2016 has just begun and St.Theresa’s Catholic High School in Midland is already busy with many awesome opportunities. After a fifteen day Christmas holiday, students are back at school and working hard to complete assignments before the end of the semester.
Semester 1 exams take place Thursday, January 28th through to Tuesday, February 2nd. Following the pressure of exams, students are free from school until Monday, February 8th, when second semester begins. Exam time can be very stressful on students, especially those in grade nine who have never taken a high school exam before.
Here are some handy tips for studying and writing exams :
Start early - begin studying weeks before, giving yourself lots of time to review. Avoid waiting until the day before the exam to start studying,.
Set the mood - Everyone is different when it comes to studying -some prefer listening to music, while some prefer silence. If you are the kind of person that works the best with music, create a playlist for studying or look one up online.
Eliminate distractions - While you’re studying, turn off all electronics and remove any other possible distractions. Set your phone to silent and do not check it, unless using it for research.
Ask questions - If you are unsure of something in your notes, ask someone for help. You can ask a friend, family member, teacher in the school, or even search it on the internet, but be sure the source is a reliable one.
Test yourself - Have a friend or family member ask you questions related to the exam, and without using your notes, try and answer. If you get a certain answer wrong, put a star next to it and make sure you review that portion of your notes again.
Stay nourished - During exam time, students often forget to eat, or worse they only eat bad food. While studying, keep your food intake healthy, like fruits or vegetables. Also, make sure that you drink lots of water -your brain works better while hydrated.
Sleep - You may think that pulling a late night study session before an exam will be easier on you, but it is in fact less effective. Studies show that your brain always works better after a good night of sleep which for most of us is at least 7-8 hours.
Take breaks - In order to manage your stress and stay efficient, take frequent breaks while studying. For every hour that you study, take 15 minutes of free time. During this time, you can grab a quick snack, or go for a walk -both help your brain work its best.
Don’t stress - Exams can definitely be scary, but the most important piece of advice that you can receive is to stop worrying. Stressing about your exam will not help you do better, infact it can actually make you do worse. Just do your best , because nobody is asking you for more than that.
Take your time - During the exam, make sure that you do not rush - you have two hours to complete your exam. Before you begin, read over the full exam carefully, making sure that you understand every question. If you are stuck on a question, move on and come back to it later. Remember to take your time and to breathe.
Come prepared - Before you arrive to the exam, be sure that you have everything you need -pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners, and anything else you need for the particular exam. Another good idea is to bring a bottle of water with you into the exam, in case you get thirsty.
Good luck to all students as they start to prepare for final exams!
Resource: http://teenadvice.about.com/od/schoolscolleges/tp/10-High-School-Study-Tips-For-Students.htm
Written by Jasmine Crawford-Herron, Student Journalist