How to prepare for an exam: techniques and tips:

Preparing for an exam can be a daunting task, but with the right approach and strategies, it can be manageable. Here are some tips to help you prepare materials for an exam:

Understand the exam format: You should first understand the format of the exam, such as the type of questions that will be asked, the duration of the exam, and the number of sections. This will help you know what to expect and plan your preparation accordingly.

Create a study plan: A study plan is essential in helping you organize your preparation. Create a realistic plan that allows you enough time to cover all the materials and revise before the exam. Divide your study plan into smaller sections and allocate specific periods to each section.

Gather materials: Gather all the necessary materials such as textbooks, lecture notes, past papers, and any other relevant resources. Organize them in a way that you can easily access them when studying.

Understand the topics: Read through the topics covered in the exam and make sure you understand them. Identify the areas that you need to focus more on and prioritize them in your study plan.

Take notes: Taking notes while studying can help you retain information better. Write down key points, formulas, and definitions

The day before an exam it is advisable to review, but not concentrate on all the study hours that day. The latter can cause you to become saturated and not achieve the desired results. 

If you want to preserve your knowledge, especially in the long term, the day before a test should be a day to rest and take the opportunity to review some content.

You can also prepare all the materials you will need for the next day: a pen, pencil, drawing tools, calculator or a bottle of water, for example.

Sleep Enough hours to be rested the next day, will cause the pressure and mental effort you need to think and answer everything correctly, thanks to the energy that you will have accumulated.

What to do on the day of the exam?

On the day of the exam, get up early, have a good breakfast and arrive on time for the exam. Remember to take all the necessary materials to be able to take the exam, such as personal identification and writing materials.

Before entering the exam, some people need to look at the schematics. If this is your case, you can do it, but it is good that you reserve a few minutes to relax and prepare yourself mentally.  That is, keep your notes, breathe easy, and above all, work on your confidence. It's about starting to concentrate for the exam.

What to do during the exam?

Once in front of the exam, do not rush to answer. It is preferable that you read all the questions carefully, one after the other, and think carefully about which questions will take the longest to answer and which ones will take less time. You must organize your time well to ensure that you can answer all the questions on the exam.

Once the most doubtful ones have been identified, distribute the order in which you are going to answer the questions. Before answering each one, you should make a previous outline of the answer, like those that have been done during the study, to identify everything that can be said on that subject. Carrying out the previous outline should not take you more than 5 minutes, it is very brief, simply to highlight ideas, relate them, follow a script when writing and not leave details.

Every time you go to answer, do the same procedure, first make an outline on the subject to be discussed and second start responding in order and coherently. Answer what they ask you, the exam will not be better evaluated because there is a lot of information, but it will be evaluated positively when the answer answers the question.

If necessary, read the questions several times.to make sure you understand it correctly. Many times the questions are read quickly and can be confusing, so it is good to read them until you understand what is asked in the question and what the correct answer would be. If you have doubts about any statement, you can ask the teacher or examiner to clarify what is being asked.

In addition to answering the questions correctly, take care of the presentation, be orderly, clear and write without spelling mistakes. Keep in mind that although the main and most important thing is that you answer the question correctly, the formal aspects of the presentation are also valued.

An exam is the litmus test in which you have to show that you master a subject. Anticipation and preparation are the keys to obtaining a good result. Do you have a study habit? Do you know how to prepare an exam according to the type of test: multiple choice, oral, question and development? Follow the techniques and advice and you will successfully pass your exams.

Tips for studying: start early

The first thing you should keep in mind when preparing for an exam is that you should start early. Going to class, getting the books and additional material recommended from the start, taking notes and reviewing them when you get home, doing the work that the teacher orders... all of this will help you keep the material up to date and when the time comes exam date does not have to give yourself a "binge" of study in the days before.

a place to study

To facilitate your study, it is convenient that you have adequate space. You need to have a fixed place to study - it can be your room or another room in your house, or the library, but, conveniently, it is always the same place -, where you have all the necessary material (books, notes, notebooks, markers...), that is well lit and that you find comfortable and quiet, without noise or other distractions such as television, computer or mobile. If you have some of these devices in your study room, keep them turned off while you study; also the mobile: taking a look at social networks or listening to the announcement on WhatsApp and starting chatting with a friend can steal a lot of study time.

A study routine

Conveniently, you set yourself a time to study (every day at the same time, x hours a day, x days a week) as it will help you concentrate and create a study habit. The schedule must be realistic, to be able to comply with it: it is not the same if you have to prepare one subject as if you have to study seven or eight at the same time; nor if you are preparing for a MIR exam or an opposition, or if you have to combine your studies with a job.

To choose your study schedule, take into account your biorhythms. If you are one of those who do better in the morning, get up early and take advantage of the first hours of the day to study; If getting up early is not your thing and you are more active late in the day, you can study until later at night. In any case, respect a minimum of eight hours of sleep a day.

