So its that time of the year again, semester exams looming around, and for others, its some exam or the other, because its that depressing time of the year, before diwali, and before the cheer and jolly of christmas... You have a whole book to study, an entire syllabus to study, but alas! You've been too busy dancing to Beedi Jaleilae, in the rain! (Thank you, Cyclone Nilam!). Now, with a few hours left on the clock, how on Earth are you going to do it?! Here's a few helpful tips!
10. Open those books.
Yes, thats right. Go ahead. Take that most basic step! Sure, those books may look big and thick and intimidating, and sure, you're going to have people tell you that Rome wasn't built in a day... But remember, you're just a student! That doesn't really apply unless you're studying architecture so crack that book open, take a look at the syllabus, classify what you haven't done and what you have already done. Haven't done anything at all? Well, thats absolutely okay, in this case, classify the things that you can do, and the things that you can afford to omit.
9. Study smart, instead of hard-
Since you have very little time left to study, you have no choice but to study smart. This would also involve being realistic about your expectations, you can't expect to study the entire book in one night! You have to pick out topics that you can cover, study, understand, remember and recall. Pick out topics that need not be studied
(NOTE: Exercise discretion! Some teachers might even be sadistic and try to ask twisted questions from obscure portions in order to make life difficult for students like us, who may have to resort to last minute studying).
8. Prepare your study space
Sit at a proper study table. Make sure its clean and all your books and study material are neatly stacked and arranged on that table. Make sure that its not prone to distractions and remember, mess creates stress. (Besides, really, one of the world's most annoying feelings is to be studying something, put it down, lose it and never see it ever again, even though you could've sworn you put it on your desk for just a second....)
Stay as neat as you can while studying, a calm mind absorbs information better than a hassled mind or a disturbed mind. Keep your pen, pencil, etc, by your side. Don't ever get up in the middle of studying in order to get one of these things, this will make you prone to distractions.
Which brings me to my next point.
7. Say NO to distractions!
This involves
a) Putting your cellphone away.
b) Logging out of Facebook.
b) Disconnecting your wifi connection
c) Closing the windows
d) Locking your room door
e) Putting away that interesting novel that's just calling out to you to read it...
As sad and as difficult as this step is, its absolutely essential to push all your distractions away in order to study and retain information effectively.
6. Call your friends up
But not to ask them how much they've finished. Discuss topics with them, ask questions, you'll remember their explanations when it comes to last minute studying. (NOTE: Don't waste time asking people if they've studied or not or if they've finished studying. 95% of the people fib that they haven't studied at all and they're generally the ones with smug chimp like grins on their faces when the results are announced. This is war. Its each man for himself!)
5. Don't waste too much time on the phone
As tempting as it may be to find out if Sita dumped Rakesh or if Rakesh kissed Sonia, it can WAIT! You have a lot of studying to do! Try to keep the conversations as short as is required and hang up quickly, try not to give your poor parents a heart attack with the phone bill ;)
4. Prioritize
Decide what has to be done, what need not be done, and don't waste time doing anything else. Stick to the plan. When you make a plan, don't start doubting it half way. Thats the worst possible thing that you could do. Make sure you have a concrete study plan that you can rely on, and stick to it to get the job done.
3. Know HOW to study
For those of you who are lucky enough to have important questions or a set of guide questions, remember that each question does not require pages and pages of answers, study precisely what the question requires you to answer
2. Resort to creative methods of studying.
Lets face it, you don't really have the time to mug up the entire syllabus, so while you learn, have some fun! Watch videos, conduct experiments, ask questions, do extra reference relating to your field of study. It makes the absorption and retention of information, both fun and rewarding!
The last and the most invaluable tip would be
1. DON'T SIT AND MAKE BLOG POSTS ABOUT STUDYING IN THE TIME IN WHICH, YOU CAN ACTUALLY STUDY :P
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Coming up next....
The Lazy Student's Guide to acing exams! The most valuable secrets: REVEALED! Stay tuned... ;)
