A Guide to Surviving High School Exams
By William Farrugia & Eve Becker
Exams are approaching fast, and we as students need to be prepared. But when are they, and what can we do to achieve the results we deserve? Well, we’re here to motivate you and tell you all the information you need to know so that you can focus on getting ready.
UniHigh students learning many decades ago.
Exams are hard for everyone and can be a stressful period of time with so many exams during a period of a week or so. Ours begin in less than a month, and it can be daunting and scary to think about. Well, don’t let fear get to you. Fear is a paralyzing thought, and can completely stop you from completing your work, so each time a fearful or negative thought gets in your consciousness, replace it with a mental picture of your worthwhile goal that you seek to accomplish.
La Trobe University recommends 5 study tactics to help students stay on top of their work and pass their exams:
“Make a study plan”
Making a study plan can help us put our own needs first, and personalize our working experience. Study plans can help keep students working and motivated, as well as allowing us much-needed break time.
“[Organize] your notes”
Make sure you keep track of your notes, and label them all clearly, so you can access them when you need to. Having study resources is the first step to passing your exams, and reducing your stress surrounding them.
“Revise actively”
If you don’t make an effort to revise, then there’s only so well you can do. Revising actively is about making time for work and relaxation, and ties back into making a study plan.
“Recall vs recognition”
Recognising things you’ve learnt is important, but it’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to recall it when it comes down to it. If you struggle with this then “When learning definitions, divide a piece of paper in two vertically and write the words on one side and the definitions on the other. Cover the words and practice recalling them, using the definitions. Then cover the definitions and practice recalling them, looking at the words.”
“Reduce anxiety and stay motivated”
If you stay calm and look after yourself, it can genuinely help you perform well in exams and tests! More than that though it keeps you happy and healthy, and an important thing to remember while trying your best to get good marks is that they aren’t the most important thing.