The Complete Guide To Studying At Any Age

Proper revision is of paramount importance when it comes to achieving great exam results. It does not matter whether you’re studying for high school exams, a Master’s Degree, or you’re trying to advance your career, you need to practice typical exam questions so you can get to grips with the type of questions that are asked and how to answer them in a manner that will satisfy the person marking the paper. 

The benefits of revision extend a lot further than you may initially realize. Firstly, revision helps to reinforce what you have already learned. Remember, the exam syllabus is taught over an extended period of time, so it is very likely that you are going to need a refresher in certain areas. Not only this, but revision helps to identify weak points and problem areas, which you can then focus on to ensure you perform better in these areas during the exam. 

Clearly, practicing with past papers is a great way to ensure that you have a solid understanding of what is going to be required of you. Finally, revision bolsters exam confidence. You will know that you can answer the questions, as you have done so numerous times before, and this will make you feel assured when you step into the examination room.

Of course, the main reason to revise is to ensure that you can get the grades that you require in order to reach your desired goal. This could be to get into a college or university. It could be to acquire your first job. It may even be to seek a promotion or to try and command a higher salary. If you take a look at this piece on the typical salary for finance graduates, you will see there is a massive difference in terms of earnings depending on the route you go down. Therefore, enhancing your knowledge even after you’ve gotten a degree is pivotal in commanding high pay, so you never know at what age or what point in your career you could find yourself studying.

Learn how to revise effectively

There are many other ways to optimize your study period to ensure the best results, including creating a revision timetable, understanding your learning style and much more. Read on for more information.

To study effectively, you need to create a revision timetable. This will create a structure for your studying, helping you to identify what areas you need to prioritize in order to achieve better marks. It ensures you are optimizing your study time while also boosting motivation. 

In addition to this, it is important to practice using past papers. Past papers will help you to get to grips with what the exam questions are going to be like. You can also carry out practice exams in real examination questions to see how you would perform and if you are managing your time efficiently so that you can make adjustments if necessary. 

You also need to discover what your learning style is. Everyone is different; some people are kinaesthetic learners, others are reading/writing, auditory or visual learners. You need to adapt your studying technique to your learning style. 

Finally, remember to take regular studying breaks. If you are feeling tired and stressed, and you are struggling to register new information, there is no point in forcing yourself to revise. Take regular study breaks to engage your brain in studying and boost your performance in exams in the long term.

Be resourceful

Being resourceful is one of the most important things you need to do when preparing to study. There are so many different resources available today to help you get ready, and below we take a look at them in further detail.

Firstly, we have past exam papers, as mentioned. Past papers are vital; as they enable you to prepare for the style of questions you are going to be asked. You can also practice under real exam conditions, i.e. without any resources and within the allocated time. This is the best way to get a feel for how prepared you are and if there are any changes you need to make. 

Next, we have your course textbook, which is the Holy Grail of your study sessions. This will feature all of the formulae and facts you need to know in order to achieve an A grade. Most textbooks will not only include the theory, but they will come with exam-style problems and practice questions too. 

Aside from this, it is a good idea to look for video resources online. Videos can be helpful, as they enable you to learn visually, which is something a lot of people respond well too. You also need to get your course specification from your exam board. You can head to their website and read the course syllabus and specifications. This will ensure you have everything you need to put a revision schedule together. 

The day of your exam

On the day of the exam, you can quickly look over one or several past papers for a bit of last-minute revision. But, what else do you need to concern yourself?

There are a few things you need to pay attention to on the day of your exam. Firstly, nutrition is imperative; your brain needs food to fuel your cognitive functions, just as a car needs petrol to run effectively. Young people that do not eat breakfast demonstrate a 20 – 40 percent reduction in thinking skills. So, make sure you have a nutritious breakfast before you leave the home – wholemeal toast with eggs or porridge are both good options. 

It is also important to get a good night’s sleep before your exam. Don’t stay up all night staring at your textbook! You also need to be prepared and make sure you bring everything you need with you. Take several pens into the examination room. It is a good idea to use black ink on all of your exams. The last thing you want to do is lose marks because of ink discrepancies. Other equipments you need include a calculator for the calculator paper, as well as a pencil, pencil sharpener, rubber, ruler, and tracing paper. 

Avoid silly exam mistakes

In this final section, we are going to take a look at some silly mistakes that could cost you important marks during your examination. No matter whether you are doing past papers or the real thing, you need to watch out for these errors. 

Math can be one of the subjects whereby people tend to make silly mistakes. So, we will start here. Firstly, if you are doing a calculator paper, you need to make sure your settings are correct. Next, make sure you read ratio questions very carefully. Some questions deal with the whole ratio while others only deal with part of it. If you don’t read the question carefully, it’s easy to overlook this. You also need to check ‘+’ and ‘-‘ signs when solving equations. It is very easy to overlook a minus when working out a solution, so make sure you go over the equation again, carefully checking the signs. Finally, use tracing paper in your exam for questions regarding reflections and rotations especially. It is very easy to get these wrong if you do them by sight. 

Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of how to prepare and revise correctly for your exam, as well as what you should do on the morning of the exam. We hope this information helps you to achieve the grade you are aiming for!