Milestone (3) Exams be upon us!

So, the next and last milestone, for final year, will be getting through these blooming exams! I have 4 exams, spread out between the 23^rd May and the 5^th June. Some may say that that’s a blessing, except for the unfortunate assignment of 2 exams on the 28^th and 29^th of May!!!

Well, I shouldn’t worry about that right away, as revision now works to dull the anxiety of upcoming exams. In fact, I have some tips on that very subject, to help all of you intellectual bloggers facing the exam period:

1. Use a variety of revision methods: This may seem simple, but if you are just reading over notes again and again, you will get bored. This won’t motivate you to revise, and will not always help the information sink in. Mix up reading, with mind maps and group study sessions, for example, to help associate facts and improve information acquisition.
2. HAVE YOU EVEN STARTED YET?! This may seem accusatory, and even more obvious, but revising earlier will lead to more efficient revision and an improved information retention capacity. I do not know many people who do this for finals, but this may still be applicable to younger academics out there.
3. Teach it: I have found that when I can teach a subject to somebody else, this also means that I understand the subject matter pretty well too. Maybe, it’s me, but I think you should give it a try. You could just remember information and regurgitate it out for the exam, but understanding of the issues will show in the exams too, and boost your marks.
4. How are you breaking up your revision? There are many methods people choose to break up their revision, whether it’s having a snack, watching a video, or going for a run. Back in my second year, the LGBT*QA provided a study room, where we would break revision with simple conversation (non-work related!) I think we all know the benefits of breaking your revision, as we all get to that point where information isn’t being retained anymore no matter what we do. The University of Leicester are providing a range of activities to break up exam stress as well here. Feel free to let me know what you do to carve up your revision pie.

Here are a few tips to all you sluggers out there. As we get further up the education ladder, it becomes increasingly difficult to find revision videos for your topic, so that’s a shame. It was nice when Bitesize would conveniently take the worries of studying away for 30 minutes… Anyway, hope you’re not as distracted as me, as you all face your doom (sorry).

Because I will probably be in my exam period, the next blog may not be as upbeat as this one, I’m afraid. Good luck everybody! xoxoxo