January is well and truly under way, and many of our student tenants will now be studying hard for their exams, which run until the end of the month. So, here are some of our nuggets of wisdom to help you:
- (Try and) start revising early – yes, I know this does not happen in most cases (certainly not in mine), but do try.
- Avoid procrastinating – trying to make your revision notes look tidy and pretty? Buying new stationery that you just don’t need? Avoid!
- Learn the syllabus – they can’t question you on anything else! Sort it out into a checklist and learn subject by subject. It’s also a good way to avoid point 2!
- Work in short bursts – apparently revising for 20 to 30 minutes then having a break (and not a long one) is more productive and effective. Slot in 5-10 minute breaks and a good hour for lunch. You could be even more organised and create you a revision timetable.
- Do past papers – this one I can honestly agree with. If you do enough, you’ll pretty much have already done your exam.
- Get out and exercise – yes yes, but it is true. Get the blood flowing and your brain will actually work more effectively.
- Remember to balance work and leisure – stats say that those who manage to find this magic balance actually do better in their exams, so it isn’t all about 18 hour revision days.
- Need to learn a lot of information? Summary notes on post cards are a great way to cram that in!
How about some extra tips and advice that we’ve learned along the way?
- Eat well before the exam – it might be tempting to skip this and revise more (which I did), but then you’ll be rumbling all the way through your exam and thinking about food. This means you get nervous because you worry people will hear your belly growling, and you’re not totally focused.
- Take a beer mat in with you – or some thick folded card. There’s almost nothing worse than being stuck on the wobbly exam table and it’ll fray your nerves too!
- Finally this (genuinly, some people swear by it) – sleep on your revision notes. There’s a myth out there that if you sleep on your revision notes, the information will absorb into your brain overnight (by osmosis, of course). Who knows! Worth a shot?
Good luck to all of our students – pob lwc i chi gyd!