These days many school/ college students try hard to achieve success in their examination without knowing true methodology. This article will help those to stay focused and score excellent marks in their examination successfully.
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Howto study in an efficient way?
Exams are a necessary and stressful part of study. Since they are so important,you need to study in ways
that get the best results. Here are some ways to improve yourstudy skills.Adapt them to your needs and
environment to make the best of your education.
Part 1: Creating an Environment of Learning
1. Make sure you are studying in a clean, quiet and orderly room. This may help you to give
more concentration if there is cool and healthy environment at the place where you sit for long
hours to study.
2. Turn on the light. Studying in a dark room is not recommended. Add lamps at night, or in the
daytime, open the window coverings (open the window a little, too). People tend to study and
focus well in a brighter, oxygenated room with little noise.
3. Turn the TV off. Some people like to have the TV on quietly in the background. This can cut
both ways in that it can distract you from time to time, but also can help you to continue studying.
It may be beneficial to begin studying with the TV on in the background, and then turning it off
once you're under way. The combination of visual and audio stimuli will likely reduce your
studying performance, as it makes it more difficult for your brain to prioritize information
acquisition (rapidly swapping attention between studying and watching TV).
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4. Decide if music is right for you. Music's effect on memory performance varies between
individuals. Some studies have found music to aid the memory performance of individuals with
ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder/ Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder), while
reducing it in individuals without the disorder. Music can be motivating (making studying more
enjoyable) while still detracting from memory performance. You must determine whether you're
better off with or without it. If you cannot bring yourself to study without music, it may be worth
the minor negative effect it can have on memory.
a. If you absolutely must listen to music, find instrumental music so that the
words in the music don't interfere with your studying.
b. The idea that listening to Mozart or classical music makes you smarter or
keeps information in your brain, by the way: total myth.
5. Get plenty of rest the night before. Children in elementary school require on average
10-11 hours of sleep for optimal performance, while adolescents in high school require
between 8-10 hours of sleep on average. Poor sleep has been found to accumulate
(referred to as "Sleep debt"); in order to make up for prolonged poor sleep habits, several
weeks of daily optimal sleep may be required to return to optimal performance.
Don't consume caffeine (Coffee) or any other stimulating substance (i.e.
Ritalin) any less than 5-6 hours prior to sleeping. Such substances reduce the
efficiency of sleep, meaning that even with sufficient sleep time; you may not
feel well rested upon waking.
6. Eat a healthy, light meal. Eat a balanced breakfast full of lean protein, vegetables, omega-3
fatty acids, and antioxidants. A sample breakfast might include a spinach omelet with smoked
salmon, whole wheat toast, and a banana.
7. Get to the exam room with time to spare. Give yourself at least five or 10 minutes to gather
your thoughts before starting the exam. That means being in the exam room five to 10 minutes
before the exam starts.
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Part 2: Studying Efficiently
1. Find the right hours. Don't study when you're really tired. It's better to get a good night's
sleep after studying for a short time, than to push on at two in the morning. You won't
remember much and you're likely to see a performance drop the next day.
2. Start as early as possible. Don't cram. Cramming the night before is proven to be
ineffective, because you're taking in so much information at once that it's impossible to
memorize it at all — in fact, you'll hardly retain anything. I know it's been preached to
you many times before, but it's true: Studying before and going over it multiple times
really is the best way to learn the material. This is especially true with things like history
and theoretical subjects.
Always study when you have the chance. Don't let your mind tell you that you
don't want to study.
3. Study for your learning style. If you're a visual learner, using pictures can help. Auditory
learners should record themselves saying notes and recite it afterwards. If you are a physical
person lecture to yourself (out loud) while also using your hands or moving around; this way it
will be easier for you to memorize.
4. Different subjects call for different studying. If its math you're studying for, work on the
problems. Don't just read over it like you would for a history class, because you can actually do
math, but you can seldom do history. Working problems out will help burn them into your mind,
and remember: if you can't solve the problem before the exam, you won't be able to solve it on
the exam either. For subjects based on calculations, it is important to do questions because this is
essentially how you are going to be tested.
5. Think of your teacher. Ask yourself: What is my teacher most likely to ask on the exam? What
materials should I focus on to give myself the best chance of knowing what I need to know? What
trick questions or wrinkles could my teacher introduce that might throw me for a loop? This may
help you focus on the most important information, rather than getting stuck on things that might
not matter as much.
6. Ask for help. If you need help, ask someone who is good at these subjects. Friends,
family, teachers are all good options. If you don't understand what the person helping you
is communicating, don't be afraid to ask them to elaborate.
