Exams are stressful by all standards. It gets to the climax the night before the exam when you cannot sleep as you worry about whether you are prepared or not. Such anxiety ends up affecting your preparedness for the following day, resulting in poor performance.
Luckily, there is a solution to avoiding stress the night before. Get professional test & exam help online to make preparation easier. Here are expert tips to help you remain calm and also prepare adequately for exams at all academic levels.
Over-cram
Cramming appears easier for students preparing for exams. It is one of the ways to commit content to memory. However, overdoing it will reduce your chances of excellent performance.
It is natural to try and get some of the points to mind at the last minute. However, your brain can only take so much. Over-cramming means that you are pushing the body to take more than it can handle. You will end up frustrated and still fail to remember anything during the exam the following day.
Spend the night reviewing highlights of the course. Look through the headings and subheadings without going into details. It refreshes your memory, giving the impression that you are studying the areas all over again. It results in better memory during the exam.
Read all night
Sleep. Reading all night will tire the brain, resulting in poor memory and concentration during the exam the following day. Mental and physical fatigue will also affect your memory such that you fail to remember even the obvious answers.
Studying or revising all night is an indication of panic. You send a message to your brain that you are not prepared. No amount of studying overnight will make you prepared for the exam. Since you cannot cover the entire course, you will enter the exam room feeling inadequate.
Last-minute reading is also not good for your memory. Such content is never committed to memory because it is being packaged in a hurry. It may even distract what you have already studied, making your performance worse.
Too much coffee
Coffee is known to keep you awake but it is never good if you have an exam coming in a few hours. Find other ways of extending your study hours a little without coffee. You may discuss with peers or open the window to allow cool air, but do not take too much coffee.
It takes a while for coffee to leave your system. That might keep you awake longer than you intended. It will result in mental and physical fatigue. Lack of enough sleep coupled with exam tension results in poor performance during the exam. It will take you below the level you would have wanted to perform.
Compare with other students
While the entire class is facing the same exam, each person has a different strategy. Each student also gives prominence to a particular subject based on passion and personal preference. As a result, do not compare your preparation with that of another student
You are adequately prepared to tackle the exam even if it appears that your peers know a topic or two more than you do. They also think that you are more prepared than they are.
It gets worse when you copy the strategy other students are using in their revision. You will end up confused and unable to meet personal targets. Stick to the strategy that works for you.
Fail to prepare
Prepare a checklist for each subject during the exam. Identify the areas to be covered in the course outline. You should also know the expectations from your tutor regarding the exam. Read more on how to prepare for an exam on QA at Assignment Geek.
Preparation is both academic and otherwise. For instance, know the venue of the exam, whether you should carry apparatus like calculators or pens and time for the exam. Prepare the most comfortable clothes and shoes for the exam day. Mental preparedness is as important as academic readiness.
Refer to new books
Stick to the books and learning materials you have used all along. New materials will confuse you at the last minute. They come with a new approach, causing you to believe that you are not prepared. Such materials will send you into panic mode. As you lose confidence in what you already know, your performance will dwindle.
Eat junk food
The pressure to prepare for the exam could leave you with no time to take a decent meal. This will be an expensive mistake because it may make you lazy and unable to prepare. Eat healthy foods with a lot of energy and feel-good ingredients. A light stomach will allow you to focus on revision and exams the following day.
Exam performance depends on how well you prepare. Take good care of your mind and body on the night before the exam. You will feel confident and ready on the morning of the exam, helping you to perform better.