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Interested in knowing how to study for upcoming exams? In this post, we’ll go through the most important parts of the process which unfortunately tends to be overlooked far too often.
1. The urgency of NOW!
I’ve noticed a strange phenomenon pertaining to studying. For some reason, when it comes to exams, people tend to worry a lot more about their exams than they they do actually preparing. If you are currently worried about an upcoming exam, why not harness that negative energy into something positive instead? Whenever you start getting worried again it becomes time to hit the books. Do not succumb to procrastination. Do your studying and do it now!
2. A road map helps a long way
Always keep your exam date near to heart. Time tends to go by pretty fast, you may be surprised that 3 weeks left have all of sudden turned into 5 days left. Don’t let this happen to you. Organize your studies and memorize all of your test dates. Put them up on the wall if necessary.
A good way of constructing your road map is to first set the date for your upcoming exam, then outline all the major topics that you would need to have covered until then. Finally, you can divide these topics into smaller tasks, describing the everyday tedious “on the ground” “getting your hands dirty” work that simply has to be done. This could be something like reading chapter 3 or solving problem 5a.
3. Compile an I Don’t Know Paper (IDKP)
This is something that I personally like to do. Whenever you begin a new course, start out by getting a piece of paper or a text document and then start recording all of the things that you need to understand before the test date. These are the things that we intend to ask our professors but instead we put it up and thus forget about it until it’s already to late. By collecting all of the I Don’t Know’s in a IDKP, you can then, at the end of each week seek out the answers to these questions either by asking a colleague or your professor or by simply going to your local library and/or the internet.
Either way, don’t let it go unanswered or you will regret it later on when sitting during the exam only to have realized that your intended inquiry is now an exam question. The the motto is: Answer your own questions before they become exam questions!
4. Are you on track?
It’s easy to neglect work, even easier when it comes to education. That’s why you should appoint one day at the end of the week for the sole purpose of tracking your progress. Are you on track? Have you finished the tasks that you’ve outlined in your road map? Have you answered all the questions that you have been thinking about? If not, then no play for you until you’re back on chart.
Sure, missing out on one day isn’t that bad. The problem my friend, is when one day becomes two days and two turn into three and so on. Days tend to accumulate pretty quickly. If you’re behind schedule you should strive to get back on schedule as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more difficult it will become to get back on track.
Looking for a guide on what things to bring with you to college? Well, look no further! In this post we go through some essential items that you need to bring with you on your way to college.
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In this post we’ll discuss one of the most important tools of productivity, the infamous to do list. I’ll also include a printable template for a to do list which can be downloaded by all premium members. Be sure to read the entire post as well as watch the short tutorial video to get the most benefit.
Before we can start however, we need to define the term to do list.
What’s a To Do List?
A to do list, also called task list is a simple way of organizing the things you need to get done. Most of us have some experience with writing to do lists, however few people have actually thought about how to use them in an efficient manner, utilizing its full potential. In this post we’ll cover the basics of to do lists as well as offer some deeper insights.
What you’ll need
Paper
A piece of paper, simple and affordable. I recommend you to download the to do list template provided in this post, it will save you the time and energy of doing it yourself.
A pen/pencil
It’s been around for thousands of years and still as good as always. I personally would recommend that you use a regular pencil for these purposes. That way you’ll be able to erase, edit and add new entries as you go.
Objectives
A clear idea of the things needed to be planned for. A to do list is no good if it’s only partial. If you want your to do list to be as effective as possible you’ll need to first have a very clear picture of the things that you need to have done and at what date they need to be finished. Also, you’ll need to know the scope of the project, is it small, medium or large? When is the deadline, what happens if the deadline is not met? These are important parameters that have to be taken into consideration before you can write everything down.
Further Tips
Step by Step
Don’t feel overwhelmed with all the things ahead of you. Remember the old Chinese proverb that says; “A journey of 10,000 miles starts with one step.
Be like a Train
The train keeps on moving, each day and every hour you see it travel to its destinations. Be sure to get into the habit of finishing your tasks, anyone with a hand can write them down.
Incentives
If you’re having a difficulty in getting your tasks done maybe it could be wise to start offering yourself incentives. You could for instance say; if I finish task “x” and “y” you will get “z”.
Break it up
If the tasks are too large in scope, break them up into smaller easier tasks.
See the larger picture
There’s a famous parable of two construction workers, both engaged in building the same wall but with different mindsets. When asked about what they are doing the first one says; “I am building a stone wall”. The other however answers “I am building a hospital”. You need to remind yourself of you why are doing these tasks to begin with. Are you learning Laplace Transforms or are you becoming an engineer. The same holds true for any educational or profession.
Studying During the Weekend
Studying during the weekend is perhaps not the most enjoyable of activities. There are however times when it has to be done and there’s not much else to it. The topic for today is therefor a brief guide on how to avoid some common mistakes when studying during the weekend.
Being prepared
The most common reason for writing an assignment/studying during the weekend is due to the lack of time. This has happened to most of us. The problem however that many people don’t consider is the fact that they’ve already made plans for the weekend that are now challenged by their studies. This leaves us to two choices; either leave your study assignment and continue with your planned activity or leave your planned activity and finish your study assignment.
Combining your activities
Wouldn’t it be great if you could finish them both? Well in many cases you can. The two things can easily be reconciled if you allocate your time properly. Don’t schedule them during the same period of the day. What this usually means is that you’ll have to wake up earlier so you’ll be finished earlier and thus be able to take part in your usual activity. Cutting back on sleep for that one day can save you time you needed.
A good tip to remember is to avoid scheduling your weekend activities (if possible) during the morning and early afternoon hours. This will work as a buffer in the future allowing you to have that time free in case you’re late with your assignments.
If you have to cancel
There are times when you can’t manage to find the time to do both activities, in this case, unless your planned activity was of higher importance it’s usually the study assignment that needs to be dealt with. In this case it is important that you cancel your other appointments as early as possible. This way you won’t have to face a lot of calls from people wondering where you are.
Finally the most obvious way to avoid finding yourself in a situation where you have to cancel your plans is to simply get your stuff done in time! Quit procrastinating and thinking you’ll be able to finish your studies later. The longer you wait, the more tedious the work will be. Always try your best to finish all of your assignments as early as possible.
What to do now?
1 Check out our ebook on study techniques.
2 Follows us on Twitter & Facebook (see below)
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