Week 08 – BLOG 6050

Our time in Elementary, Junior High School and the recently added Senior High School has prepared us for college. We have experienced countless tests of varying length, difficulty and grading weight. There may be unfortunate circumstances where we fail exams even if we tried our best. What’s important is that from all our results, may it be passing or failing, we learn and adapt a particular method of preparing for exams. Here are my five tips in preparing for a test.

1. Take notes during lectures

Everything that appears on the questionnaire comes from something that was discussed in class. No good professor would give an exam about something that was not taught. That being said, it is vital that you listen to every discussion. However, listening alone may not be enough. Going to numerous classes and taking in various information from different courses may take a toll on your mind. Ensuring that you take notes keeps your information organized. Moreover, you’d have something to go back to and refresh your memory ome exam season.

2. Make a reviewer

It is one thing to have notes from the class. Personally, my notes are scribbled all over my notebook with random thoughts and insights scattered without any distinguishable order. This makes it harder for me to study because I’d waste a lot of time trying to recall the context of why and how I wrote my notes. That being said, it is incredibly helpful to make a reviewer; something to organize your notes for easier studying.

3. Study hard

Your notes and reviewers would be for naught if you do not study. An exam is a formal assessment of whether or not you learned something from a course. In order to show that you did in fact learn something, it would be helpful if you study before the exam as to recall everything that was taught. If you are having difficulties understanding topics from a certain course, the more that you should study hard.

4. Relax before the test

Exams can be stressful especially during exam weeks where you must take multiple exams. It is true that you must do your best to get a high score and prove that you learned something. Do your best but don’t overwork yourself. Nothing is worse than taking an exam with no sleep and a stressed mind. Learn to take a breather before taking an exam. A clear and relaxed mind can help you convey your thoughts better during a test.

5. Manage your time well

In extension to the fourth tip, one should learn proper time management. Indeed, relaxing could help you but this option may not be available all the time. There are cases when you are given a lot of tasks to accomplish and you may feel like you have too much on your plate. Cases may differ from student to student but one thing is for sure – no one has ever been hurt by proper time management. Deal with the cards your dealt with and make the most out of it. AVOID CRAMMING. Prioritize and accomplish your requirements as soon as possible so that you’d have more time to study.

Exams are probably some of the most dreaded activities any college student has to look forward to. They pile on quick and are usually set on dates that are closely knit with other exams. It’s hard to prepare for them and it’s even harder to take them. So here I am, giving my advice on how to pass an exam in the UP, other than the UPCAT of course.

Ask for help, especially from uppers – This one is a no brainer. In college, you should up your social game, as that has many added benefits to it other than having a few drinking buddies. Blockmates, orgmates, friends, and even uppers are all willing to help you review, study and prepare for the exams. Just ask.
Healthy body, healthy mind – You can’t expect to perform well with a crapped out system. Keep yourself healthy even before exams are brought up by your professor. Eat well, sleep early and keep yourself in good shape. Your future self reviewing for three exams in two nights will thank you for it.
Your mind is a muscle, train it – Make sure you prepare as early as possible. Read the stuff in the syllabus, or just have something to train your mind daily. Reading, math exercises, learning new words, whatever works for you. It will help with building a study habit and lessen your groans when forced to sit down with your readings.
If there isn’t a freeview, make one – Have a sense of initiative and start the review group yourself. Not everything will be spoon fed to you in college, so you have to rally your peers and cooperate. Study, even in small groups, having people to reaffirm and contest what you know and don’t know will help you retain the knowledge you study for better.
Communication is key – Some professors might be testing the waters on your batch with the very first examinations. Usually, they say it up front, so depending on the professor, you have to work it out with your batch and come up with plans to get as much passers as possible. Maybe talk about what to study, how many items to answer, or just in general talking. Keep this in mind, you’ll thank me later.