How Do I Prevent Exam Fever?
The crunch is on and final exams are next week. A huge knot begins to form in your stomach and nerves eat away at your peace. There must be a way to prevent this anxiety about exams. Follow few simple suggestions that can help ease the tension, which tries to wear you down during test times.
The first thing to remember is that you cannot do a semester's worth of work the last two weeks before a big test. Learning is an ongoing process, and not cramming in last minute information. Therefore, take good notes all along the preparation. Keeping well-organized notes will easily help you cover the information before the test. It may be necessary to take notes during class and then rewrite them later to get them in an organized form that is easy to use. This is a beneficial part of studying. The more you go over your class notes the more familiar the material will be to you. This will make it easier to recall on the test day. Many times, you may also be able to visualize your notes to recollect answers.
Read any suggested information as you go along. Do not wait until a few days or hours before a test and try to read it all. Read it when it is assigned and then read it after class to help reaffirm and retain the information. If you can mark in the book, make sure to highlight anything the instructors noted. This indicates it was important to them and you are likely to face questions related to it on an upcoming test. Then before the test, you can cut reading time down by reading highlighted portions of the material.
Stay engaged during the class. It is far too easy to drift off and daydream while the professor is explaining a concept, especially if it is not a real interesting topic. However, make yourself dedicated to the class while you are attending. Concentrate on the lecture and participate in discussions if any. Keeping yourself engaged in the class will help you focus your studies outside of class.
Set aside a time that works well for studying. Review all the class materials for the week. Reread your notes and the information contained in related books and reading materials. This is a good idea to follow for each class period. .
Inculcating these habits will help relieve the crunch at exam time. You have been over the material many times and kept it fresh in your mind. There needs to be no cramming the night before a test, simply go back over all of the information you have organized by attending a class.
