Hey, sicks of grade 9.
While I write this specifically for those preparing for the mid-terms/final exams, I feel the following will apply to any exam you will answer. I must add this is not the definitive version, I just put points down as they came into my head, and that there are arguably better ways. If you have any such tips that I missed (I probably did), feel free to e-mail it to us or comment.
NOTE : Before we begin, you have to realize that in the long run, you are the only one you can count on all the time. Realize what is most important for you, and also realize that you have to be balanced. So don't get too serious for exams, at any time -- that's just too stressful. Put aside time to study every single day -- it becomes easier (and barely noticeable, how much time you've spent studying) as you do it more and more. Do what is most important first, and put off playing to later. You'll realize it's more rewarding in a few weeks' time :)
Also, remember you don't have to follow everything to the word. I don't. We aren't machines, and we all succumb every now and then. Just try and keep those moments as few as possible.
Here are somethings you should do throughout the school year:
1) Focus in class
This is, as you may have heard, half the battle. Listen to your teacher carefully, they give away keywords all the time. Have fun in class as well, but remember there's a time and place for everything. If you can concentrate well enough in class (make sure you ask your doubts if you have any, don't compromise on understanding), then revision and writing notes becomes surprisingly easy. I've found 2 ways work rather well; some people write notes in class, listening to the teacher, while others (including me) just focus carefully on what the teacher says. I can't say which is better, for I've only done one of them, however -- this leads me to the next bit...
2) Revise at home
Give me a moment to explain myself. This sounds really boring, and something you would have a lot of trouble finding time for(or maybe it was just me), but trust me -- you'll notice you don't learn a lot in terms of volume in one day. I spend around half an hour revising what I learn everyday, and spend this time writing notes for whatever I've heard in class, and reviewing smaller pockets of information. Put aside some time in your weekends (refer to point point 8 of the exam's section) to review everything you've learnt as well -- Revise as much as you can, you're not going to be getting rid of the information anytime soon.
3) Write your own notes
Your notes should be just for you. They don't have to be perfect, they have to work for you -- which is why I suggest you write your notes yourself. Like any activity that you do, you will become better at picking out important points over time. Write them the way you understand them best, and then include keywords that you will need for the exams. Remember that you need to learn, not rote. As someone who loves Math, I strongly suggest you develop a logic for mathematics (or whatever subject you enjoy most) -- so you can derive formulas on the go. You should remember that the exams are solved with formulas, while real-life problems are solved with logic and clear understanding.
Find out how you learn best? Do you like to visualize data to understand, or listen to the data, or read it? I've found visualizing the data helps me most, and so customized my notes as required. I bid you do the same.
Lastly, this may all seem like a lot of work, which is true, but the sooner you get done with it -- the less work you will have to do in the future, with greater benefits. It's something I suggest you get around to as soon as you can (Don't stress your self, remember you have to be comfortable if you are to learn well). If, however, you feel like you're in a tight spot -- I'm sure all the seniors will be more than willing to give you their notes, as I am.
4) Be Self motivated
As they say, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." You have to want to be good at your studies, and no amount of pressure, or negative reinforcement from external sources can make you work quite as well as you would when you're self-motivated. Do you want to make your parents happy? Or are you just a curious person? Perhaps you don't enjoy studying at all, and feel like you want to work in a field outside of academia. Giving anything your best requires self-motivation. All successful people in the world are self motivated -- so write down a few reasons you should study well, and be truthful to yourself about it.
Here are some things you should do as the shadows of the exams loom closer:
1) Get some competition.
I made a bet with a friend last year, about who would do better in the exams -- and I found it to be a great way to get myself to work. If you're the kind of person that needs a bit of competition to get you into full gear, find some -- and remember to pick on people your own size, you as well as your competitor should have a close chance of winning it.
2) Do a SWOT Analysis
As Shikha ma'am (Or whoever you BS teacher is) says, "Business studies should be applied to life." Identify which subjects you should spend more time on, come up with a plan (how are you going to tackle that subject? Be very specific, ambiguity is the door to procrastination. Put down exactly what you will cover on what day on your calendar, may it be digital or physical.), and stick to it. I can't stress how important it is to stick to your discipline, it's the only way you will be prepared for the heavier work load you will get as you grow up (Ask IBDP students, just don't mention I told you so :P).
3) Begin preparing well in advanced
Almost an extension of the plan, ensure you have a good 4 - 5 days free (when you won't revise anything in particular) before your exams begin. This is the time you will use to do anything you like -- Revise a bit more, do some papers, or just play video games (trust me, it works!). Having these extra days really lowers the stress you face, because you have a few days to fall back on, if you need to. Don't take this as an opportunity for procrastination though -- it's tough, I admit, but stick to your plan and it will become easier over time, and the sooner that happens the better it is for you.
4) Don't cram over long sessions, understand -- Over short periods of time
Research [Look up the Pomodoro technique] has shown that studying material over several short periods of time, with breaks in the middle works far better than taking down that monster of a syllabus at one go. Break the amount of time available into weeks, and try giving each subject a week. I know, overkill, but still better than being under-prepared. Separate your syllabus into small sections of related chapters, and do one segment a day. This is especially easy given how conveniently the IGCSE textbooks put everything.
