10 tips to revise better

Board exams: 10 tips to revise better

Try out these cool new strategies and make the most of your revision time ahead of the exam.

Exam time. Maybe there is enough study done, maybe not.

The idea is to max the performance, and revision has a potent impact on the performance we register.

Here are ten proven tips that will give you ample time to prepare and revise before your board exams.

1. Start from scratch

Doing everything, from scratch easily takes 10-15 days.

You don't have that much time before an exam, esp. if you have 4-6 exams over 2-3 weeks.

So the only way is to refer to condensed notes.

Take an A3 sheet or a big chart, and compile all key formulae, terms etc on it.

Scan this chart many times in your run up to the exam.

2. Test your memory

Now that you've scanned your chart, why not make the whole chart again, from memory.

Writing, pressuring mind to come up with details, helps anchor all stuff deep and solid.

This may take 2-3 hours, but this exercise is extremely beneficial.

3. Speak

You know what, take any term or formula, and try speaking on that for a minute or even 30 seconds.

Do this speaking for 10 terms/ formulae -- what do you realise?

It exerts pressure, it makes you confront your depth of grasp on the issues.

In case any term is not clear, you can review it from your book.

Keep on trying this speaking on 10-15 items at a trot, many time in the day (waiting, watching TV, driving).

4. 100 items on your list

You shall discover that every exam has around 50-150 items that form the entire syllabi, so to say.

Your chart should have these 100 items listed.

You can go to Glossary of the subject to identify these 100 items.

You can go to index at back of a good book, to better identify this list of 100 items.

In fact this way, whichever word you aren't clear on, you can cross-reference the page of the book that item appears on and get it brushed up.

5. Sprint

This may sound crazy, but some guys out there have tried this.

Run 50 metres, return as fast, and then speak on 4-5 terms/ formulae someone throws at you.

No time to catch breath -- just rattle off as asked.

Maybe it is the unnaturalness of the setting or what, things begin to stay stuck in mind more easy.

6. Revisit the toughies

Over the period of preparation, always keep on recording the tough difficult questions you encounter.

Over revision, special time should be allocated to revising these.

This aces you up and allows facing the tough questions set on the exam you would sit through.

7. Warm-up

 On the day of the exam, it is useful to try a 10-15 minute not seen before mock exam, some 2-3 hours prior to the commencement of the actual exam.

This is just to loosen the mental muscles.

Do not, repeat, do not evaluate your right or wrong on this warm-up.

Take it in a fun mode.

8. Try a novel

 Distraction is probably the nicest way to get primed up for an exam.

Too much of exam based content makes life monotonous and brain cells tired.

It is always a good idea to pick a novel, a thriller preferably, 2-3 days before an exam, and looking at your mood, browse 2-5 pages at a time.

Never more. The idea is to keep the mind in a state of mild tease.

Enter the exam whence the novel had not been completed, you can always finish it over after the exam.

Magical things happen this way to your neural networks.

9. Form your own questions

This exercise is truly worth it, in case you are really focused on excelling on your exam.

It entails setting up your own version of a full exam paper.

You study the expected format/ pattern.

You choose most fitting questions from here and there, of course after adapting them with due changes.

You make your own creative questions.

In case you are short of time, making a small part of the full exam paper also helps immensely.

10. Exchange

You can swap the paper you set with a friend's and try each other's mock exams.

Great fun.

Maybe a few questions are wrongly designed, but that's ok.

After all you aren't a professional in exam framing.

Believe me, the happiness you get on cracking your friend's set is heavenly.

Naturally, you would be keyed up with all these initiatives, and surely score well on the exam you take.

The Best Time To Study

What is the Best Time to Study? Day vs Night

The Best Time To Study

What is the best time to study? It’s one of those endless debates among students; is it better to study at night or during the day? Each side has its own loyal advocates who will speak at length of the benefits of their preferred method to try and convince you of the benefits of their choice.

Everyone thinks they know what the best time to study is but the reality is that each person is different and there is no clear winner from a scientific point of view. There are some people who get more out of studying at night while others find the best time to study to be the morning or the afternoon. In terms of objective reasons for both sides, we’ve researched the following benefits to try and answer once and for all what is the best time to study?!

4 Benefits of Studying During the Day

1. After a good nights sleep, you’ll likely have more energy and a higher ability to concentrate the next day.

2. Society is structured around being active during the day and sleeping at night, so by sticking to this norm there are undeniable benefits such as being able to go to the library or book shop.

3. Most people are contactable during the day so it’s easier to communicate with your friends or teachers during the day if you have any questions.

4. Natural light is better for your eyes. Artificial light hurts our eyes and can affect our natural sleep rhythm.

4 Benefits of Studying at Night

1. People are more active, louder and intense during the day. At night it’s only you and the night owls so you can study in peace and quiet.

2. If you’re lucky enough to live near a library that’s open late, you will notice that thelibrary is near deserted when you want to study late.

3. At night there are fewer distractions than during the day. Most of your friends are asleep and your social networks will be less active.

4. It is true that things look different by night. The night can increase your creative efficacy and help you see concepts differently.

There are possibly more reasons why each of these options could be the best time to study. It’s important to note however that ultimately it all depends on your individual preferences. Sadly, there really is no objective ‘best time to study‘! It all depends on your personality, what you’re studying, your resources, time management and your natural sleep cycle.

There are bunch of study tips out there to help you improve the time your spend studying. You can even read our article “How to Study: 10 Tips to Improve your Learning“.

If you study at night, or are interested in starting, then read the tips below.

6 Tips for Night Time Studying

If you know that you study better at night, follow these tips to get the most out of your preferred time of study:

1. Establish a Routine: If you decide to study at night, don’t do it sporadically, establish a study routine. This way your body will get used to it and you can get the best study performance possible. If you study for a few days and a few nights, your body will go crazy! Pick one and stick with it.

2. Rest: If you study at night, this does not mean you should be sleeping less. A well rested mind is key to successful study so make sure you don’t neglect your sleep by catching a few zzz’s during the day.

3. Lighting: It can happen to us all; you start studying during the evening and next thing you know it’s night time and you’re studying in the dark! Make sure this doesn’t become a common occurrence. If you’re a night studier, work in a properly lit room as it will improve your study.

4. Time Management: It’s easy to lose track of time when studying at night. This makes it even more important to create a study timetable outlining when you will take breaks. It’s recommended that you take a 5 to 10 minute break every 50 minutes when studying. Also make sure you keep hydrated!

5. Music: As mentioned above, one of the benefits of studying at night is the increase in your creativity levels. Many believe that their creativity becomes more pronounced at night. That is why many artists work through the night. A good idea to induce your creativity is to study while listening to music that inspires and motivates you.

If you’re interested in studying with music, check out our article “Music for Studying: 10 Tips to Pick the Best Study Music“.

6. Organise a Study Group: Studying in the dead of night lacks a lot of the social aspects that daytime studying may have. With this in mind, it may be a good idea to organise a study group with other night studiers to help you keep motivated.

If you’re a night studier, why do you think this is the best time to study?