Exams Are Coming - Study Tips to Finish With Style

Exams are coming. In fact, Year 12 exams start this month, and you’re now really heading into the final stretch of your high school lives. So, what can you do to maximise your marks in the time remaining? How can you ensure you give yourself the best possible chance of hitting your academic goals?

Here are some tips and tricks of the trade – things tested by those before you that have worked for them, and things you might like to try in the next several weeks (and beyond!).

Practising revision

Revising well is a skill. It requires practice!

How often do you finish your study sessions abruptly? In the same way you might cool down after going for a run, it can be beneficial to take a step back and reflect for a few minutes after each time you study. Don’t just drop your pens, flip your laptop lid down and walk off. Instead, jot down the major things you learnt, test yourself on new information you’ve been working on, or try to summarise your study content into a single sentence.

You could even take things one step further, and set up a journal outlining what you studied, and when. This can give you a broader understanding of how topics interlink, what you still need to focus on in your exam preparation, and the topics on which you feel most confident. Being aware of your study in this way can really help to consolidate information, and assist you when crunch time comes on exam day.

Making your work environment flexible

It’s totally natural to hit study lulls, where it feels as though you’ll never be productive again. We’re humans – not robots – and we can’t study at 100% all of the time. That is, we need time to refuel, recuperate and relax.

But more than that, sometimes productivity can come merely from a change of circumstances or environment. If you’ve been sitting at your desk for hours trying to study but have inevitably been drawn back to memes, perhaps it’s time to shake things up a bit. Why not try studying in a different room in your house, or your school, or the library? How about moving from your laptop to the old-fashioned pen and paper?

If you’re working a lot from your laptop or another device, it’s a good idea to have your documents stored online. This allows you to work from a wide number of environments when you have the time, and you won’t be confined by statements like, “I would study, but I don’t have my notes on me!” It’s time for no excuses.

No time? Make time!

There are lots of little pockets of time where you can brush up on your skills – and these pockets are often neglected or overlooked. You can actually build up a strong body of work just from consistently using these time pockets productively, which, ultimately, could impact your exam performance. If you plan ahead, you can end up studying productively while washing the dishes, going on a run, or any number of other times. For example, have you considered recording yourself running through your notes, and then listening to that recording on the train, while working out, or even while on the loo?

Of course, you don’t need to study all of the time, and you should certainly take some time off to chill out when you can. But if you’re looking to maximise the amount of time you can use productively, this is the way to do it.

Make your deadlines clear

When time is of the essence (like now), it’s important to give yourself clear guidelines to follow. Goals like “study math” are all well and good, but they’re vague, and don’t provide much incentive to get things done in a timely manner. At the end of the day, having time-bound goals is better than indicating no time limits at all. They can provide the motivation you might need over the final stretch: something that can differentiate those who hit their goals, and those who don’t.

Understand learning

Learning isn’t linear. It never has been, and it never will be. There’s no guarantee that, say, studying for one hour will result in one unit of knowledge. It can be frustrating when you push through a study session and feel as though it’s been pointless, or as though you haven’t been particularly productive. Thinking about it objectively, though, learning doesn’t happen overnight – it requires consolidation and persistence, and every single student can do this. Including you. Don’t forget this as you approach the final hurdles.

Uni’s always an option, no matter your ATAR

The next few weeks can be a stressful time, and if you’re already wound up about exams, you don’t want the thought of your final results and pathways after Year 12 negatively impacting your performance. Luckily, you will always have options available to you. For example, through Open Universities Australia (OUA), you can start studying online with leading Australian unis, regardless of your ATAR. OUA offers single subjects from unis such as Swinburne, Macquarie and Griffith, which you can use to apply for a full degree and get credit for what you’ve already completed. You’ll get the same qualification as on-campus and have access to full government funding as well.

If you don’t quite feel ready to commit to a full degree, single subjects are also a great way to try different study areas and get insight into what to expect at uni, without necessarily committing to a full-time load.

Exams are coming, and will be over before you know it. If you feel unsure about what to study, Open Universities Australia can help you find the right uni option for you. Explore hundreds of degrees and over 1,400 single subjects at open.edu.au, or call a friendly student advisor on 13 OPEN. All the very best for your exams, and remember: you CAN do it!