Let’s Get Ready for Exams – Week 2

Last updated on January 23rd, 2019 at 07:49 pm

It is week 2 of the “12 Weeks – Study With Me”  program. If you’re new to this series of posts and have no idea what the 12 weeks program is, you can view the first week’s article here.

In a nutshell, the purpose of the program is to ace your exams using 12 sets of effective and actionable tips. Each tip is brought to you weekly with the hope to keep you on track.

If you’re already on track, let’s keep moving forward into this week’s task.

So, in week 1 you accomplished;

1. Gathering all your study materials and tools in one place.
2. Setting up a designated distraction-free study area.
3. Committing a set amount of time in your schedule to study.

It’s now time to dive into your schedule and set up tools to help you stay on track with your studies.

Creating a great and effective schedule comes down to keeping a few key objectives in mind.

Your goals are;

• To minimize time spent dawdling or studying inefficiently
• To study in the most productive way possible and
• To manage your health and stress levels well

On top of being organized, nothing will lead to test success more than a clear and concise study schedule. Sure, it may take you some time to set up, but it will certainly be time well spent, as it will ensure that every time you sit down to learn you will be more efficient.

Now that you know when you’re free to study, write down when you will complete assignments, when you will review material, when you will study for the upcoming exams and when you will have breaks.

By taking these steps, you will realize that there is in fact enough time to complete everything that is expected of you (if you stay on track that is), and there will be no need to even worry about cramming.

Give yourself a variety of subjects to dedicate time to each day so that you decrease your chances of losing interest quickly. Try mixing up the time of day you tackle different subjects as well. Pencil in these study sessions and stick to them the same way you would a class schedule.

Nowadays, there are useful apps that even allow you to set up automatic reminders for yourself.

But if you enjoy writing things down, I’ve included a Student Weekly Planner Set and Student Weekly Activities Schedule Set which you can download and get started immediately. Click on an image to view a sample.

Download the Student Weekly Planner Set (colored and black and white versions)

Download the Student Weekly Activities Schedule Set (colored and black and white versions)

Remember, a schedule will do you no good if you leave stuff out. There’s a very good chance you’ll forget things (it’s human nature!), so add everything, including activities outside of school, to your calendar. When it comes to studying, setting up a realistic schedule is really important.

Again, you don’t want to overload yourself. So keep it relatively simple based upon the time that you do have.

It’s also a good idea to build rewards into your calendar to act as a sort of motivator. Rewards could include an hour of TV time after completing a deck of flashcards or a full day off from the books for completing a larger assignment. Just don’t go overboard.

Sticking with the study schedule you create is just as important as creating one.

Do yourself another favor by making it easy to read. Use highlighters to draw attention to certain subjects or tasks. For example, highlight all upcoming tests in pink, dedicated study time in yellow and recreational activities in green. This way, you’ll ensure that nothing sneaks up on you and wreaks havoc on the plan you invested so much time into.

So at the end of this week you should have accomplished;

1. Preparing a realistic study schedule based on your unique personal circumstances.

Next week, we’ll look at how you can get a complete picture of your lessons by filling in the knowledge gaps.

How about you? What tools do you use to ensure that you stay on track with your studies? Leave a comment below.