Buzz
Are you aiming to ace the upcoming exam? Do you wish to boost your overall grade? There are several strategies and practices that can help you improve your chances of scoring higher in the exam. This article will guide you through effective study methods, analyzing questions, and solving problems, so keep reading!
Steps
Mastering Knowledge Effectively
Pay Attention in Class. One of the best things you can do to improve your exam score is to stay focused where your main task is to absorb knowledge: in class! Daydreaming during lessons or skipping school will cause you to miss vital information that could appear on the exam.
Take Detailed Notes. This is a crucial element if you want to make studying easier in the future. Writing down information during lessons not only helps you absorb knowledge and stay focused, but also provides you with materials for future reference.
Complete Homework Assignments. Homework, such as assigned tasks and reading assignments, is where you’ll find the majority of information that could show up in your exam, so completing homework is vital. Setting specific time blocks and finding a quiet space will help you overcome procrastination.
Use Mnemonics and Other Tricks to Remember Specific Elements Like Numbers, Categories, and Lists. Just make sure you remember them accurately and avoid mixing them up!
- Memory techniques involve creating phrases that help you recall the order of specific factors. For example, "Gọi Nga Lên Bán Hai Cháo Lòng" is an excellent method to remember biological classification (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species).
- Another trick for remembering a series of numbers is breaking them down like a phone number. For example, instead of trying to memorize 0837814920, you can split it into 0837-814-920. You can also use this method for dates, like remembering 30th April 1975 (the day of Southern Vietnam's liberation) as a locker code: 30-04-75.
Take Practice Exams. You can ask your teacher or print out online practice exams yourself. Practice exams will help you identify the knowledge you truly understand versus what you think you know. Recognizing your weaknesses before the actual exam is essential!
Study Like an Expert
Study Regularly. Cramming the night before the exam for a few hours won’t help you score high. If you want to excel in your exam, you need to review both old and new material daily or at least several times a week. This strategy will make taking the test much easier.
- Take Breaks. After every 30 minutes of studying, remember to take a 5–10 minute break. This will prevent your brain from getting overwhelmed and give it more time to absorb information.
- During breaks, avoid cramming more information, even if it’s about your favorite musician’s latest concert, instead of Ho Chi Minh’s revolutionary path.
Study in Your Own Style. You may already know that everyone has a different learning style. Some people are visual learners, others prefer auditory methods, while some need physical movement. You need to identify the learning method that works best for you and take advantage of it.
- For example, if you learn better with physical activity, you can walk around while studying. If you learn better with sound, you should listen to music while studying. If you're a visual learner, you can create charts to organize the information you need to master.
- However, this idea of learning style still holds in academic environments. If any personal preference helps motivate you to study, you can use it.
Leverage Emotionally-Linked Memories. Your brain is great at associating scents or sounds with ideas or memories. You should take advantage of this! While studying, you could use a perfume that you rarely wear (something with a distinct scent) and then smell it just before or while taking the exam.
Listen to Music. Your teacher might not allow you to use headphones during the test, but at least you should listen to some type of music, especially classical music, before entering the exam room. Numerous studies have shown that exposure to certain types of music before a mentally stressful activity can be beneficial in stimulating your brain and boosting awareness.
Prepare Your Body
Eat a Balanced Diet. It's crucial to ensure you're eating well. Going hungry during an exam can cause distractions and lead to fatigue. However, eating too soon before the test can make you sluggish, so avoid it. Instead, focus on consuming lean proteins before the test.
- Maintaining a healthy diet boosts overall brain performance, so remember to nourish your body to absorb knowledge effectively in class.
Get Sufficient Sleep. Without enough rest, concentration becomes a challenge under pressure! It's essential to sleep early the night before your exam, rather than staying up late studying. Your brain won’t retain the information you're trying to cram in.
Prepare All Necessary Supplies. Be sure to bring along essentials such as a calculator, pens, pencils, blank paper, and any other materials you might need. Lack of preparation will only make the exam more difficult for you!
Stay Hydrated. Drinking water during the exam will interrupt your focus and hinder clear thinking. Make sure to hydrate well before the test, and bring a water bottle with you into the exam room.
Avoid Trying New Things. If you're not used to drinking coffee, now is not the time to start. Don’t engage in any unfamiliar activities the night before the exam. These things will only create distractions.
Complete the test successfully
Write down the key points first. As soon as the exam starts, you should jot down any formulas or important information on your scratch paper before reviewing the questions. This act will help you retain that information for later use.
Start with the questions you're sure about. Always tackle the questions you know the answers to first. This method ensures that you'll complete as much of the test as possible. If you're stuck, simply move on to the next question you can answer quickly.
Eliminate incorrect answers. Once you've answered all the questions you know, move on to the ones you're unsure about. When dealing with multiple-choice questions, eliminating answers that you are sure are wrong, or obviously nonsensical, will help you make better choices between the remaining options.
Look for hints in other questions. Sometimes, the answer might be hidden or hinted at in other questions on the test. Searching through other questions can trigger your memory and help you recall the information needed.
Never leave any question unanswered. Avoid leaving questions blank unless you're certain you can't answer them accurately. This is especially important for multiple-choice questions, where you have at least a 25% chance of selecting the correct answer.
- As mentioned earlier, eliminating incorrect answers will increase your chances of choosing the right one.
Work quickly. This is crucial! Remember to keep an eye on the time remaining and make sure to use it wisely. You can always return to check or improve your answers later!
Advice
- Don't get discouraged by poor scores on past tests. Instead, take a deep breath, stay positive, and focus on preparing well for the upcoming test. This mindset will help you perform better.
- There are no shortcuts to success. This is the first thing you should keep in mind. Because of this, you need to put in your best effort.
- Focus. When studying for the exam, choose a place without distractions. Also, remember to eat well and rest properly, or you will quickly become tired and lose focus. Eliminate any distractions around you, unless you can use them as inspiration to help with your studies (such as a corkboard with all your notes from the entire year).
- Remove all 'time-wasting distractions' while studying. These include TV, computers (unless you need the internet), mobile phones, tablets, or even your siblings!
- A suitable schedule will be very helpful. Spend more time on the harder or longer subjects and less on the easier ones. However, don't forget any subject!
- Take notes while studying. Write summaries for subjects if this is your first time studying them. This will be useful for future tests as it helps you retain the material.
- Make a list of everything you need to study for each subject, and the time you need to allocate for each one. You can use this information to create a study schedule. Ensure you have enough time for everything and add some extra time for each subject in your plan. Also, make sure your study plan has enough flexibility for adjustments in case of unexpected events.
- Try to tackle the easier questions first, then move on to the harder ones.
- Write clear, concise answers. Avoid writing irrelevant information. Do not mix correct and incorrect answers together. Write full sentences. Don't assume the grader will link your words together or fill in the gaps. Imagine explaining it to your younger sibling—would they understand anything if you only wrote a few key words? Certainly not!
- Stay calm before the test. Don't panic.
- Listen to your teachers, other students, and yourself. This will help you pass the exam more easily.
- Never study at the last minute, as this method will not work, and you will forget everything you studied in the last two hours.
- Study in a quiet place to avoid distractions.
Warning
- Cheating is not allowed. You will get caught, and as a result, you will receive a score of 0. Be confident. Trust yourself. You will do well on the exam if you believe in yourself!
- Avoid overconfidence, as it can cause your scores to drop. For instance, if you score 9/10 on a math test and believe you don’t need to study more, your score on the upcoming exam might drop to 8/10.