5) Form study-buddies (Is that what it's called?)
Another thing my batch does a lot is study together. There's always one person your group of close friends who's particularly good at some subjects. Make him/her in-charge of teaching the rest of you this subject/concept, and give them full control over how you do it. There's a reason why they do it well, and soon you shall know.
6) Do Past papers
Need I even explain?
7) Sleep well
While it is arguable that many people learn better at night (when it is comparatively peaceful), remember you need at least 7 hours of sleep for your brain and memory to function to their full capacity. Beginning a week before and during the exams, try to sleep and wake up consistently at the same time. The last thing you want to do is to fall sick, or be sleepy, or disturbed during your exams (I also stand by eating only at home, but find that I don't usually stick to that too well :) )
8) Study early morning
if you can get yourself to get up at 5 in the morning, you'll realize it's a revelation. Wash your face, run around a bit/ get some exercise (so you feel active), and start studying while it is still quite and your mind still unhindered by the distractions of the internet and what-not. You'll notice you get through your material (notes/study guide/etc...) much faster than usual, and will feel like getting through some more even after you've reached your goal for the day. Not only do you spend less time (doing a better job), you also walk away feeling more confident and good about yourself. You can do anything else now, if you like -- just make sure you use your time well, remember (this is coming from someone who learnt the hard way) it's always better to fragment your time into study-play-study-play than just study-study-play-play-play-play. (You do the studying halfheartedly, and there comes a point when the playing just gets saturated)
9) Steer away from any studies 2 hours before the exam.
Keep your mind clear. Scrambling to fetch information out minutes before the exam will just add unnecessary stress -- and you want to stay away from that at all costs. Remember to prepare well in the time you've set out, and you should be able to walk into the examination room like you've got nothing holding you back.
10) Relax
Exams are the perfect time to test your time management skills and the ability to stay calm in periods of stress. Do both of them well, and you shouldn't have much trouble. However, to be calm, you must relax as well. A lot of people turn away from video games or books, or playing outside when exams begin -- I feel that's too extreme. Sure, you shouldn't be out playing, or reading all the time -- but these activities are also important to add balance to your extra-studious exam life. Make sure you take care of yourself before anything else, there's no point cramming everything only to perform badly in a fit of nervousness.
If you were able to read all of that in one sitting, I must commend your attention span -- you must have no trouble focusing in class at all! Leave me some feedback, and perhaps share your techniques with us?
Thanks for reading.
The '[insert cool reference here]' sick of 10th grade.
While I write this specifically for those preparing for the mid-terms/final exams, I feel the following will apply to any exam you will answer. I must add this is not the definitive version, I just put points down as they came into my head, and that there are arguably better ways. If you have any such tips that I missed (I probably did), feel free to e-mail it to us or comment.
How to prepare for exams
NOTE : Before we begin, you have to realize that in the long run, you are the only one you can count on all the time. Realize what is most important for you, and also realize that you have to be balanced. So don't get too serious for exams, at any time -- that's just too stressful. Put aside time to study every single day -- it becomes easier (and barely noticeable, how much time you've spent studying) as you do it more and more. Do what is most important first, and put off playing to later. You'll realize it's more rewarding in a few weeks' time :)
Also, remember you don't have to follow everything to the word. I don't. We aren't machines, and we all succumb every now and then. Just try and keep those moments as few as possible.
Here are somethings you should do throughout the school year:
1) Focus in class
This is, as you may have heard, half the battle. Listen to your teacher carefully, they give away keywords all the time. Have fun in class as well, but remember there's a time and place for everything. If you can concentrate well enough in class (make sure you ask your doubts if you have any, don't compromise on understanding), then revision and writing notes becomes surprisingly easy. I've found 2 ways work rather well; some people write notes in class, listening to the teacher, while others (including me) just focus carefully on what the teacher says. I can't say which is better, for I've only done one of them, however -- this leads me to the next bit...
2) Revise at home
Give me a moment to explain myself. This sounds really boring, and something you would have a lot of trouble finding time for(or maybe it was just me), but trust me -- you'll notice you don't learn a lot in terms of volume in one day. I spend around half an hour revising what I learn everyday, and spend this time writing notes for whatever I've heard in class, and reviewing smaller pockets of information. Put aside some time in your weekends (refer to point point 8 of the exam's section) to review everything you've learnt as well -- Revise as much as you can, you're not going to be getting rid of the information anytime soon.
3) Write your own notes
Your notes should be just for you. They don't have to be perfect, they have to work for you -- which is why I suggest you write your notes yourself. Like any activity that you do, you will become better at picking out important points over time. Write them the way you understand them best, and then include keywords that you will need for the exams. Remember that you need to learn, not rote. As someone who loves Math, I strongly suggest you develop a logic for mathematics (or whatever subject you enjoy most) -- so you can derive formulas on the go. You should remember that the exams are solved with formulas, while real-life problems are solved with logic and clear understanding.
Find out how you learn best? Do you like to visualize data to understand, or listen to the data, or read it? I've found visualizing the data helps me most, and so customized my notes as required. I bid you do the same.
