Winging it – “done without preparation, unplanned, thrown together, unstudied”. These are just some of the definitions that come up on wordhippo.com.
Here we are in Week 3 already and exams are four weeks away – “plenty of time” I can hear our students say! But we don’t want them to “wing-it” We really want to encourage them to be prepared and to have balance – this is easy if they have a study plan which starts now!
So here are my five top-tips to success in exams/study:
- Plan – use the planner Direqt messaged to you if you are in Year 11 or 12, or in the Kennedy Diary if you are in Years 7-10. Write down when your tests and exams are, when you are going to study, including breaks, and put it somewhere the whole family can see.
- Rewards – have some to motivate you. Set short goals and when you achieve them be rewarded. It might be playing some basketball, reading a great book, watching your fave Netflix show, etc. You might plan bigger rewards with your parents for bigger goals.
- Use the two top study strategies. a) Self-testing – do look/cover/write/check with your notes, make flashcards, write summaries and get tested on them, etc. b) Spread your study out over time (distributed practice) – start now, then have a break and then get back to it – don’t cram!
- Teach someone – the best way to really get to grips with a topic is to try teaching it to your Mum or Dad, sister or brother, dog or pet rock!
- Balance – get nine hours sleep a night – yes nine hours! Eat well, exercise. You understand and learn better after exercise! Build in some time to relax.
Finally, just do it. All these strategies only work if you put them into practice!
Don’t forget we have Study Skills Tutoring in the Research and Study Centre after school on Wednesdays, or you can book in for an individual session – just pop in, or Direqt message Mrs Yurisich.
All the best with your exams and tests. We pray for students every day, especially throughout the exam period.
Mrs Yurisich
Head of Research and Study Centre
