Effective Learning Methods While Preparing For Exams

Exams are a time of hardship for every student. As students are expected to study the complete syllabus devised by the board, they have to be completely focused on the task at hand and keep all distractions at bay. But working too hard can have the opposite of the desired results as well.   

The body requires an apt amount of rest when overclocking your brain so that you can resume your studying process with maximum effectiveness and minimal waste of time. So let us look at a few techniques which I believe will help you to effectively utilize the time you spend studying and the time you need to spend resting yourself.  

Image source: acmaps – York University

Knowing what you know and don’t know:   

This is important to set an outline for your studying pattern. Analyzing the syllabus and accordingly evaluating how much of it you know and don’t know will help you organize your time accordingly.   

Suppose you don’t know a chapter of chemistry say polymers, then you will have to assert a little more towards that chapter as learning the different kinds of polymer chains and their structures is quite gruesome for most. Hence, prioritize and organize your time on topics where you need it the most and take a rest accordingly.  

The Zeigarnik Effect:  

This is actually a psychological phenomenon wherein we feel a stress response in our brain when we have an incomplete task at hand. This trigger can be used to your advantage. When we finish learning a chapter, we acknowledge finishing it in our minds which makes the brain clear out that information since that task is completed. 

Thus to use the Zeigarnik Effect to your advantage, do not complete chapters on the same day. Leave some portions of the chapter for the next day, wherein your brain will have to refresh your knowledge of that chapter. This will create a better double imprint on your memory, hence a better learning technique with a reduced load on the brain.  

The Pomodoro Technique:  

This is a memorization technique deployed in the late 1980s. The technique was used by Francesco Cirillo in his college days to make his learning process more effective. Supposedly studying a topic like Redox Reaction, the Pomodoro Technique employs you to study in burst mode.

Here are the steps:  

○ Study for a time gap of around 25 minutes.  

○ Make a checkmark and rest for 3-4 minutes.  

○ Resume studying for another 25 minutes and repeat.   

○ After the 4th checkmark, take a longer break 15-30 minutes.   

Change of scenery  

Studying in the same place for a long time can make you feel mentally tired. Switch things about it, a change of scenery will bring in a sense of freshness which will help you learn better.  

Thus, here we have discussed a few of the many techniques which you can use to optimize your learning for exams. To get more shortcuts, tips, and tricks, check out this.