It’s exams time again in most parts of the world. Since the readers of this blog are mostly young, I thought of writing about something that is very relevant to our readers. Therefore in this blog post we’ll discuss in detail, how to study for exams in one night and pass them.
To make things clear right off the bat, I don’t recommend leaving the exam preparation for the very end. Postponing studying for the exam for the last night. is a very stressful experience and greatly hampers your ability to enjoy learning about the subject. In fact in a previous post, I wrote about how to study effectively.
However there are times, when you have not been in the right state of mind throughout the semester or may be you just find the subject boring. If you belong to any of these categories, then this post is just for you as I’ll methodically explain how to tackle this problem of studying for exams in one night and pass them.
As someone who holds a Masters of Technology Degree, I have faced a lot of exams myself, many of which I have passed by studying for one day or less. The methodology that I am about to propose is based on empirical evidence and so should be taken with a grain of salt. However the following methodology has worked for me over the years and has been backed by research in the field of education.
Approaching exam preparation with the right mindset
“Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools. ” – Napoleon Bonaparte
Like any uphill task in life, being in the right mindset before you start to study for your exam is very important. Trying to study a semester worth of material in one night is no easy task. Having not studied throughout the semester, one feels an enormous psychological pressure a day before the exam. However, it’s important to put things into perspective. It is just an exam, not a life and death scenario.
Now conjure up a person in your mind, who you think loves to see you fail. It can be your ex, or that high school teacher who told you that you won’t amount to anything in life. Now take it up as a challenge to prove them wrong. Right now, you are up against the odds of passing the exam. Imagine their reaction, if they knew what staggering odds you were up against and still you managed to pass your exam !
To develop that killer mindset that’s needed to defy the odds of passing by studying for one night, I suggest that you watch this video of coach Johnathan Flowers’ highly inspirational speech that he gave to his team:
How to study effectively for the exam :
1. Before you undertake an adventure, it’s important to survey the map so as to get the feel for the unknown territory you are about to step in. Similarly, before starting your study, firstly skim through the syllabus for the exam. This will give you the gist of what needs to be done in order to pass the exam.
2. Go through previous year question papers. On going through the past year papers, you will find some recurring questions. This recurrence is no coincidence as the examiner wants to test you on these topics, which he considers the key takeaways from the course. This step will give an idea of which topics you need to focus more on. Here I would like to mention that there are chances that the examiner totally messes up with the pattern of previous year papers. However probability of this occurrence is low. So when you are starting your preparation one day before the exam, one has to bet on the more probable outcome.
3. Now it’s time to pick up the book and do the hard part. You should start from starting of the syllabus, This is because most of the times, the topics at the beginning of the syllabus act as building blocks for the later topics of the course. If you have your foundations strong, you will be easily able to grasp the more advanced concept. While studying the chapters, follow the SQRRR method.
In 1946, Francis P. Robinson, a prominent American educational psychologist, in his book Effective study (1946), proposed the SQRRR method for studying, which is widely considered as the most effective way to absorb information from a book. The SQRRR methodology for studying consists of :
3.1 Survey : Skim through the topics, subheadings and figures and don’t try to grasp the meanings of them. This provides an outline or framework for what will be presented. ,
3.2 Question : Skim through the questions found at the end of the chapter. Did any of these questions match what had been asked in previous years ? This step will incite your curiosity to learn this chapter.
3.3 Read : Now its time to read through the chapter. Our brains retain maximum information when we engage it in active reading. Active reading means that you highlight the important key words of the text, write summaries of each sub topic that you read, writing mathematical equations on paper and drawing figures. The highlighted text and short summaries will help you in last minute review of the course.
3.4 Recite : Once you have completed reading all the topics mentioned in the syllabus pertaining to that chapter, try to orally summarize all the important things you covered in this chapter.
3.5 Review : Now go to the exercises found at the end of the chapter. Can you answer those questions now ? Revisit the topics whose questions you couldn’t answer.
4. Go through steps 3.1 to 3.5 for all the chapters mentioned in the syllabus. When you have just one day to study, temptations may arise to just read through the chapter. However this is not an effective way to study and retain what you have studied.
5. Set a realistic but strict deadline by which you plan to complete the syllabus. Even if you couldn’t complete the syllabus by then, don’t worry about it. Focus on studying deeply rather than superficially. Remember that having 80% in depth knowledge of the syllabus, is better than covering 100% syllabus with superficial knowledge .
6. Revisit the previous year questions. Can you answer these questions now? Revisit the topics whose questions you couldn’t answer.
7. Before getting ready for exam, review the short summary of study material that you had prepared while engaging in active reading.
8. Tell yourself that given the circumstances you were in, you have the done best you possibly could. Focus on the topics you have covered rather than sweating out over the topics you couldn’t touch upon. Most importantly, back yourself to succeed.
Few Pro-tips to optimize your performance in exams:
- On the day before exam, start you preparation as early as possible.
- Focus on understanding the concepts rather than memorizing the texts. It’s easier to retain information that way.
- After 3-4 hours of focused study, take naps, meditate, listen to music or dance . In a recent article I talked about how taking regular breaks after mind numbing sessions is productive and helps you retain more information.
- Avoid distraction during that day of preparation. Avoid social media, texting. If you wish to talk to friends, call them instead.
- Draw diagrams and don’t leave your answers blank. Remember you need to give yourself the best chance to pass the exam.
- While answering questions in the exam, use the list of key words you had written down in your notes.
Thanks for reading ! 🙂
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Thanks for your blog, nice to read. Do not stop.
Thanks 🙂