How to prepare for an exam

A big exam to study for and not enough time. Do you pull an all-nighter or just not study? Learn how to avoid these issues in some easy steps.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Diligence
• Planning ability
• Will to do well

1. When your exam is 2 weeks away start studying for 30 minutes each day for the first 5 days. This will allow you to start picking up on the material without having to dig in too deeply.
2. After those 5 days of 30 minutes, bump it up to an hour a night for the next 7 days. Now you will be able to get a little deeper into the material as the day draws nearer.
3. For the last two nights make it a habit to set aside at least two hours on studying. Now is when you have to get very specific with the information you need to know, so make sure you are in the right frame of mind when studying.
4. Avoid the piled up papers and the all nighter On the night before the exam make sure you get 8 hours of sleep. Though some believe pulling an all-nighter to cram information is a good idea, it really isn't at all.
5. The morning of the exam wake up about 30 minutes early so you can do a quick refresher of some of the main points from your exam review. This last 30 minutes keeps the information very fresh without wearing you out.
6. Eat a full breakfast of healthy foods. While you might love donuts, save them for another morning and have the banana and cereal on this morning.
7. Make sure you arrive early so that you aren't rushing around right before the exam starts. Procrastination on exam day gets you in a very bad frame of mind for that all important exam! Now go out there and ace that exam!

Tips & Warnings

• Cramming isn't healthy and you likely won't retain as much of the knowledge you have studied either.