In addition to the time dedicated to studying, you have to plan small breaks to rest from time to time. It's time for you to stretch your legs, go get yourself a coffee or, now yes, pick up your mobile and answer the pending WhatsApps. Of course, in the same way, that you set a time for study, you must also set a time for breaks; between 5 and 10 minutes will be enough.

If due to the difficulty of the exam, you are preparing for, you spend many hours every day digging your elbows, set aside at least one day a week to rest completely and incorporate some leisure or sports activity into your routine a couple of times a week. week to "clear you off".

There may be times when you realize that studying is no longer paying off: if after several hours between books you see that you are reviewing a subject, but you cannot find out what you are studying no matter how much you reread it over and over again, it is time to take a break.

An exam is the litmus test in which you have to show that you master a subject. Anticipation and preparation are the keys to obtaining a good result. Do you have a study habit? Do you know how to prepare an exam according to the type of test: multiple choice, oral, question and development? Follow our techniques and advice and you will successfully pass your exams.

How to prepare for an exam:

Techniques to prepare for an exam

To pass an exam you have to have the will -no one has said that studying was easy-, you have to have motivation -what is your goal: pass the degree, get a place in an opposition...- and you have to have a method. There are different techniques to study; Today we present one: the PLASMaRA method (Pre-reading - Reading - Synthesis - Memorization - Review - Self-assessment ). These are its phases:

pre-reading

Explore the subject before studying it. Read quickly without stopping or going back. The objective is to familiarize yourself with the subject you are going to study and try to discover the structure of the topic and identify the main ideas.

Reading

This reading must be slow, reflective, paragraph by paragraph. It is about understanding what is written to select the fundamentals (those most important ideas in the text and their logical chaining) and to prioritize the information since not all ideas are equally important. To do this you must underline, mark the keywords, add notes in the margin, and highlight the ideas with different colours and symbols.

synthesis

Starting from the previous underlining, it is time to elaborate a synthesis of the topic, turning what you have read into assimilated knowledge and briefly expressed in your own words. You can make schemes, diagrams, concept maps, timelines, and summaries... but in any case, they must respond to these characteristics: be brief, be visual, be precise and be complete.

memorization

This is the stage in which you seek to fix the contents in your head to favour their retention. You have to make sense of what you are studying (get to understand it) to promote memory. As? Draw your notes to highlight the information, relate concepts and repeat and review until you can explain the topic in your own words. In that sense, review the most used memorization techniques and choose the most suitable method for you.

Review

The reviews serve to fix in memory everything learned. To do this, you must recite the subject studied in your own words (to show that you have understood it), using the summaries that you have prepared and checking that you have not forgotten anything important. You should plan several reviews: a first, 24 hours after seeing the topic; an intermediate review three days after the initial review; weekly, until you learn the subject; and monthly when you already have it well learned. Add a final review to all material before the test date.

Self-appraisal

This step will allow you to objectively verify the level of knowledge reached. As? Carrying out tests and essay exams. This way you can check if you have any gaps, where you have failed and what you need to review, etc. It is a way to return to what has been studied and consolidate knowledge.

Study for certain types of exams

If you know in advance what type of exam you are going to have (multiple tests or development) you can adapt your way of studying to it.

For example, if you are going to be examined with a multiple choice exam, you should study the syllabus but also train yourself by taking quizzes and then reviewing where your failures are. When you have to face the exam, as you will have a time limit to do it, read the statements carefully and answer the easy questions first and those related to the part of the subject that you master best. Consider the exam correction system: usually wrong answers count, but leaving them blank does not, so if you are not very sure of your answer, it is better to leave without answering.

If, on the other hand, your exam is a development exam, add essay tests to your study time planning as it will help you gain confidence with the format and agility when writing. When exam time arrives, keep the following tips in mind: write in an orderly, concise, and coherent manner, without ramblings (it can help you make an outline before you start writing), without spelling mistakes, and with a good presentation (leave margins, that your handwriting is legible and avoid crossing out), and review the exam before turning it in to check that you have put everything essential and that there is no mistake.

The day before the exam

Even if you have followed these recommendations, the day before the exam your nerves and anxiety may attack you. It's normal, but to try to minimize its negative effects, try doing some moderate social or sporting activity that helps you disconnect and relax, forget about hitting a study marathon on the last day, and try to sleep well to be rested for the exam.

Now it's your turn to put into practice these tips and techniques to study. Good luck with your next exams!

Study guides: How to prepare them for your exams:

For many, carrying many books, and many folders with many notes is one of the most messy and stressful ways to prepare for an exam. In the note, we tell you how you can get out of that mess using study guides.

