This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you book or buy something through one of these links, I may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. Learn more
These genius exam prep tips will help you turn up for all your exams confident and prepared to not only pass but to score highly and get the grades you want!
Exam Prep Tips You Need to Know
1. Start studying early
If you want to finish your studies before the exam and score well, you have to start studying early and not right before the exams.
If you do the latter, you’ll have no time to learn and revise the material. The more you revise, the more likely you are to remember the topics.
To score well, make sure you start learning the material at least a month before the finals.
2. Use visual aids
Visual aids always help you learn things faster, especially if you are a visual learner.
If regular notes seem overwhelming to you, incorporate diagrams and flowcharts into your studying methods.
Use highlighters to make notes easier to remember. Associating words to images and charts can help you remember them better.
3. Study in groups
Maintain a circle of friends who want to score well in the exams.
Hold regular group study sessions with them. Studying together can help you stay competitive and motivated.
You can also offer help to one another if you face difficulties with one or more topics.
4. Eat healthy meals
Eating healthy can help your brain stay healthy. Our brain and the rest of the body need nutrition to function.
Try incorporating food that is rich in vitamins, healthy fat, and protein. Drink enough water to stay hydrated. A good diet will ensure a high level of energy, which is exactly what you need before your finals.
Read more: Best Healthy Snacks for College Students
5. Sleep well
Your sleeping habit also determines how much information your brain can absorb. If you want to study well throughout the semester, you must maintain a good sleeping schedule.
Our brain rejuvenates and prepares to store more information after every sleep cycle. So, you must sleep well the night before you begin studying for the exams.
6. Attend classes regularly
The best way to study effectively for the exams is to know what material you need to cover. And you can do that by attending classes regularly.
While doing so, make sure you are paying attention to the lecture and taking notes. Jotting down the key points of the topic is sufficient. They will help you recall the whole lecture when you study the material later.
7. Review notes every day
Don’t take notes during classes every day only to keep the notebook shut in your bag throughout the semester.
Take at least one hour after classes or right before your bedtime every day and quickly go through the material.
It will reduce the chances of information overload right before your finals, and will also give you enough time to get familiarized with the topics.
8. Use flashcards
Another popular method to remember the study material is to use flashcards. Write the question or the cue on one side and the answer on the other side.
Make the cues colorful or use visual elements if possible. Use the cues to remember the answers.
Many students have found this method useful to learn faster or to remember a large amount of information right before their finals.
9. Switch subjects
Studying one subject for a long time can tire your brain and demotivate you to study.
If you have a lot of materials to cover, switch up the subject every few hours to give your brain a break from monotony.
It will also help you remember things better.
10. Don’t cram
When you try to cram a lot of topics in a short period of time, you are more likely to forget them or mix them up. To avoid this, try to understand the topic rather than cramming them.
When you have a better grasp of the topic, you can solve any problems or write a whole paper on it. If you don’t understand something, ask for help from a teacher or a peer.
11. Take breaks
You might be tempted to study for a long stretch of time, especially in the week before your finals. However, this strategy can become counterproductive.
Taking breaks between study sessions is very important. The Pomodoro technique can help you here. In this technique, you study for 25 minutes (or 50 minutes) and take a break of 5 minutes (or 10 minutes).
This technique lets your brain relax and get ready for the next study session.
12. Tutor others
A good way to understand and learn the study material is to teach others.
When you teach a friend, you go over the material repeatedly and use all possible logic and information available to make them understand.
This pushes your brain to find all possible solutions to the problem of the topic or to rerun the available information in your mind. This speeds up the learning process.
13. Reward yourself
Want to keep yourself motivated? Reward yourself.
Set a study schedule for the day with multiple milestones. After you reach a milestone, reward yourself with something you like.
It could mean treating yourself to your favorite meal, watching a game of football, playing with your pet for fifteen minutes, or checking your social media.
When your brain craves those rewards, you are more likely to finish your studies in time.
14. Change study location
Studying in the same place can become monotonous. Memorization is heavily influenced by the location.
Therefore, experts always suggest that we should change the location of studying from time to time.
You can pick different places in your house, your local coffee shop, the university library, or you can redecorate your study table occasionally to make it look different.
15. Avoid technology to stay focused
Smartphones and the internet can be the biggest cause of distraction when you study.
We often get busy scrolling our newsfeed in the middle of a study session. This not only kills our valuable time but also distracts our brain so much that we find it hard to resume the session. This hampers your capability to learn in the long term.
If you are not using your phone to study, switch it off, or put it on airplane mode. If you are using a computer, avoid surfing the internet.
If you need the internet to study, use app or website blockers to block social media sites for the duration of your study session.
You might also enjoy reading:
Best Study Motivation Tips for College Students
Best Self Care Ideas to Help You Reboot
Save and pin for later:
Keep this list of exam prep tips for later reference, by pinning this article to one of your Pinterest boards.
