Students - EN - v2-NEIL - UK · Ÿ Great Study Ideas & Hacks Ÿ Some of The Coolest Apps To...
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Transcript of Students - EN - v2-NEIL - UK · Ÿ Great Study Ideas & Hacks Ÿ Some of The Coolest Apps To...
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Contents
Included In This Guide? ......................................................................................................................................................
GettingPrepped.................................................................................................................................................................................
Apps to Try Out Going Back to School ................................................................................................................
StartwithaBang!
Develop an Effective Study Planner ....................................................................................................................
Methods for an Effective Study Plan ...................................................................................................................
5 Ways Online Learning Works ............................................................................................................................
Develop Your Very Own Smart Goals .................................................................................................................
KeeponTopofThings
Top 5 Study Tips to Achieve your Study Goals ...........................................................................................
How to Stop Procrastination: 4 Tips to Help You Study ..............................................................................
Essay Writing: Top Tips for Writing an Essay ..........................................................................................
ThatExtra10%
Study Hacks to Help You Learn Better ...............................................................................................................
A Bigger Brain .............................................................................................................................................................
What is ExamTime? ..............................................................................................................................................................
See What Others Say ............................................................................................................................................................
Revolutionize Your Study! .................................................................................................................................................
Notes .........................................................................................................................................................................................
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Manyofyouwillbereturningtoschooloruniversity
afteryourholidays.Thisusuallybringswithitamix
ofdreadbutalsoadesire toprepare for theyear
ahead and ensure that you get the best possible
examresults.
Thisguidewillgiveyou:
Ÿ AwesomeLearningStrategies
Ÿ GreatStudyIdeas&Hacks
Ÿ SomeofTheCoolestAppsToDownload
Ÿ SettingGoalsForTheYear
Ÿ NeatEssayWritingTips
Ÿ HowtodealwithProcrastinationandlots,
lotsmore..
After reading this guide you'll be inspired and
motivatedtoachieveyourstudygoalsfortheyearahead!
“NeverDoTomorrowWhatYouCanDoToday–ProcrastinationistheThiefofTime"
CharlesDickens
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ExamTime.com|StudentGuide
Getting Prepped
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Goingback toSchooloruniversitybringwith itmixedemotions. Somekids love it, some fear itwith
everythinginsidethem.Thefactisthatassoonasweekoneisoveryouwillbegintowonderwhatallthefuss
was.However,onethingiscertain;goingbackpreparedwilleaseanytensioneversoslightly.Withthatin
mind,takeoutyourpenandstarttickingtheseboxes.
BacktoSchoolEssentials
AnExtraPairofEars
Akaheadphones,andgoodones.It'stotallyworthspendingalittleextrafornoisecancellingonesbecause
you'llbeamazedathowmanyhoursyou'llspendwiththemon.Fromstudying,towatchingmovies,to
simplytryingtoblockoutnoise,headphonesareanecessity.
PracticalBackpacking
Obviouslyweallwanttolookourbest,butthatcanbearealstrugglewhenyou'reluggingaround20pounds
oftextbookandlaptop.Findagoodsolidbag,preferablyabackpack.Agoodbagwillsaveyoufromsome
seriousbackpain.Alternatively,reducetheloadandkeepallyournotes
online.
UniversalSerialBus
Translation:theUSB,ade�initebacktoschoolessential.We'relivingin
the21stcentury,soanticipateyourlaptopbecomingyourbestfriend
andmuchofyournotesallbeingtyped.Sureemailsaregreat,butthey
don'talwayscutit,especiallywhenyou're“borrowing”anentireGBof
notesfromlastsemester'sEnglishclass.
Stationary&Lotsofit
Binders,folders,sleevesforallofyourhand-outs.Pencils,pensinasmanydifferentcoloursaspossible.
Technicalequipmentifyouneedit.Thelistisendless.Youdon'twanttobethatpersonondayonewhois
leaningoveraskingthepersonbesideyouforalend.
Getusedtousingappstoassistyouinalmosteverything.Fromrouteplannerstobustimetables,alarm
clockstodigitalnotes.Thesearethethingsthataregoingtohelpyouthroughthesenextfewmonths.
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AppstoTryOutGoingBacktoSchool
Dropbox-EveryoneknowsDropbox,butifyoudon't,itisamustforallstudents.Youcanuseittosaveyour
work,shareitwithotherusersandaccessitatanytime,anyplace.
