Exam Survival Guide: How to Survive Exams with Specific Study Techniques!

Taking on too much too soon can mean you’ll burn out and run out of steam and motivation! Try to make a realistic revision schedule to split your work into chunks.

It’s easy to dismiss healthy eating in favour of quick meals like pot noodles and takeouts. However, your brain needs the energy and nourishment from nutrient-rich foods to be able to support prolonged study. Without a healthy, balanced diet you will find yourself stalling on your revision early.

It’s a great way to take a break but also increases concentration and learning capacity.

Especially closer to exams, it can be tempting to trade sleep for extra study, but don’t! You need at least 8 hours of sleep a night, daily, to be able to study effectively and retain the content you’re learning. It is also vital that you adjust your sleeping pattern earlier and maintain a consistent sleep schedule. 

Don’t stop seeing people and cut yourself off from your friends. You still need some downtime after studying long hours. Your studying will become less effective without some relaxation and it may well drive you insane! It's important to de-stress and your friends will be able to calm you down if you get overwhelmed. Don’t go overboard though: try setting a timer to remind yourself to get back to it!

You’ll avoid headaches this way and it's been claimed to reduce anxiety.

Don’t worry what your peers are up to. Chances are some are overworking and some are slacking. Either way, you should stick to your timetable as only you know how much you know, which will be different from everyone else.

Sufficient rest is crucial to brain function, memory recall and knowledge retention.

Also resist the temptation to talk to your peers about your answers. Just stay focused on the rest of your exams. There's no point wasting time and getting hung up on what you can’t change!

1) Print out your exam timetable and stick it up everywhere. Nothing gets you going more than a sudden realisation or a deadline!
 

2) Start organising your notes module by module and separate lab and lecture work.
 

3) Organise your study area and remove distractions as this will really help keep you on track when you start to lose focus.
 

4) For each module, have a brief read through the module handbook and module specification and tick off how much you already know. Then colour code what you're comfortable with, what you need to refresh and what you don't know at all.
 

5) With the help of the module specifications, come up with a detailed revision timetable (including a plan for each day), prioritising the content you don't know and the weaker modules.

These goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time based. 

Build in some buffer time into your timetable as you won’t always be able to stick to your original plan. So you should adjust it slightly as you go along rather than getting overwhelmed later on down the line.

Creating a reward system will gratify your hard work and keep you motivated!

Short breaks help maintain sharp focus. Set a timer and do a lap of your house, the library or do some squats!

If it helps you, group sessions can stimulate learning. If not, it’s still worthwhile teaching or explaining concepts to peers as this can help consolidate learning.

If there aren’t any available or it's the first year of a module, contact your lecturers early for specimen questions.

Whilst it’s good to have down time, recovering from a heavy night will take its toll. Also, having a night out planned for after your exams can act as something to look forward to when you’ve finished your last exam!

Out of sight, out of mind really works! Put that phone away and get down to business!