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Board exams always make students nervous so it is better to start preparing in advance. Here are a few tips to help you to be smart learner when studying for board exams.

Exams always make students nervous so it is better to start preparing in advance.  Instead of stressing out and procrastinating you should avoid distraction the key is to study effectively rather than do what everyone else is doing.

Here are some tips students can follow to top the exams and score excellent marks:

Study regularly. Last-minute preparation leads nowhere

You should not waste time and have irregular study periods. Be consistent with studies. Study for two hours everyday and extend that time as you get nearer to the exams. Consistency is the key rather than studying after the exam time table is announced. It is surprising to know the number of students who believe that they can easily pass the exam if they study at the last minute. I have a good memory. It’s easy for me to remember at the last minute rather than remembering anything for months. I can pass any exam if you give me a couple of days before it. These are the kind of confident dialogues I have heard from students. However, the results speak for themselves. Unfortunately, students are happy that they scraped through and all is forgotten till the next exam. The key to memorize faster is not speed but consistency. If you know about how memory works and the forgetting curve then you’ll also understand that to memorize stuff you need to practice spaced repetition.

Practice solving sample papers and mock tests

Start solving tests whenever you finish a topic. Find sample papers and mock tests once you finish the syllabus and start revising. Solving test papers helps in many ways including finding out the questions that are commonly asked.

Study from the text books. Most of the exam is set from these books.

Study, Eat Well, Relax

Ensure time management and allocate enough time for your studies, rest and meditation. A healthy mix of work and break will help you remember what you study and keep your body and mind healthy. Take time out to relax. Different individuals have different ways to relax – some do it by sleeping, some play different games, and others watch TV/movies. Choose yours but remember, relaxation methods should not hamper your studies. Distractions like social media and interactive games make you over use your break time and sometimes keep echoing in your mind distracting you from studies even after you have kept your mobile phone down.

Practice Writing

Practice writing as one will have to do a fair amount of writing during the exams. This practice will help students complete their exams well in time.One thing that a lot of students lost out on during covid period online learning was writing. Most students were answering MCQs online and when the exams happened online many parents were afraid that their children did not have sufficient practice for writing. Even during normal time, if you have had even writing practice it makes time management of answers easier. Else you spend a lot of time on long answers and sometimes miss a question or two.

Study space and environment

Your study space should be a quiet place rather than in the hub of activity. Most living rooms and family rooms are usually places where the family gathers to talk and watch television and share meals. If you choose a place like this for studies, I doubt you can concentrate on your studies. Choose the corner of the house where you are least likely to be disturbed. Ask your family to give you an environment which is very helpful for studies. In other words a quiet and calm environment that reminds you to study.

Take difficult subjects and topics first

Make sure you have made your time table and the most difficult subjects and topics have been kept first. If you tackle and overcome the difficult topics first the easier subjects and topics can be revised at ease. You can have a difficult topic in your time table first thing in the morning and an easier one late in the evening when your brain is not in a condition to tackle difficult topics.

Memory and understanding techniques

Use all memory techniques you can think of to remember concepts, lists, formula etc. You can use flash cards, mind palace techniques to remember difficult names, definitions and dates. There are different techniques to understand concepts so that you can do application based subjects better like maths, science and languages.

Group study and Helping others

Do not avoid friends and classmates while studying for board exams unless you know they just want to pass time and avoid studying. Getting together on a break is also a very good idea. Sitting together in a group to study certain subjects or topics can help you clear certain concepts which you don’t understand on your own. Let a classmate help you out by explaining the concept in detail. Similarly, you should also help others because when you do you clear your own understanding about the subject or topic.

Conclusion

Studying for board exams is a different time and exercise which comes only sometimes in your academic life. The results are also very important, so you should make sure that you give studies your best shot and not take the preparation lightly as you would do for other tests. There are techniques for everything including studying, understanding, memorizing and even relaxing. Use these techniques to make sure your results are at the top of the list. Best of luck.