When exams are round the corner, our brain gets bogged down with all the new and old information related to the vast syllabi of the different subjects. Our memory becomes absolutely full and we become confused with what to write and what not to write. Age old traditions, our grandparents suggest hacks like eating almonds, drinking milk, having proper food and adequate sleep.
However, during exams nothing seems to work. Our minds become fatigued, making it absolutely impossible to retain the important points that we studied even five minutes back. But don’t take extra stress, because I am about to suggest 5 hacks that will help keep the memory sharp throughout the year, especially before the exams.
Meditate
As the examinations come knocking at our doors, our minds become completely fidgety. It does not register any kind of new information; neither does it assimilate the older readings. The mind goes completely out of hand. The best way to keep the distressed mind calm is to meditate.
Wake up in the morning, do your regular chores and finally before sitting down to study, sit quietly with your eyes closed listening to your own regular breathing, the sounds of the surrounding and concentrate for just 10 minutes.
Meditation helps a student to increase the level of concentration, which in turn, makes studying easy as well as efficient. It also helps to reduce the pre-examination stress, as a result of which there is a noticeable improvement in both mental and physical health.
Find Innovative Ways of Reading
Techniques of loud reading and silent reading do not always work when studying before the commencement of examinations. In order to understand and register the new elements of learning, one has to design innovative ways to study properly. Although for your mathematics related problems, you can always take the help of online algebra tutors, it is important to devise ways for self-study purposes. You can try to study by creating mental associations.
To put it simply, create mind maps to remember the information in a visual manner. Mind maps are pictorial representations of the connections among the various aspects of a particular topic. It not only helps to retain better, but also improves creativity and intelligence. Drawing diagrams is also an amazing hack for remembering important sub-topics of a given subject area.
Since this is an era driven by the internet, make sure to take its help for your benefit. Watch TED talks to find out apps which can help you increase your concentration or your study duration and so on.
Use Technology to Your Advantage
As you ask your Google Assistant or Alexa ‘Do My Assignment’, you basically use the internet and advanced technology to your benefit. Why not do this to keep your memory sharp before the exam?
Documentaries are a source of knowledge in the form of an engaging audio-visual medium. It helps a student get a wider perspective on the subject of study. The audio-visual medium also improves the retention quality of the student, as he/she learns through both listening and watching.
After watching the documentary, when the student goes on to read the same topic, it develops a holistic understanding of the same. Apart from that, use one of the largest search engines, namely Google to your utmost benefit. Search from the wide variety of links available and get a clear idea of the area of study.
Regular Study Breaks are a Must
When your brain is working tirelessly before the examinations, it is important to give it some rest in regular intervals. It not only helps absorb more information but also keeps a student motivated and focused on the specific area. It has been scientifically proven that after a period of one hour thirty minutes of study, the concentration gets impaired.
Therefore, it is important to take a break every 40 to 45 minutes. Apart from that, make sure your mind gets adequate rest through sufficient sleep, as it is during sleeping hours that the brain processes and assimilates all the new information.
Practice
The proverb ‘Practice makes a man perfect’ is an absolutely true one, and should be followed before examination to keep the memory sharp. Create a real examination situation, and then ask and answer the important questions related to the particular area of a subject.
You can also create a classroom setup and teach the new information to imaginary students so as to prepare for a viva or even a written examination. The latter method will improve the understanding of a certain topic, thereby making it easy to apply the knowledge during examinations.
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