Mint-Mintisanappthatwillhelpyoustopwastingmoneyonunnecessarythings.Budgetmanagementis
oneofthegreatestresponsibilitiesthatcomewithyournewlife,andMintwillhelpyousolveiteffortlessly.
Wunderlist-Wunderlistisoneofthegreatesttime-managementappsthatstudentscanuseforfreeonany
device.Youcandovirtuallyeveryorganizationalactivitywiththisapp,includingto-dolistsandreminders.
ProjectGutenberg-ProjectGutenbergprovidesyouwithaccesstothousandsoffreee-books,soyou
willeasilyindthebookneededforyourliteratureclass.
*Ofcourse,don’tforgettosign-uptoExamTime;)
“Studyhard,forthewellisdeep,andourbrainsareshallow.”
RichardBaxter
ExamTime.com|StudentGuide
Start with a Bang!
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Whenever I was returning to School or University after a
break,andstartingintoanewyear,Iwasalways�illedwiththis
�ireinmybellythatthistimeI'llkeepontopofthings.WhatI
foundhoweverwasthatafterinitiallydoingsomegreatwork,
this�iresoondissipated.EventuallyIlearnedhowtokeepthis
�ireburningallyearlongandhowtostudytothebestofmy
abilities!
Thisguideisintendedforthoseofyououttherewhoalsohavethis�ire(orwanttohaveit!)andwantto
knowhowbesttoutilisethesurgeofproactivity.Readingthisguidewillshowyouhowtokeepontopof
yourstudyfortheyearaheadorhowtore-ignitethe�ireonceitgoesout.
We'll explore the importanceofmaintaining thismind-set, of �indingyourunderlyingmotivations for
studyingandhowbesttoplanfortheyearahead.Thereareplentyoftipsandadviceonhowtoeffectively
study.Thisguidewon'tgiveyouanysilverbulletthatwillendprocrastination,nomagicformulathatwill
helpyoucramforyourexamsin24hours.Itwillsimplyoutlinesometriedandtestedtechniquesthat,when
followed,willgreatlyimproveyourstudy.
“TheBestLaidSchemesofMiceandMenOftenGoAwry"
JohnSteinbeck's,'OfMiceandMen'
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DevelopanEffectiveStudyPlanner
Aseverystudentknows,awelllaidoutstudyplannerisgoingtobecrucialingettingthroughtheyear
successfullywiththegradesyouwant.Wekidyounotwhenwesaythatanonlinestudyplannercanhelp
you.
TheStudyCalendaraboveisjustanexampleofwhatyoucancreatewithyourExamTimeaccount.Youcan
addthesubjectsyouarestudyingforandallocatehowmanyhoursadayyouplanonstudyingthemfor.
Don'tpanic,thereisplentyofspaceforsocialactivitiestoo.Thebene�itsofsettingstudygoalsandstudy
tasksarenumerous.Yourstudytimeimmediatelybecomesmoreproductiveasyouknowexactlywhatyou
shouldbestudying.Youwillgetabetterreturnthanifyousimplystartedtostudyarandomtopic.Your
studybecomesmoreproductiveandyourstudyisofahigherquality-it'sawin-win.
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MethodsforanEffectiveStudyPlan
BeRealistic:Determinethenumberofhoursyouwillhavetostudyduringthedayandthroughouttheweek.
Berealisticandseektobalanceyourstudyroutinewithyoursociallifeandhobbiesbutalsoincludetimeto
rest.
UnderstandyourRoutine:Choosethe .Onceyoudecidewhatworksbestforyou,besttimetostudyforyou
stickwithit.Getplentyofsleepasyouneedtobeintiptopshapeforeffectivestudyhabits.
OrganizeyourTime:Divideyourstudyplanupaccordingtothenumberoftopics/subjectsyouneedtohave
coveredbeforeyourexams.Forexample,ifyouhave8subjectsandyouhave2monthsbeforetheexamthen
study2subjectsperdayandassignadayoftheweekforgeneralexercisesandrest.
KeepitInteresting:Feelfreetoshakeupyourweeklyplanifyoufeelitisbecomingtooboring.Whetherthat
meansmovingfromadesktostudypodorgettingupatanearlierorlatertime,don'tbeafraidtotryout
differentmethods.Whoknowswhatwillwork.
