Top 10 Tips For How to Study Better and Nail Your Exams

Exams are tough, lets be honest. But there are various study skills that you can take on board to help boost your chances of nailing an exam. Here’s our top tips for getting the best grade. 

The golden rule. You will sometimes hear from someone that they “winged it” because they’d left revision to the last minute. This may have worked for them, but do you want to take that chance? To ace an exam, time, effort and preparation is needed, with no compromises on any. Knowing that you have prepared for an exam to the best of your ability will give you an unrivalled confidence boost going in. Panicking, cramming and relying on luck at the last minute won’t. 

This is one of the most vital tips, and one that often gets overlooked. Your brain can’t function to its full potential when it has been deprived of rest. In the weeks leading up to your exams, get yourself into a solid sleeping pattern. With an efficient and organised schedule at hand, this routine will enable you study harder and recall that information better come exam day.

Do you have any friends sitting the same exam as you? Form a study group with them and meet on a routinely basis. Exchanging information and ideas between one another can help you cover every ground needed to ace the exam. Also, having you and your friends motivating each other to reach the same goal will put you in great stead. 

Sticking your head in a load of books and hoping it all sinks in is likely not to work. Adopt a methodological approach to your revision, be selective on what are the most important points to note down and allocate sufficient time for every subject/topic. 

Another important tip that gets overlooked. Taking regular breaks between study sessions will revitalise your revision and give your brain a little time off to reenergise itself. Go for a run, watch an episode of your favourite tv show or listen to music. Do something that you enjoy that detracts you from revision for a brief period. This way when you get back to the books, your brain isn’t straining to retain information. 

They don’t call it the most important meal of the day for nothing. Just as a car won’t run without fuel, your brain won’t run without sustenance. Breakfast is your brain’s fuel. Skipping it will harm your concentration levels which in turn will hamper your revision abilities. This applies in particular on the day of the exam. Set your system up right and eat a brainfood breakfast. Plus, no one wants a rumbly belly midway through a silent exam hall. 

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. It’s the saying you’ve heard countless times, but the meaning is ever so true. Create an organised revision schedule that suits you and stick to it. Cramming and revising sporadically won’t do your chances of guaranteeing a good grade any good. Check out our Essential Exam Planners for a great, simple structure to your exam revision. 

Get yourself into the structure of the exam. Exam’s have time constraints, the more you get into the practice of managing your time effectively within those constraints, the more confident you will feel. Also, doing past papers gives you an indication as to what has come up in previous exams. If a topic has come up every year, there is a good chance that it will come up again meaning you can revise accordingly. 

Prepare everything that you need the night before the exam including your pens, clothes and timetable. Waking up and realising you don’t have a pen can be stressful given the intensity of the day. 

You’ve got yourself organised, eaten and slept well and revised efficiently, now you’re ready to ace those exams! Going into the exam hall confident in your abilities will give your problem-solving skills the world of good. After all, you’ve done your best to prepare.

Good Luck!