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a. Asking teachers for help conveys your commitment to the material,
and can be helpful in the future as well as with your exams. Always
remember to ask your teachers if you do not know what he/she is
talking about or if you need more information. The teacher will gladly
help.
b. Various school/university facilities are at your disposal and you
probably don’t even know it. There are usually people who are trained
to help you cope with stress, answer study-related questions, give you
study tips and other forms of guidance. Just visit our unique website
www.transilienz.com or ask your professor what help is available.
7. Pay attention while you're learning to begin with. Make sure you actually pay attention in
class. You wouldn't want to miss something that will be tested. Listen carefully, because teachers
often give hints like "The most important thing about this topic is..." Or they may just place
emphasis on certain words and issues. This is the real key to testing well. The more you absorb
the information early on, the less studying you'll need to do.
Part 3: OrganizingYourLearning
1. Plan ahead. Always create a plan before you start studying. Remember that this plan has
to be achievable. If 3 out of 5 lessons are easy and can be finished fast, finish them first,
so you can spend quality time on the difficult lessons without fretting. Small tricks like
these will help you complete your portions quickly.
2. Create a timetable. Budget your time wisely to ensure that you cover all the topics covered in
the exam. Remember to take regular breaks and get out and exercise.
3. Do some research on the examination. Finding out who is writing the exam can be
helpful. This way, you might be able to understand what sort of questions will be used
(i.e.: short answer, essays, multiple choice, etc.). You can ask your teacher what format
the test will be in, how it will be graded, if there are any opportunities for extra credit,
and if they would be willing to talk to you about highlighting in your notes what the most
important broad subjects will be. Just do not put all your time into finding out who the
exam writer is.
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4. Write yourself a study guide. Go through your notes and rewrite the most important
information. Not only will this give you a more focused way to study, but it creating it is another
form of studying! Just don't spend too much time on the guide itself: you need to have time to go
over it too!
5. Use your notes. Rewriting your notes is great if you're a kinesthetic learner. Mind
mapping is the most effective way of doing this. Also, when you re-write something, you
will probably think about what you are writing, what it's about, and why you wrote it
down. Most importantly, it refreshes your memory. If you took notes a month ago and
just found out that those notes will be relevant in your exam, rewriting them will remind
you of them when you need it for your exam.
a. When you are finished studying one page of your notes, before you move on to
the next page, ask yourself questions relating to the material on that page to see if
you have remembered what you just studied. It also helps to say the answers to
your questions out loud as if you were trying to explain it to someone else.
b. Memorizing things sometimes does not help. You learn, not recite from memory,
so make sure you understand what you are trying to learn.
c. Don't simply copy your notes over and over again. This tends to lean towards
memorizing the exact wording of your notes instead of the actual concepts.
Instead, read and think about the contents of your notes (such as think of
examples), and then re-word them.
Part 4: KeepingMotivated
1. Take breaks. You need some time to have fun and it is better to revise when you are
feeling relaxed than to exhaust yourself studying all day! The only caveat is, you need to
avoid procrastination. Carefully structure your break and study time. Usually, 20-30
minutes of study and then a 5 minute break is the most effective method.
If you have trouble bringing yourself to study, instead of long uninterrupted sessions,
chunk your work into 20 minute periods, taking a 10-minute break at the end of every
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period. You can vary this time to your comfort (i.e. 45 minute periods with 20 minute
breaks), though try to keep the ratio of more work over break time. Make sure that
you structure the chunks logically so that you're not breaking up concepts across
chunks, as this may make it more difficult to remember concepts in their entirety.
2. Think positive but work hard. Never think you won't be able to score high in the exam.
Always think positive. If you say you can: you can. If you say you can't: you can't. Have
faith that you will score high in this exam. Self confidence is important. However, this
doesn't mean that you shouldn't study hard. You still need to work at it, even if you have
confidence in yourself. Confidence just keeps away roadblocks to success.
Be positive by using affirmations. Use and repeat positive words like confident, capable,
good memory recall whenever any negative thought comes
3. Work with others. Arrange study dates at a library with your friends to compare notes or
explain things the other one might not understand. Working with other people can help
you cover gaps in your own knowledge and also help you remember more information,
since you may have to explain things to them or have conversations about the topic. If
you ask for help from others, don't joke around. Concentrate on what you are doing.
Do not study a subject only once. If you have more time you can revise for your studies
twice or thrice, but only if you have a lot of time and have revised for all your other
subjects at least once.
If you have an idea of the questions that will be asked and are finding it hard to remember
the answers, write the question in one side of the card and the answer on the back.
Practice relating the question to the answer and when you go to the exam, your mind will
remember!
