Exam preparation is an important process.\u00a0 Few people like doing it, so a lot less of it gets done than is really needed.\u00a0\u00a0Naturally, people wonder if there’s a “right” way to do it.\u00a0\u00a0Well, there is!<\/p>\n
The secret\u00a0to exam preparation – and the harder the material, the\u00a0more advantage it affords – is to start early<\/strong>.\u00a0 For instance, starting the day the course starts is not absurd.\u00a0 The other point is that you should do it in small daily portions<\/strong> – maybe\u00a0a half\u00a0hour a day or less in most cases.\u00a0 Usually, if you start long before the exam, you can afford to\u00a0study only 15 – 30 minutes a day for it.<\/p>\n How should you structure these daily study rituals?<\/p>\n The answer is, be casual.\u00a0 You can afford to be, since you’re starting so early.\u00a0 Look over your notes.\u00a0 Spend a few extra readings on the more difficult parts.\u00a0 Perhaps you want to highlight some points you still don’t understand, so you can bring them up quickly at the next lecture.\u00a0 (Instructors usually like being asked about earlier lectures:\u00a0 it shows you’re paying attention.)\u00a0 You might not bring all the questions up at once; rather, maybe ask one question today, then one next time.<\/p>\n You might check out the course schedule to\u00a0discover the future content and leaf through the textbook to get a little familiar with it before it’s taught.\u00a0 Maybe you only spend five minutes doing this each time, but the pre-emptive strikes on course content usually pay off big.\u00a0 People learn much easier when they’ve already heard of something than when it’s totally new.<\/p>\n Enjoy these half-hour sessions.\u00a0 Have a cup of tea while you leaf through your notes.\u00a0 You don’t have to go through your notes in order; using a random “here, then there” selection often works just as well.\u00a0 Don’t feel you need to cover all your notes each time; spend an honest 30 min, then stop.<\/p>\n If you’re studying for math, you’ll have to attempt questions from the sections you’re looking back on.\u00a0 Spread it out:\u00a0 do a couple from this section, then a couple from another one.\u00a0 Do a few from long ago, then a couple of recent ones.\u00a0 After an honest half an hour, stop.\u00a0 You can afford to – as long as you start this habit long before exam time.\u00a0 Of course, you can adjust your durations to your personal taste; this is only a rough guide.<\/p>\n I don’t recommend listening to music or watching TV while studying.\u00a0 Real studying can be a lonely business – no doubt about it.\u00a0 However, if you start early, and do it daily, it should be a lot easier.<\/p>\n I should offer some reasoning for why this method works (or, at least, why it’s better than cramming).\u00a0 Think of any biological process – muscle development, for example.\u00a0 Working out for eight hours today won’t help you develop stronger muscles; we all know that.\u00a0 However, working out for\u00a0tweny minutes a day, three\u00a0days a week, for eight weeks (which totals eight hours), will definitely produce substantial results in most cases.<\/p>\n Biology takes time; you can’t rush it.\u00a0 However, when you give it time, you often get better results than you would have imagined.\u00a0 You know that your lawn won’t grow measurably today.\u00a0 However, you know that if you let it grow for two weeks, you might barely be able to pass the mower through it.<\/p>\n Your daily attention to your studies – even if it is only a few minutes (as long as real effort is achieved during that time) reminds your brain that it needs to continue learning that material.\u00a0 Your brain – similar to your body – only believes something is worth adapting to if it keeps coming up over and over again.\u00a0 You have to convince it that what you’re studying is important and here to stay.\u00a0 That’s what the daily study sessions do – even if they’re only 15 minutes to half an hour.<\/p>\n For those who are reading this a couple of days before the big exam:\u00a0 well, I guess you’ll have to cram for now.\u00a0 But you’ll know for next time.<\/p>\n Good luck with your midterms.<\/p>\n