Hello again!!! Since there is only one week left till Christmas break I decided to talk about exam preparation. Personally, I like starting preparing for exams as early as possible hence why I am talking about this 6 weeks before my actual exam starts. Now I don’t expect people to follow my exact footsteps when it comes to revision as different revision techniques will work for different people.
When to start revision?
As early as possible!!! I personally start my revision by week 10 of university as most lecturers finish delivering the main content by that time. The main advantage of starting early is that it gives you time to go over your modules in details and will make you less stressed during revision time. Also make sure you attend the revision lectures set by your lecturers as I feel they give a good summary of what you have been taught and reminds you of the content that you will need to go over for your exams.
Planning your time
Of course you will all know this. The key to exam success is planning your time to be as productive as possible during the day. But make sure you include breaks between your studies. From personal experience, you will absorb more information if you take breaks between your studies. When I plan my time I usually have one-hour breaks for every two hours spent studying. Also just because it is revision time does not mean your social life has to become non-existent. Having one night out with friends every couple of weeks can be good for you, as this will help you relax and give you the change of scenery that you might of wanted. When planning your time make sure you include time for doing tutorials and past paper exams as they give you a good insight on what would be expected of you during exams.
Where to Study?
I personally do most of my studying in my room. This helps me focus on certain tasks that I need to complete. The reason why I don’t do all of my studying in the library is because there are too many people studying in the library and I find my self-getting distracted too much and not achieving my daily goals. The main problem with studying in my room is you find you’re self either unmotivated to study or just procrastinating for long periods of time, as you need a change in scenery. Like I said before the library is Usually packed, so an alternative would be studying in the classrooms in the AC buildings. They are always quite and perfect for group study sessions also as engineers we get access to computer labs and design center, which are usually free during the mornings.
Don’t forget to eat
During exam revision time food becomes the last thing on your mind. Getting enough fuel for your body is key to stay alert and focused during your studies. Believe it or not there have been nights where I wake up in the middle of the night because my stomach would be screaming for food. So make sure you eat. I know people say that they might not have time to cook but if you include time to make your own food during your breaks you will see it is very easy to incorporate time to cook during your busy day. However, there might be occasions where you really don’t have time to cook so you will most probably need to order food or buy your food from surrey shop (this is a more costly alternative).
So just to recap:
- Start revision as early as possible
- Plan your time to be as productive as possible, but make sure to include breaks
- Don’t forget to eat
Till next time. Seif