Study guides allow you to perform well with good preparation and without so much stress.

We are not going to talk about help memories or machetes. If not a real tool that will allow you to enjoy a little more autonomous and independent learning on the topics included in the subject program, compared to traditional study. Study guides allow you to perform well with good preparation and without so much stress.

Studying at the last moment is not the only or the best way to take an exam and pass it. In addition, the classes have become, on many occasions, spaces to resolve doubts, present topics, generate debates or explain some confusing point of the curricular program. This has transformed studying outside of study hours into something more frequent and even mandatory. For it to be successful, it is necessary to do it in the best possible way. The study guides will allow you to study in an organized and complete way.

Study guides are flexible tools that vary depending on who puts them together.

The organization is essential to optimize study time. A teaching guide is a learning method in which a strategy is used to improve academic results. Study guides should be customized based on each person's needs. Next, we give you all the keys to an easy-to-develop and flexible study method that will help you to pass all the exams for the 2023/2024 academic year. 

What are study guides?

A study guide is a tool that facilitates the learning of a subject or a specific topic and for this, concept maps, diagrams, and tables are used... The techniques vary based on the needs of each individual. For this reason, the study guides must be prepared with a personalized strategy, taking into account specific aspects such as your availability of time, the difficulty of the subjects or modules and what results you expect to obtain in terms of grades.

Using this technique learning becomes autonomous and independent. This study method will allow you to get to the exam without stress by developing an effective study plan, which consists of organizing the essential information and outlining it. 

In the educational field, there are not only study guides, we also find motivational guides that can be of great help to the student and learning guides prepared by teachers to follow the classes. In addition, we can talk about the synthesis guides that consist of creating a list with all the concepts that have been learned in class. And the best thing is that you will be able to continue using these methods when you finish your training and start your professional career.

How to create a study guide? 

There is no exact way to make a study guide. That is something that you must be clear about since each person has particular requirements and a way of studying. Taking this into account, below we show you the best steps to create a study guide for the 2023/2024 academic year. 

1. The structure must match the objective

There are several types of study guides, each with a different shape and style that should be tailored to your needs. The information should be organized in the simplest way for you. 

Visual Methods: Underline and use colours to highlight the most important information so that it is clear at a glance. 

Linear structure: If it seems easier to you, you can organize the information in chronological order or in alphabetical order. 

Memorization: Some people have a great ability to memorize notes, for them we recommend that they record themselves studying and listen to those recordings throughout the day to see the results. 

2. Concepts and keywords

Identify the most important concepts and try to understand them correctly to develop them later. You should also collect the notes that you have taken in class since they are usually quite important. With all this, create a clean version of your notes. 

3. Design a study guide that suits you

Each individual must carry out a guide that adapts to the subject and the form of his study. For this, we highlight: 

Comparison tables that highlight differences and key concepts of what is being compared.

Definition cards as a memory exercise. Write the keyword on one part of the card and the definition on the back. They are very effective at memorizing specific concepts.  

Post-it: Organize information in order of priority. Divide the study material into sections with post-its and on them write the most important of each part to have the sections well identified. 

4. Gather additional information

It is very beneficial for the student to nourish himself with the knowledge that complements his notes with additional sources and explanations. All information must be read and reviewed. 

Each study guide format reinforces different weaknesses based on the needs of each student. We recommend that you use different formats that adapt to each topic of study and that you use the necessary information while being concise and clear in the definitions.

Many people go to therapy with the aim of learning strategies or study techniques to pass important exams, oppositions or other types of training.

Therefore, in today's post, we are going to talk about what study techniques are and which are the most common. In addition, we will also give you a series of recommendations so that you can prepare for an exam effectively.

There are also different study methods: reading, underlining, outlining, summarizing/reviewing and memorizing.

Reading consists of doing an exploratory reading or pro-reading, that is, doing a quick reading of the subject and later a comprehensive reading. For reading as a learning method, a series of guidelines must be followed: recognize words, understand ideas, contrast the author's thought with one's own and evaluate what has been read. 

When practising reading, keep in mind that reading speed is irrelevant, but if reading is excessively slow, you should consider using methods whose objective is to reduce the level of fixations: use a piece of paper that gradually covers all the lines that go below the text to be read, forcing the eyes to capture a greater number of words and avoid regressions, avoiding moving the lips, etc.

The underlining aims to highlight the fundamental ideas of the text through strokes, there are different types: linear underlining, link underlining and underlining of signs. The schemes, that make a graphic representation of the text, can be: numerical, with letters, mixed, with keys, arrows, synoptic tables and diagrams.Summarizing/reviewing consists of searching the text for brief and precise terms to review and repeat them.

Finally, memorization consists of acquiring knowledge and keeping it in memory.

Now it's your turn to put into practice these tips and techniques to study. Good luck with your next exams!