“Toacquireknowledge,onemuststudy;buttoacquirewisdom,onemustobserve.”
―MarilynVosSavant
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5WaysOnlineLearningWorks
Onlinelearningisthebigbuzztermatthemoment.ItisnothingnewtoushereatExamTimeaswejustlove
it.Thinkabouteachofthewaysitcanbene�ityou.Fromsavingtimetosavingtreesandnottomentionthe
costeffectiveness,it'snowondermanyinstitutionsaremovingtowardonlinelearning.
1.LearnAnywhere - Onceyouhaveaninternetconnectionandacharge,youcanlearnanytime,anyplace
usingyourSmartphone,tabletorlaptop.
2.TechSavvyKids - Let'sfaceit,studentsthesedaysaremoretechsavvythantheiradultcounterpartsand
thattrendisonlygoingtocontinue.Youguysliketechnologyandscreenssowehavegivenyoustudytools
thatareavailableonline.
3.CostEffective - Weallknowhowexpensivetextbookscanbe.Thankstoonlinelearning,ateachercan
uploadlengthypassagesoftextandnotesusingvariousNotesSoftwaretools.Thesecanthenbeaccessed
bystudentstoprintandkeep.
OfmiceandmennoteonExamTime.com
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4.DataRetention-Notesandcopybooksarealltooeasilylost.Paperwasnevermadetobeanindestructible
materialanditmostlikelyneverwillbe.Fromspillagestothefamilydog,notesandanswerscanbelostinan
instant,butwithonlinenotes,parents,teachersandstudentscankeeptheirnotessafeandsoundupinthe
cloud.
5.ShareKnowledge-Everywhereyoulookthesedaysyouareencouragedtoshare.Learningisnodifferent.
WithonetouchofabuttonausercanshareBiologyFlashcardswithafriendhundredsofmilesaway.
Biology�lashcardsonExamTime.com
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DevelopYourVeryOwnSmartGoals
ThenewschoolyearloomsandnowisthetimewhenyouneedtostartfocusingonthoseSmartGoals.But
don'tworry;weunderstandthatoneofthehardestpartsofputtingthosegoalstogetherisactuallydeciding
what theyaregoing tobe.Wouldn't itbehandy if someonehad taken the time toput together some
examplesforyou…ItjustsohappensExamTimehave:
IntheMindMapabove,youcanseeanexampleofhowexactlyyourSmartGoalscanbelaidout.Takethe
actualtitlesweusedorfeelfreetoincludeyourownandremovesomeofours.Sticktothesegoalsasthe
yearprogressesandyouwillachieveexamsuccessinyourchosenarea.
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Keep on Top of Things
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Top5StudyTipstoAchieveyourStudyGoals
Inthissectionweshareourtopstudytipstohelpyouunderstandhowtolearnandimprovememory!Use
thisquickstudy tipsguide toseehowyoucan improveyourstudyskillsandgetyourselfon track to
achievingthoseA's.
StudyTip#1
Understandyourstudytopicsinyourownwords:Your
teacheror lecturercanexplainsomethingtoyou,you
canlearnitfromatextbook,yourfriendscanstudywith
you,evenyourownnotescanexplainittoyoubutall
theseexplanationsareof littleuse if,by theend,you
can'texplainwhatyouhavelearnedtoyourself.Ifyou
don't understand a study concept that you need to
illustrateinanexamtogettopexamresults,thenyou
won'tbehappywithyourendexamresult.Tocombat
this,getintothehabitofexplainingwhateveritisyou
are studying, in your ownwords, so you understand
yourstudynotes.Thekeytohelpimproveyourmemory
is to understand what you've learned when you are
studyingit.Sodon'tjustmemoriseandtickoffthelist–makesureyouunderstandyourtheory.
StudyTip#2
Don'tbeafraid toaskstudyquestions:Ofcourse,dependingonwhatyou'restudying, itmaybequite
dif�iculttogetintoapositiontounderstandaconcept,theoryorotherinformationyouneedtolearn.Thisis
whereitisinvaluabletoaskquestionsofyourteachers,lecturersorothereducators.Don'tbeafraidof
askinga'stupid'question–therereallyisnosuchthingwhenitcomestostudyandlearning!Embraceyour
curiosity,forasWilliamArthurWardsaid:“Curiosityisthewickinthecandleoflearning.”Doingsowill
allowyouto�illintheblanksandbetterprepareyouforexams.
