Instead of memorizing what these definitions are, we can try to understand how technology manifests itself in different forms. Here’s an example thought process:

“Okay, technology is usually described as the gadgets that we have. Then, they’re also the knowledge that we gain, related to the use of technology. And technology is something that people have been doing over time. That also constitutes some kind of culture!”

If we find the explanations or the narratives that help us piece everything together sensibly, we’ll have less problems retaining the information in our heads. Because then, we’ll be knowing the answer just because we know it by name – but because we know how they fit in relation with the others.

That’s kind of like knowing not just what’s drawn on the individual puzzle pieces, but also how the pieces fit together. That’s how you remember the bigger picture better.

Association

However, there are some cases where memorization becomes the only option. Some examples include the types of leads you’ll encounter in journalism, quotes about definitions of your field from important theorists and practitioners, and so on.

It turns out that it gets a lot easier to memorize things if you associate them with other concepts. These other concepts could be colors, hand gestures, memories, or even how they look when printed (if you have photographic memory). Or, you could also use metaphors and analogies. In fact, memes are great examples of metaphors and analogies, just like the following:

I’ve used this technique not only in exams, but also speeches and essays. They help form stories in my head, and it somehow gets more organized in my head – much easier to memorize.

That would explain why you’re seeing wrestlers on this post.

Work in increments

One of the scariest feelings is when we realize that suddenly, there’s not enough time to learn the lessons under the exam coverage. That’s a common reason why people panic before and during exams: they’ve crammed all the information in a short amount of time.

While this works for small short-term things, you won’t be able to retain this information for long. Although it may sound counter-intuitive, the best way to prepare for exams is not through reviewing – but through understanding the lesson during the lesson. Try to make it a goal that you don’t end the day without understanding the current topics.

Keep it cool!

No matter how much you prepared for the exams, it can all go to waste if you panic!

If that happens, chances are that you’ll be unable to perform at your best. Panicking can cause forgetfulness, and nothing feels worse than forgetting things that you worked so hard to memorize. Generally, we’re able to form our thoughts and sentences better when we’re calmer, so don’t be afraid to chill and take it easy.

(READ: How Do You Chill?)

 I say generally because some people work better under pressure. While that’s completely valid, one should always watch their stress levels, because if left unchecked, this can lead to various health problems. And in a university that requires a lot of outputs (and fieldwork especially for BS DevCom students), you wouldn’t want that.

What I do is I limit my reviewing to the day before the exams. The night before the exam, I eat a full meal for dinner, try to get at least seven hours of sleep, and keep myself away from things that would make me panic.

Different things work for different people. Find what works for you and stick to it.

Failure is an event, not a person.

Sometimes, it’s not the fear of the subject that hinders us, but the fear of failure.

We all have different stories and different backgrounds. Some of us might be the high school valedictorians now suffering their first failures, the first-generation UP students acting as their families’ hopes and breadwinners, the confused partygoers who wish to find what their dreams are as they drift through their lives in the university.

It’s easy to take our failures as a depiction of who we are. After all, throughout our stay in elementary and high school, we’ve always been dictated by our numerical grades. We were also quantitatively assessed when we entered UP. I don’t blame anyone for seeing themselves as defined by numbers.

But I also want you to remember that you are not your grades. Hear me out.

Failure is an inevitable event. No good play is produced without having been rehearsed tirelessly. No iceberg sticks out of the water without having so much of itself underneath the water. No invention is finalized upon the very first prototype.

Think about it, new models of the phones and the laptops that we use now are being released every year, improving upon their faults and their strengths alike.

Exams and grades are simply dated snapshots of what can be assessed quantitatively from us. Do they measure how happy we’ve become over the semester? Do they measure how well we’ve been eating or sleeping? Do they measure the quality of our conversations, our relationships with people?

These dated snapshots are frozen in time. You, however, aren’t. You are a person constantly changing, every day. Every morning that you wake up, you will have become a better person than you were yesterday. While grades can take photographs, your life is the live video whose script is constantly being written. Cliché as it may sound, what matters is that we learn from our mistakes.

So don’t be afraid to take that next exam of yours; when it’s over, that’s one chapter of life closed, awaiting the next one.

