Latest tips,tricks and shortcuts for effective studies
Every parent wants their child to study well and score good marks. And so they tell their children to study more and more and more. In fact some parents even go to the extent of ensuring that their kid spends a certain x number of hours in his/her studies. They think this will help them become good at studies. But what they forget is the interest of their kid and the fact that human mind is not designed to study all the time. It needs some rest and fun as well. And only a clever management of a child's interest and his academic requirements can help him be good in all the aspects of life.
So here are some tried and tested tips and tricks on how to manage your time, studies and how to be able to remember things which are always so hard to memorize.
Study regularly: even though for a lesser time in non-exam days.
Regular studies is something which takes a lot of burden off you during the exam days. But it is easier said then done that you should study regularly. So while it should come to your mind as a strict rule that you have to study regularly and for long hours, just make it a habit to take out some time during your day, evening or night to study some if not all the subjects you have in your syllabus.
Even studying one topic or two a day would help a lot when it comes to the exam pressure. And you will feel happy to have followed this advice of mine. This will also keep your mind in a habit to study, so that exam time does not come as a shocker to your mind-it is well prepared for exam time study-spanning long and tiring hours of day and night.
Take proper breaks during study hours, power naps do some real good to your mind.
If you are studying for long hours during exams or during your regular study schedule, then you should take short breaks at regular intervals. A visit to kitchen to pick something to eat, or a hello to a friend on phone will do a lot of good. Obviously you have to make sure that you do not get started with a long animated conversation with the sweet friend of yours.
What these little breaks do is that, they take your mind off studies and give it that much needed break which refreshes it and makes it ready to be able to study again. And to that effect a little power nap (a break in which you lie down on your bed silently for not more than 10-15 minutes) has a magical effect on the mind. It makes you feel so fresh and enhances you minds capturing power three times.
Try to correlate concepts with real life-your life, your imagination
Studying is a really boring thing and its very difficult to remember everything you read. So what you can do is use the power of imagination. Imagine something or the other regarding what you are studying no matter how insignificant or absurd it is. For example when I used to study chemistry I always tried to correlate the chemicals to their usage in real life and it helped me remember them. Similarly you can develop your own way of correlating things.
Use mnemonics to remember and memorize things
Mnemonics is the use of some phrase or abbreviation to memorize something. Remember the childhood trick of My Very Eager Mother Just Show Us Nine Planets to remember the name of the solar system planets, starting from Mercury to Pluto. Similarly you can develop your own mnemonics to remember your things. Relate dates to your real life dates,group numbers to remember them and shorten text to memorize it.
Here's an example how most of us used to remember the days in a month the knuckle mnemonics:
Refresh your concepts periodically-to make your studies more effective
Even a small revision has a magical impact on mind's capacity to remember things. Once you revisit some concept of your studies, your mind refreshes the mental picture associated with it. Hence it tends to remain in your mind for a longer time than usual and makes it easy for you to recall when you need it (during the exam time).
Sleep properly, eat healthy food and play outdoor games
These activities refresh your mind and prepare it to be able to capture more concepts of your studies. All work and no play makes jack a dull boy or is it something else? But the point is enjoy relax and have fun despite having a rigorous study schedule. Its a very healthy practice to step outside and play some games cricket, football, rugby or even badminton. It keeps your body fit and mind fresh. Remember "A healthy body houses a healthy mind".
Do not go for group studies if you are not comfortable with it
Group studies is not always that helpful as many of us think. Some of us can do pretty well at group studies while others may not be that good at it. So do not go for group studies if you don't feel like it. Remember some people can study better when alone.
Many times it happens that a group study session turns into a gossip session or a fun time which makes you waste some very crucial time especially during exam days. So avoid group studies unless you are very sure that you are benefiting from it.
Take a good nights sleep before your exam
All the above tricks followed would enable rather empower you to be able to do this. If you have studied and prepared beforehand leave everything aside relax and sleep tight. May be even more than non exam time. Even if you are less prepared than also take a proper sleep, so your mind is alert while writing the exam.
Obviously don't sleep out the night before exam if you are all blank. In that case your time to study is now- so go do it.
Studied well..now take a look at my article on how to score good in exams by writing the exam in an effective manner- its an art to score good marks even if you know it all for an exam. Here it goes:
- How to score good marks in exams-time management tips and tricks.
Excellence at academics is often judged by the marks you score in exams. Here are some tips at how to attempt an exam to maximize your marks and get appreciated for your studies.
All the best to you all. Please post any queries you have in comments below.