INTRO: When there is an entire semester's worth of stuff to memorise, what learning strategy do you use to achieve your study goals? Do you barricade yourself in the washroom (because you can't find a quieter place to study), stay up all night with worry and tension (because you wasted precious study time) or do you ensure that you have studied all year round so that exam time is a breeze? Students from around Goa take time out to chip in...
I am currently half-way through my board exams, but I can confidently say that I prepared for them by studying all through the year. I basically finished my entire portion first, then spent time going through ten years worth of board exam papers in every subject so that I had an idea about the type of questions I could expect. I also ensured that I had enough time for at least two revisions.
Preparations start 10-15 days before the exams by making a time-table of all there is to do against the number of days/hours at hand. The day before the exam, we normally stay up all night, eat, drink loads of coffee, sleep for a few hours and then revise everything again in the morning. Then cross our fingers, say a prayer and head to the exam hall.
How am I preparing for my exams? I just mug up as much as I can as fast as I can and hope for the best.
Well, I'm not really the kind that stresses too much but when exams come knocking I go through old question papers. Why? Questions are bound to be repeated right. It's been my game plan for a while now. I also prefer studying early in the morning like at 5 am as I find it much easier. I never study after sun down though as I feel too sleepy. That's about it. I'm quite surprised how I got so far.
A lot of students leave the studying to the last minute which is not ideal. You need to study ahead and get your notes together in advance. For me, revision usually begins two weeks before the exams and to deal with the stress I listen to a lot music especially blues music and watch movies. Also, taking walks helps cope with the tension.
I usually study everyday for about two to three hours. But when my exams are near, the whole house is in turmoil. I bring the whole house down. It's like everybody has to study with me, I can't do it all on my own. For every exam I get migraines as my brain stresses too much. The only way to cope with the tension is to think about vacations which urges me to study and get done with exams fast.
