What not to do in an exam -->Last week, I talked a little about studying for exams and the different techniques that I use. Now, the reason that I broke this into two parts is because there are two things that you need to have handled in order to do well on a test. First, we need to prepare and study well (last week's blog) and secondly, we need to be mentally ready.
To write a test well, we need to be in a good mental state. Learning all the material and practicing for weeks is useless if we are unable to get the knowledge down onto the paper.
A major factor affecting mental state is stress. Stress can help keep us on track, but it can be a problem if it starts to prevent us from focussing or maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Now, I realize that for some students this is a big issue, and for others, it is not. Some people are naturally more relaxed and others tend to worry and get uptight fairly easily. I think this has to do with our personalities and how we handle life in general and not just exams. If you get really stressed over exams - the good news is that you care about how you do in school, which is a good thing. The problem is that the stress and anxiety is probably keeping you from doing your best and is also negatively affecting your health.
-First of all, you can reduce stress by planning your time wisely and thinking ahead. I'm sure you've heard this before, but if stress is an issue that is keeping you from performing, cramming the night before will certainly not help.
-Break your studying up with a little exercise - Get out of the house! Go for a jog or light workout to get some blood flowing. Exercise is a great way to reduce stress and will end up giving you more energy in the long run.
-Get a good night's sleep before the exam. – Maybe it’s just because sleeping is one of my favourite things, but I would rather get a solid rest at night than have a few extra hours of late night study time. I realize that most people can pass with less sleep than me; however, keep in mind that changing your sleeping patterns can throw off your entire next day.
-For major exams, it is pretty much impossible to be 100% prepared. The professor will usually throw in some crazy thing that we have never seen before just to mess with us, ( lol) . There's nothing you can do about it - so don't sweat it. Before I go into a test, I always think "Just do your best because that's all you can do" - And really, it is all you can do.
To write a test well, we need to be in a good mental state. Learning all the material and practicing for weeks is useless if we are unable to get the knowledge down onto the paper.
A major factor affecting mental state is stress. Stress can help keep us on track, but it can be a problem if it starts to prevent us from focussing or maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Now, I realize that for some students this is a big issue, and for others, it is not. Some people are naturally more relaxed and others tend to worry and get uptight fairly easily. I think this has to do with our personalities and how we handle life in general and not just exams. If you get really stressed over exams - the good news is that you care about how you do in school, which is a good thing. The problem is that the stress and anxiety is probably keeping you from doing your best and is also negatively affecting your health.
-First of all, you can reduce stress by planning your time wisely and thinking ahead. I'm sure you've heard this before, but if stress is an issue that is keeping you from performing, cramming the night before will certainly not help.
-Break your studying up with a little exercise - Get out of the house! Go for a jog or light workout to get some blood flowing. Exercise is a great way to reduce stress and will end up giving you more energy in the long run.
-Get a good night's sleep before the exam. – Maybe it’s just because sleeping is one of my favourite things, but I would rather get a solid rest at night than have a few extra hours of late night study time. I realize that most people can pass with less sleep than me; however, keep in mind that changing your sleeping patterns can throw off your entire next day.
-For major exams, it is pretty much impossible to be 100% prepared. The professor will usually throw in some crazy thing that we have never seen before just to mess with us, ( lol) . There's nothing you can do about it - so don't sweat it. Before I go into a test, I always think "Just do your best because that's all you can do" - And really, it is all you can do.
Worrying is just a waste of energy that will keep you from focussing on your paper.
A wise person once said – “Don't sweat the small stuff -- and it's all small stuff.”
I hope these helped and if there are any things you think I could add - send me a comment, I'd love to hear from you.
Take it easy,
-Isaiah
A wise person once said – “Don't sweat the small stuff -- and it's all small stuff.”
I hope these helped and if there are any things you think I could add - send me a comment, I'd love to hear from you.
Take it easy,
-Isaiah
Image courtesy of http://www.math.ubc.ca/~aclay/math101dir/exams.jpg
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