And onto the next, and onto the next.

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Studying for exams can be stressful for students. However, remedies can be done to reduce these “stressful moments.” Here are some tips when studying for the exams:

•  Find an appropriate studying technique for you. 

Knowing what study technique is best for you will help in your studying process. It helps a lot in understanding and absorbing what you are studying. 

•  Manage your time.

Have a study schedule. Allot time for each subject that is needed to be studied. Consider also activities given by other subjects. Make sure to have time to accomplish them. Also, include breaks and rest times in your schedule for you to have time to absorb what you are studying.

•  Reduce Cramming

Do not wait for the last minute for you to study. Cramming is never advisable as it promotes a shorter period of retention of what you have learned. Scan through your notes a week before so you’ll be ready for the “real review.”

•  Mind over Matter

We want to get a high score in the exam, which can put a lot of pressure on us. Mind over matter! Since allowing yourself to get pressured will affect your concentration and sometimes result to mental blocks. 

•  Pray

Some students say, “Mapapadasal ka talaga tuwing exams.” It may seem to be a funny statement but it’s true. There’s nothing wrong with asking guidance from the Lord. As a famous verse says, “Do your best and God will do the rest.” 

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Exams. Worse, exam weeks. Always dreaded by students– some prepared… some still preparing. Most of the time, at least for myself, the latter is who the examinee is.

Here are five tips for your dreaded devcom exams!

1. At the very least, study!

Surprisingly, this is first on the list! Who would have thought that studying is a prerequisite for exams!? Kidding aside, please do study! When exam time comes, your answers won’t come from staring at the ceiling. At least pack some knowledge in your noggin.

2. Take your mind off things

Take breaks every now and then. Your mind won’t absorb as much if its running low on charge. As a caveat, take reasonable breaks. Binging series for hours on end isn’t going to help you pass that test.

3. Study with friends

More minds are better than one. Studying alongside friends is very helpful. You can bounce ideas off each other, ask for help if you are confused, and so much more. Study buddies are always a big help before exams!

4. Music

Music is always my go to when studying. It helps me focus better. However, choose a genre that is for you. If you like death metal while studying, then go for it! But I find that studying with mellow tunes helps me absorb ideas better. Music is a big help when studying.

5. After it’s over, then it’s over

After exams, move on. Stressing yourself over your answers for question x or question y isn’t going to help. Take your mind off the exam. It is done. Maybe go out with friends, or maybe it is the right time to actually binge that show. The point is, take your mind off the exams. You can’t change your answers after you’ve passed your answer sheet.

When results come, if you passed then great! If you failed, then there is always a next time. hehe

And please don’t cram.

1. Study smart

Of course, there will always be a recalling of the previous lesson and/or notes before the exams. however, since the notes are more than what you can possibly acquire or remember, my advice is to study everything, BUT, remember only the key words and/or phrase, use photographic memory if it helps you, or if you have it.

We all know that not all students are the same, that is why it is advisable to find the comfort level of the students, experiment with things, listen to music or not, go to a crowded place or not, etc., just find the comfort of studying smartly and effectively.

2. Time wisely

Use the time wisely. Being a university student is on another level of those in high school, wherein the exams are in a week with no other projects or quizzes form different subjects, in universities, no specific time or date is needed for the professors to announce an exam. So plan ahead and see which of the possibilities that you have chosen be beneficial to you with your exams. 

3. Do not force yourself

Forcing yourself will result to a less productive learning. Do not force your mind to acquire or learn something immediate. Learning should, supposedly, take a prolonged period of time. Immediate learning, for most people, is clearly ineffective. Take your time in learning, try to understand the lessons properly so that 

4. Take a break

Continuous studying can be good, but, taking a break, either long or short, can be a great benefit for you in the long run. Having to rest for five minutes to half an hour, can reduce the stress that you put on the mind, thus can result to have a healthy mind to continue learning. 

5. Just let yourself be happy.

Try to have a smiling face after or before the exam, showing that you have a smile in your face means that you have endured all of the stress from the countless and nightly study for the exam. Give yourself a reward, do anything that can make you feel happy, a great way to destress once in a while.

It is okay to fail, no one is ever perfect.