Easy exams
Would you like ten top tips to come top of the class?
There are only three things that are certain in life – paying taxes, dying and exams. At thebraintrain.co.uk I am afraid we haven’t got many ideas to help you with the first two. We do, however, have plenty of advice to help you with exams.
- Get really clear on your motivation
- Remember what all work and no play did to Jonny.
- Use a note taking process that works with your brain, not against it.
- Repetition, repetition, repetition.
- Start big then get into the detail.
- Remember the story about the person who could remember everything.
- Healthy body, healthy mind.
- The more you practice the luckier you will get.
- Failing to plan is planning to fail.
- If all else fails guess.
1. Get really clear on your motivation.
This is the most important aspect of learning anything – knowing why you are doing it. Studying for exams can be hard work and dull at the best of times, particularly if you are sitting yours in the summer time when there are 101 other things you would rather be doing.
Action:
So before you get into all of your sweat and sacrifice, take a moment to think about what succeeding in this exam will mean to you. Write your answers down and put them somewhere you can see them all the time.
2. Remember what all work and no play did to Jonny.
A bit like your stomach after a big meal, your brain needs time to digest all the information you put in it when you are studying. Taking regular breaks and doing something different to take your mind completely off what you are studying is a good thing.
Action:
Build regular breaks into your revision plan and then do something that takes your mind off study with the time.
3. Use a note taking process that works with your brain, not against it.
Have you ever got to exam time and looked back on your notes to find they make no sense to you whatsoever? If so it is probably because your notes are just a series of unconnected black and white lists. Your brain works in glorious technicolour and operates by making connections between ideas so why not take notes in a way that works the same as your brain.
Action:
Start using mind maps to make notes with. If you have never used mind maps before we can highly recommend Tony Buzan’s ‘Mind Map Book ’ as a good place to start.
4. Repetition, repetition, repetition.
Each time you have a thought a pathway is created within your brain. A bit like walking through a forest, the more times you have that thought the clearer the path gets and the easier it is to follow. So don’t wait until exam time to look at your notes again for the first time. The pathway will have become overgrown with all sorts of stuff.
Action:
Get into the habit of reviewing all of your notes at the end of the day to remind yourself of what you have learned. Then every week produce summary notes that condense your thoughts from that week into a few interconnected words.
5. Start big and then get into the detail.
Your brain works by making connections. So when you are taking on new information if you start with the big picture first and then get into the detail this gives you a better opportunity for making connections and thus making the learning stick.
Action:
Before you start reading any book, take a few minutes to skim through the chapter headings and sub-titles to get a good overview. Where you find something that could be useful to you dive in more fully, but again you will find you retain more if you look at the first and last sentence of every paragraph before you get into the detail.
6. Remember the story about the person who could remember everything.
Being able to remember what you have learned in the library when you get into the exam room is key. Like most things, if you want to find them in a hurry you need a good filing system, and the good news is that mental filing can be a whole lot more creative than sifting through piles of paper.
Action:
Make up a story that links all of the key items you need to learn. Stories that involve some kind of journey are really effective, particularly when you create pictures of the things you need to remember in memorable locations.
7. Healthy body, healthy mind.
Exercise helps to relax you and increases the flow of oxygen to your brain – both great things for learning. You don’t need to train for an ironmnan, just find something you enjoy doing and do it regularly.
Action:
During your revision period make sure you are doing at least 20 minutes of exercise each day and then maintain your routine once the exams start. That way not only will you feel better and learn more, but the morning of the exam will be just like a normal day and so be more relaxed.
8. The more you practice the luckier you will get.
This is definitely true for exams. As good as your brain is then it prefers to work in a familiar environment and doing things it has done before.
Action:
Plan regular time in your revision schedule to do past papers under exam conditions. This last bit is really important – you have to get used to working in silence and under time pressure. If it is possible tray and visit the exam room before the exam itself and imagine yourself sitting in there before you start your past papers.
9. Failing to plan is planning to fail.
Under pressure the impulsive part of your brain can take charge. This is exactly what you want when you are being attacked by a sabre tooth tiger but not so helpful when you need to work out how many questions form which section of a 3 hour exam paper you are going to do.
Action:
Always allow time at the beginning of the exam to read all of the instructions and carefully choose the questions that will give you the best chance of success before you even pick up your pen. Sit on your hands if you have to. Then, make sure you have a plan , preferably one that is written down, for each complicated question before you set off.
10. If all else fails guess.
The chances are, if you have done some revision and tried at least some of these 10 techniques, you will have the answer in your brain somewhere.
Action:
If you do go blank just breathe deeply, relax and ask yourself "If I did know the answer to this question, what would it be?"