Exams have been a little different this year. Staying inside and studying alone, instead of the late-night sessions at Leddy with your friends. But this shouldn’t stop us from achieving good grades! From research and my own personal experience, I have compiled a list of 5 tips that will help you successfully ace your virtual exams!
- Set a Routine
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This is one of the most important steps that I find is necessary for me to ace my finals. Whether you study better at night or during the day, make sure you stick to a routine that has worked for you in the past. Make sure to set time aside just to relax and take care of yourself. Having a set routine can help you immensely and procrastinate a lot less. I find it to be a lot more motivating when I have assigned study time for each subject and topic.
- Find the Perfect Study Area
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While I prefer to study in complete silence, others prefer a busy background. If you are anything like me, I highly recommend noise cancelling headphones. They are life changing! But if you need background noise, you can listen to white noise or soothing music while studying. As for the area, try moving around to different spots in your house during the day to imitate a class-like feel. Avoid your bed or sofa since they will just lead to distractions.
- Take Breaks Often
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Taking breaks during the day is essential to reducing stress, and increases productivity during studies. Every 30 minutes, take 5 minutes of rest to help your brain store more information effectively and help improve attention. During breaks, try out different activities to find out which one is most effective for you. Taking walks, stretching, eating a healthy snack, or just sitting back and relaxing. Although it is tempting, try to avoid eating junk food, taking naps, or drinking too much caffeine.
- Find a Virtual Study Buddy
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Having a virtual study partner has helped me with studying a lot! During these challenging times, it is important to keep touch with your friends and classmates. Discussing class material before the exam can help with understanding the topic. A group study session on Zoom or Microsoft Teams will help you and your group concentrate and focus just on the class.
- Put Away Your Phone!
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This has to be the most important step to help ace your exams! Phones are our biggest distractions, especially due to being inside all day. From Instagram to Netflix, we spend an average of 6 hours on our phone during lockdown, so putting it away for a while won’t hurt. While studying, phones tend to reduce our attention and memory even when they aren’t being used. Try to keep your phone in another room or in a drawer. You can always check your phone during your break, but just remember to keep off TikTok! We all know that always ends in hours of scrolling, saying each video is the last but it never is.
Exam week is stressful, but it is worth it in the end when you receive the amazing marks! Prioritize your exams from hardest to easiest and take it one step at a time. Try not to overwhelm yourself, and make sure to take plenty of breaks and rest. Take a deep breath and be confident in yourself.
Good luck!