Take breaks! It helps your brain relax and think about the information you just learned.
Revise the work that you did in class on the same day.
Keep your phone switched off while studying.
Get a desk lamp and turn any other lights out and just have your own corner to study.
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Get everything before you start studying. Don't waste your time in searching for stuff.
Just relax! Don't sweat it and you will spend more time focusing on the test than things
like time and appearance.
Don't study lying on top of your bed: you easily get sleepy.
Don't include too many snacks in your daily study routine because you might end up
gaining weight instead of knowledge!
Cheating won't solve your exam problem; it will just end up with getting you busted. Just study
well. Getting good grades that were earned honestly will motivate you to study and achieve even
more. You'll also feel better when you get your grade!
Avoid stress from other people, if at all possible. Don't hang around friends that worry and stress.
This will rub off on you.
Understand what is being taught. Ask questions if you don't.
Start studying at least two month before the exam.
Don't be overconfident, always anticipate the hardest question, and then everything will seem
easier.
Don't study only on the night before the exam. Study everything bit by bit when you come home
from school every day. It's no use studying everything in one shot.
Ask your teacher what are some things you can do to study for the exam
Coffee and other sources of caffeine have debatable efficacy as study aids. Some studies report
memory performance improvements, while others report lower performance. If you are
unavoidably extremely tired, caffeine can improve studying performance (as in, bring you closer
to the performance you'd have if you were well rested, but not better), though it is far better to be
well rested prior to studying. The same applies to the time during the test as well.
If you fail, don't stress,hence the last tip! You've gotten so far, and you can make it back up
there!
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Important tips for most efficient way of studying are as below:
Many students study harder not smarter. TransilienZ Learning & Development provides you
information on studying in a smarter and a best way.
Have a thirst for knowledge: Thirst for knowledge is the key which motivates
investigation and study. Don’t study only for the sake of scoring marks. Of course
marks are really very important but still have a strong passion for knowledge.
Planner: Prepare a schedule for yourself. Have variety in your planner. Stick to your
schedule. Remember that your success is in your hand. If you cannot stick to your
planner because of some reasons manage your time to study the things which you have
left out.
Concentration: In your class rooms the scenarios for distractions are deadly. So sit in
front row. Have a thought that if you are being distracted you will miss something which
is of great importance. If you cannot understand the stuff which is being taught, don’t
hesitate to clarify your doubts. Before lectures, look over the notes of the previous
lecture. At home prepare your study environment. Your study environment should be
very comfortable. Avoid distracting situations. Don’t study while you are watching
T.V. Notes taking.
Stress reduction: Some students who are good in their studies may slide down in their
performance because of some social or personal issues. Don’t hold on it. Move on… If
you find it very difficult find someone with whom you can share your problems. This
will make a world of difference. Fight back against your depression. Regain your
control.
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Take breaks: Don’t study for hours without taking breaks. After an hour of study have
a mini-break. Have a drink maybe a snack or engage yourself by watching T.V or
hearing music or do something which will make you feel relaxed. Then, get back to work.
This will make you feel more alert.
Taking notes: Have a habit of taking notes regularly. Maintain a record of your
assignments properly. Many people cannot take notes very fast. So in that case form
groups with your class mates and have turns in taking notes. While preparing for your
exams take notes on key terms, definitions so that you can go through it before entering
your exam hall.
Reviewing materials: Review your notes every day. Avoid last minute study. Our
brain cannot take up things which have studied in the last minute. After studying spend
few minute in reviewing the material what you have studied. This will help you to
understand the concept better and also reduces time in re-learning the content again.
Taking tests: Once you are done with your preparation collect previous year question
papers and conduct a mock test for yourself. Evaluate your own paper. This will help
you to manage your time and also help to know your strong and weak areas in that
particular subject.
Don’t panic: Don’t panic if the paper is tough. If the paper is tough spend around some
10 minutes reading the paper. Try to relate the stuff which you have learned. Correlate it
and then start writing. This will help you to improve your score.
Ask for help: Asking doubts will definitely help you to improve you understanding.
Never feel bad in rectifying your doubts with your friends or lecturers. You should be
self-motivated and do some research work regarding the particular topic which will fetch
you lot of knowledge.
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TransilienZ Learning & Development will help students to score
high through its Career Talks/ Seminars, Career Guidance and
Career Counselling programs. Do keep in touch with us by
registering with us & click at the top right in Contact us of our
website www.transilienz.com and send your query. Only registered
students will get the solution. We provide ONLINE CAREER
GUIDANCE to know yourself better and also the fields of choices
best suited for you.