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StudyTip#3
GetCreativewithonlinestudytools:Don'tfeelobligedtojustsitinfrontofabookwithahighlighter;there
aremanydifferentwaystostudy.Youshouldpickwhateverworksforyou.Tryusingasmanystudytools
andtechniquesaspossibletohelpyoustudybetterand�indwhatworksbestforyou.Perfectexamplesof
suchstudytoolswouldbeonline�lashcards,mindmaps,mnemonics,onlinestudyplanners,videoand
audioresources.LogintoyourExamTimeaccountnowtoaccessyourfreeonlinestudytools;mindmaps,
�lashcards,studyquizzesandnotesandbringyourstudynoteswithyouwhereveryouare
StudyTip#4
Quizyourself:Onceyoufeelyouunderstandaconceptora topic, it is
important to test yourself on it. Try and replicate examconditions as
muchaspossible:turnyourphoneoff,don'ttalk,timeyourselfetc.You
cansetyourselfastudyquizorpracticeexamquestionsand,solongas
youapproachitwiththerightmind-set,youcangetaverygoodideaof
howmuchyouknow.Yougainagreaterinsightintowhereyoustandin
relationtowhatyou'vestudiedsofar.Also,itwillgiveyousomemuch
need exam preparation, making the actual exam a more comfortable
experience.
StudyTip#5
Setyourstudygoalsandcreatea�lexiblestudyplan:Inordertoachieveexamsuccessyouneedtoknow
whatyouwanttoachieve.That'swhyitisextremelyimportanttosetyourStudyGoalsnowandoutlineto
yourselfwhatyouneedtodo.Withyourstudygoalsinmindandyourendofyearexamsweeksandmonths
awayitmakessensetohavea�lexiblestudyplanasopposedtoarigidone.Thecloseryougettoyourexams
themoreconcreteyourstudyplanshouldbe,butatthispointitshouldbeporous.Itshouldbebroad
enoughtoallowyoutoaddandchangeaspectsbutconciseenoughsoyouknowyou'recoveringeach
subject/topicasbestyoucanatthispoint.
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HowtoStopProcrastination:4TipstoHelpYouStudy
Inthissectionwearegoingtooutlinefourcommonmindsetsthatyoushouldchangeinordertoavoid
procrastination.Takealookatourfourwaystostopprocrastinationbelow:
1)StepsVsTasks
Onecommontiptohelpyoustopprocrastinationistodivideyourgoals
intosmallersteps.Thisisaverygoodstudytipbuttheproblemwiththis
mind-setisthatitimposesalinearstructureonyourgoals;youneedto
complete one step before you can move on to another. Switching
emphasisfromcompletingstudyinalinearfashiontodoinganumberof
studytasksfromalargerlistwillgiveyougreaterfreedomtochoose.You
will no longer be able to say 'Well, I can't studyX because I haven't
studiedY'.Thisisanimportantdistinctiontomakewhenitcomesto
waystoavoidprocrastinationbecauseassoonasyoucompleteonestudytask,youaremoremotivatedto
completeothers.Youalsodon'tlimityourselfinto'having'todosomethingsinceyouwillhavemanystudy
optionstochoosefrom,youcanpickthesubjectthatappealstoyoutostudymostontheday.
2)'AllProcrastinationisawasteoftime'
Itcanbeeasytolabelallprocrastinationasawasteoftimebutoftentime'speopledomanyworthwhile
studytasksinordertoputoffdoingsomethingtheydon'twanttodo.Forexample,someonemayrespondto
theiremailssimplybecausetheydon'twanttodoanarduousstudytask.Noonewouldsaythatreplyingto
emailsiswasteoftime,butinthecontextofthelargerstudytasktheybecomelessimportant.Thereal
problemhereisalackofproperprioritization.
Tohelpcombatthisandstopprocrastination,youneedtogetintothemindsetthateverythingyoudohasits
ownvalueforyou,Whatyouneedtosortoutisyourpriorities.Acommonwayofcombatingthisisto
rewarddoinganarduousstudytaskwithasmalleroneyouenjoy.
