Every time the exams arrive, the Sun stops setting for students. Heads are permanently hooked into books and a feeling of no life beyond books seems to plague every student. Each second becomes precious and there seems to be no time to eat, sleep, bathe…… Does some of this sound familiar to you too?
As exams approach, you may be letting the pressure of the exams get to you. This is not surprising and, in fact, it can be quite normal to feel some anxiety before exams and feel those butterflies in your stomach as the exams approach. In fact, findings suggest that for some students a little bit of pressure spurs them on and enables them to get down and do some serious work! It must be pointed out however, that too much stress can be detrimental to health and can set alarm bells ringing.
But now the question arises - How much stress is too much? It all depends on the individual endurance levels. Some students buckle down at the slightest sign of an obstacle or frustration whereas others seem to thrive on the challenges of a fast changing environment. The extent of the negative effects of stress is also a function of an individual’s coping skills.
It is therefore very important for students (and their parents) to keep a watch for the harmful signs of stress. Excessive anxiety often slows down the learning process and a prolonged exposure to persistent stress can lead to serious health ailments like digestive problems, sleep problems, depression, obesity, skin conditions such as eczema, pain of any kind, heart diseases etc.
Here are a few tips on dealing with exam related stress:
- Avoid junk food and try to increase the intake of fresh vegetables and fruits.
- Ensure proper sleep. It will help keep your energy levels up
- Avoid last minute cramming. Doing so will mount even more pressure and will add to the stress.
- Take small breaks in between studying. It helps in fighting fatigue.
- Plan ahead. Identify your weak spots and work on it accordingly.
- Keep your revision notes handy.
- Look at past exam papers and mock test papers. Try answering some questions, this will ease pressure and help you gain confidence.
To help students sail through exams and beat the stress, meritnation.com offers handy end of chapter Revision Notes, wherein students can gather a quick gist of the entire chapter. These revision notes replete with illustrations and images help students do a last minute recall of what they have already studied (and missed!). The animated videos offered by meritnation.com can make learning fun. The Test Papers on meritnation.com too can be of immense help in reducing pre-exam stress by enabling students to evaluate their conceptual knowledge and in the process gain confidence. We at meritnation.com stand committed to make the learning process completely stress-free!
November 30th, 2009
It often happens that students who study all the time merely manage to pass exams, whereas many who study for just a short span fare well in exams. Does it have any thing to do with their Intelligence Quotient or is it related to their Studying techniques? Does Grade “A” actually indicate that the student is intelligent or can he be rightfully called a smart learner?
The answers lie in the effective studying habits adopted by smart students during the exams. Believe it or not, how ‘sharp’ one is, is actually just one side of the entire tale! While studying, it is very important to stress upon the quality of your study time rather than the quantity of study i.e. the number of hours you spend studying. The key to effective studying is not cramming or studying till the wee hours of morning but to study smart. Here are some smart studying tips that can make your studying fun and effective.
- Set SMART-F targets! Targets that are Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time- bound and most importantly, Flexible. Aim to achieve them.
- Assign yourself a study space! Each of us has a corner in the house that is free of distractions, well-lit and comfortable. Equip your study area with all the necessary books, notes, computer and other related material that you might require while studying. Avoid studying sitting on the bed as the temptation to lie down can sometimes be difficult to resist.
- Make a schedule that you can stick to! The study plan should be such that it clearly lists down your targets for the day, allots time for required breaks, reflects the time set aside for revision and most importantly helps to clearly demarcate your eating and socializing hours from the study hours. The study plan should be balanced with a mix of various subjects so as to avoid monotony. It should be flexible and should ideally be set by you and not your parents or your tutor!
- Use the SQRW method i.e. Survey, Question, Read and Write.
- Survey: First take a quick look at the entire chapter, glance through the various headings and sub-heads and get a gist of the entire chapter.
- Question: This process of surveying leads you to formulating questions which help you stay focused.
- Read: Now read the entire chapter in depth including all the details mentioned in the various heads and subheads.
- Write: Finally, write down notes using heads, sub-heads and any other special characters that help in recall when you sit down to revise.
- Use Memory Games! Devise a game or a technique that enhances your chances of remembering a particular concept. For example put together the first letter of each word for effective memorization like VIBGYOR i.e. Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, that represents the colours that appear in a rainbow in order.
- Do not forget the reward! Stick to short term goals and once you achieve those goals reward yourself accordingly. For example, an extended 15 minute break, additional time for the next chapter etc.
- Attitude matters! Keep the right approach towards studying. Do not consider studying as a burden. It will make things worse for you. Once you look at it as a stepping stone to achieve your goals, the entire learning process becomes enjoyable. When you are not in the right frame of mind, do not force yourself to study. It will be a futile exercise. And you would probably be better off doing something else.
Last but not the least, do not forget to memorize those important facts. Understanding is important but one cannot undermine the importance of memorizing important information well. We at meritnation.com hope that these smart studying tips will help you score well in exams and make your schooling easy. Meritnation.com is continuously striving hard to help you in your quest for being a smart learner.
November 30th, 2009