Lastly, this may all seem like a lot of work, which is true, but the sooner you get done with it -- the less work you will have to do in the future, with greater benefits. It's something I suggest you get around to as soon as you can (Don't stress your self, remember you have to be comfortable if you are to learn well). If, however, you feel like you're in a tight spot -- I'm sure all the seniors will be more than willing to give you their notes, as I am.
4) Be Self motivated
As they say, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." You have to want to be good at your studies, and no amount of pressure, or negative reinforcement from external sources can make you work quite as well as you would when you're self-motivated. Do you want to make your parents happy? Or are you just a curious person? Perhaps you don't enjoy studying at all, and feel like you want to work in a field outside of academia. Giving anything your best requires self-motivation. All successful people in the world are self motivated -- so write down a few reasons you should study well, and be truthful to yourself about it.
Here are some things you should do as the shadows of the exams loom closer:
1) Get some competition.
I made a bet with a friend last year, about who would do better in the exams -- and I found it to be a great way to get myself to work. If you're the kind of person that needs a bit of competition to get you into full gear, find some -- and remember to pick on people your own size, you as well as your competitor should have a close chance of winning it.
2) Do a SWOT Analysis
As Shikha ma'am (Or whoever you BS teacher is) says, "Business studies should be applied to life." Identify which subjects you should spend more time on, come up with a plan (how are you going to tackle that subject? Be very specific, ambiguity is the door to procrastination. Put down exactly what you will cover on what day on your calendar, may it be digital or physical.), and stick to it. I can't stress how important it is to stick to your discipline, it's the only way you will be prepared for the heavier work load you will get as you grow up (Ask IBDP students, just don't mention I told you so :P).
3) Begin preparing well in advanced
Almost an extension of the plan, ensure you have a good 4 - 5 days free (when you won't revise anything in particular) before your exams begin. This is the time you will use to do anything you like -- Revise a bit more, do some papers, or just play video games (trust me, it works!). Having these extra days really lowers the stress you face, because you have a few days to fall back on, if you need to. Don't take this as an opportunity for procrastination though -- it's tough, I admit, but stick to your plan and it will become easier over time, and the sooner that happens the better it is for you.
4) Don't cram over long sessions, understand -- Over short periods of time
Research [Look up the Pomodoro technique] has shown that studying material over several short periods of time, with breaks in the middle works far better than taking down that monster of a syllabus at one go. Break the amount of time available into weeks, and try giving each subject a week. I know, overkill, but still better than being under-prepared. Separate your syllabus into small sections of related chapters, and do one segment a day. This is especially easy given how conveniently the IGCSE textbooks put everything.
5) Form study-buddies (Is that what it's called?)
Another thing my batch does a lot is study together. There's always one person your group of close friends who's particularly good at some subjects. Make him/her in-charge of teaching the rest of you this subject/concept, and give them full control over how you do it. There's a reason why they do it well, and soon you shall know.
6) Do Past papers
Need I even explain?
7) Sleep well
While it is arguable that many people learn better at night (when it is comparatively peaceful), remember you need at least 7 hours of sleep for your brain and memory to function to their full capacity. Beginning a week before and during the exams, try to sleep and wake up consistently at the same time. The last thing you want to do is to fall sick, or be sleepy, or disturbed during your exams (I also stand by eating only at home, but find that I don't usually stick to that too well :) )
8) Study early morning
if you can get yourself to get up at 5 in the morning, you'll realize it's a revelation. Wash your face, run around a bit/ get some exercise (so you feel active), and start studying while it is still quite and your mind still unhindered by the distractions of the internet and what-not. You'll notice you get through your material (notes/study guide/etc...) much faster than usual, and will feel like getting through some more even after you've reached your goal for the day. Not only do you spend less time (doing a better job), you also walk away feeling more confident and good about yourself. You can do anything else now, if you like -- just make sure you use your time well, remember (this is coming from someone who learnt the hard way) it's always better to fragment your time into study-play-study-play than just study-study-play-play-play-play. (You do the studying halfheartedly, and there comes a point when the playing just gets saturated)
9) Steer away from any studies 2 hours before the exam.
Keep your mind clear. Scrambling to fetch information out minutes before the exam will just add unnecessary stress -- and you want to stay away from that at all costs. Remember to prepare well in the time you've set out, and you should be able to walk into the examination room like you've got nothing holding you back.
10) Relax
Exams are the perfect time to test your time management skills and the ability to stay calm in periods of stress. Do both of them well, and you shouldn't have much trouble. However, to be calm, you must relax as well. A lot of people turn away from video games or books, or playing outside when exams begin -- I feel that's too extreme. Sure, you shouldn't be out playing, or reading all the time -- but these activities are also important to add balance to your extra-studious exam life. Make sure you take care of yourself before anything else, there's no point cramming everything only to perform badly in a fit of nervousness.
If you were able to read all of that in one sitting, I must commend your attention span -- you must have no trouble focusing in class at all! Leave me some feedback, and perhaps share your techniques with us?
Thanks for reading.
The '[insert cool reference here]' sick of 10th grade.
