How can I study without sacrifice and blood?
Yes, we’ve all been there, where we thought maybe sacrificing some blood to the deities will help me pass this grade?. Fear not, for there is a cure for your problem!
1) When you’re lucky and you got time
Lets say, you have three months to prepare yourself to face the wrath of finals, here’s what you should do:
Scan the textbooks for any potential information which you think is important, take help from teachers or friends if you need to.
They do help. you can utilize multiple resources for ready made notes as well.
For the whole month, make as many notes as you can - ensuring that you have covered every tiny spec of information in.
Organize all papers and notes (including digital ones - also include ones you took in class even though they’re mere scribbles) neatly as you approach month two.
Now this is the most difficult part - actual studying.
Refer to your notes thousands of times, rewrite them and revise them however you want to.
This is also the time when you use those highlighters you brought on impulse, just know how to do it correctly.
Read your textbooks thoroughly, chapter by chapter - better yet paragraphs by paragraphs.
Write down keywords on flashcards (i recommend Quizlet) even though hey are not vocabulary related, just don’t forget these terms!
Make cheat sheets as if you will be using them for finals, cram in as much information as you can.
Revise notes, memorize those sentences which are italicized or highlighted in bold in your textbook by heart.
Rote learning isn’t the best option, but when you’re desperate you gotta rely on that.
Take this time to solve all doubts either with teachers or by using he internet - like, have you used khan academy?
By the end of this month you must have thorough knowledge about your syllabus in detail.
Now that you are ready with the basic idea of what your textbook is all about, it’s time to put that knowledge into use.
Start solving practice papers, worksheets or any other test material you can grab onto.
There are certain books specially printed for providing potential question papers for an exam, invest in them you won’t regret it.
You can ask your teacher for some important questions, and if you have been a good student so far she’ll gladly help.
Once you know you have solved about millions of papers, make your own question papers.
Try to figure out what is important from a teacher’s point of view, and learn accordingly.
Voila - now you are 100% prepared for finals, walk into the exam hall like a boss and leave like a boss!
2) When you fall short on time and finals are freaking close!
Okay, so you didn’t utilize those three months efficiently and now you are in deep shit, do not panic because you still can manage to do it.
Make a study schedule - a realistic one which you are pretty sure you will follow.
Go to your phone - settings - turn off notifications, trust me you will love me for suggesting that later.
Be prepared for all-nighters, gather snacks ( I don’t care if they are healthy or not - you can’t be perfect all the time), all study material and all resources.
Make the library your home for the time being.
You’re lucky if you got social skills, take help from that smart friend you managed to make six months ago.
If you are a bit shy (like yours truly), remember - teachers are your best friends!
Now you don’t have time to make notes, so use whatever you have at hand.
Start solving papers and as you go with the test clear your doubts simultaneously.
It helps to have a guide around when you re solving papers, they will help you out instantly.
Classify your textbook into two sections : damn important and semi important, go through that damn important parts first and when you are confident you can handle them move onto the semi important portion.
Make the most of each day, which means bidding farewell to Netflix and comfortable blankets and the sweet, sweet sleep, but make sure you make up for all the sleep in the form of short naps.
Even then if you can’t, skip some parts - what you can certainly not understand despite efforts, let it go.
Now you are prepared for finals, hopefully without tears and blood.
If you have a bullet journal, try to maintain a study journal - note the amount of hours you study per session, the subject and topic you covered and whether you completely understood it or not.
If you cannot maintain the aesthetics, don’t - just write what you understand.
Teaching the material to your pet or a doll or a teddy bear helps a lot.
Speaking out loud when studying will help better memorization.
Take help from your mom (or anybody who stays with you 24 x 7 at home) when making your study schedule - she will point out the times which you can use productively better than you.
Stop looking for ‘How to study efficiently’ guides on the internet, because you won’t realize when you wasted three hours trying to learn the basics of studying.
For motivation, come straight to Tumblr because this site is a storehouse of studyinspo, follow (I’m sure you already do) some cool studyblrs like @studyign
And so many more which I can’t think of at the moment, they are all very sweet and will help if you reach out.
I hope this guide helped, please reblog to save a student and feel free to ask me for more tips!
