Cramming for exams and failing

One of the best ways in which you can prepare for
examinations or tests is through Regular Revision.
Cramming, on the contrary, is the equivalent of suicide!
Cramming, or the act of doing a one-time, last-minute
intensive revision a few days prior to the exam, is
extremely ineffective and imparts a lot of stress to the
student. The huge, sudden input of information tends to
confuse the brain when it causes information overlap. Plus,
in cramming, more time is actually wasted in the overall in
securing the same amount of knowledge as in Regular
Revision.

Regular Revision is the method used by scholars and those
we deem to be 'fast learners'. It is more time-efficient
and a very much more enjoyable way to study! Instead of
focusing all our mental energy on only the final revision,
we begin the process of inputting information right from
the very first lesson.

Depending on whether your course requires you to have a
textbook or if you're given only notes by the school, read
up the material prior to class. Going into class prepared
for the lesson gives you a great advantage in
understanding. Not only can you grasp the concepts in class
much better, you feel less worried than others when your
classmates are not able to understand certain ideas!

Concentrate in class! You save a lot of revision time by
simply listening intently in class. Clarify all the ideas
which you are unclear about after reading the textbook.
Actively thinking and building on your thoughts during the
lesson helps you reinforce the knowledge exponentially.
Write notes or deliberate over the interesting aspect of
the issues as you follow the class. Translating your ideas
into words and figures will help you reproduce the
knowledge more easily.

Some schools will distribute additional notes or others may
simply teach from the textbook itself. Whichever is the
case, reinforce your learning further by reading through
the notes/textbook again to ensure that you understand just
about 100% of the facts. Textbooks normally come with
Review Questions which you should think about and answer.
The questions will streamline your learning by drawing your
mind to the concepts that really matter.

If you follow at least 2 of the previous 3 steps of
learning, you would have a rather good grasp of the study
topic! The assignment should be fairly easy to complete at
this point in time. That's more time saved for you. Should
there be questions you are not clear about, it will be much
easier for you to find it in your notes or textbook since
you have read through them. You should only consult your
friend (ahem, not copying wholesale) as a final resort.

Should you have more than 2 months between the homework
assignment and the next test, you ought to do another brief
revision in between to retain your knowledge better. This
would make your Final Revision an easy and care-free
affair. The confidence you impart from knowing your
concepts well will make for more efficient learning when
you are more relaxed and feel more prepared.


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