3)Dividetasksbyhowlongtheytaketocomplete
Thewaytodivideupyourstudytasksisbyhowlongtheytaketocomplete.Astudytaskshouldn'ttakeyou
anylongerthanahalfhour;thismayvary,however,fromperson-to-personforsomeitcouldbe15minutes,
othersanhour.Ifyouhavedesignatedyourselfastudytaskandyouknowitisgoingtotakelongerthanan
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hourthenyouneedtobreakthistaskdownfurthertomakeitmanageable.Breakingtasksdownintotheir
simplestcomponentsisagreatwaytostopprocrastination.Don'tsaytoyourself'Ineedtowriteanessay',
breakitdownintowhatitactuallyentails:Ineedtoplanmyessay,researchmyessay,writemyopening
paragraph,writeparagraph#1,writeparagraph#2,writeparagraph#3,writeconclusion,referencemy
essayetc.
Therearemanyotheraspectsyoucouldbreakyouressayintobuthavingalistofsmallerstudytasksmakes
themeasiertocomplete.Havingstudytasksdividedinsuchawaymakesiteasierforyoutoutilizethe
mind-setoutlinedunderstudytip#1.Assoonasyouseeyouaremakingprogressyourmotivationwill
increaseandyourlevelsofprocrastinationwilldecrease.
4)De�ineyourboundaries
BenjaminFranklinsaidthatthebestwaytobeproductiveistosplityourdaysintoonethirdwork,onethird
playandonethirdrest.Thisisaprettygoodruleofthumb.However,manyofuschastiseourselveswhenwe
spendourtimepursuingthelattertwooptionsofplayandrestwhenwestillhaveworktodo.Thisisamind-
setyouneedtochange.
Solongasyouhaveaccomplishedaplannednumberoftasksthentheneedforguiltshoulddissipate;even
thoughyoumaystillhavemuchmoreworkto�inish,thefactthatyoucompletedacertainamountofittoday
shouldbeacauseforcelebration.Assuchyoushouldgetintothehabitoftakingtimetocelebrateand
reward yourself for your work. Studying by following this theory will help you �ind ways to stop
procrastinating,improveyourstudyandhelpyoulearn.
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EssayWriting:TopTipsforWritinganEssay
1.PlanyourEssayStructure
Puttingtheeffortintoplanningyouressaycandemonstratethatyouknowwhatyou'retalkingaboutand
thatyoudeserveagoodgrade.Startoffbybrainstormingsomeideasontopicstodiscussinyourarticleand
researchingtheconceptyouwillbeexploring.Planningyouressaybeforeyoubeginputtingpentopaperor
�ingertokeyboardcanhelpyoufocusandincludeallrelevantinformation.StudentscanuseMindMapsto
outlineanessayorassignmentasatheycanrepresentavisualoverviewofkeydiscussionpointsandany
otherinformationtobehighlightedtothereaderinanessay.SeeexamplebelowhowyoucanuseMind
Mapstoplanthestructureofyouressay:
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2.DemonstrateyourKnowledge
Anessay isawayof showing thereader thatyouknowtheanswer to thequestionposed.Afteryour
introductory paragraph, you should delve into themain content of your academic essay such as the
principlesofatheory,analysisofliterature,thereasonsfororagainstanargumentandyouropinion–
dependingonthequestiontype.
Asisthecasewithmanystudents,youmayknowtheanswerbut�indithardtodemonstratethisinawritten
assignmentorexamquestion.Avoiddigressingandensurethatyouanswertheactualquestionasked.For
bonus points, include examples where you can or relevant quotes from experts. Often, it's the extra
informationlikethisthatearnsstudentsthegradetheyreceive.
3.AdaptyourWritingStyle
Rulenumberoneofessaywriting;knowyouraudience.Ifyouarewritinganacademicessay,yourwriting
shouldbefairlyformalandimpersonal.Universityassignmentsoftenfocusonanalysisandsynthesisof
informationwhereaswritinganessayinhighschoolrequirestheoreticalprinciplesandthereportingof
keyfacts.
Aswellasadaptingyourwritingstyleforyouraudience,thereare4maintypesofessaysyoumayneedto
adaptyourwritingstyleto;narrativeessays,descriptiveessays,expositoryessaysandpersuasiveessays.
Onceyouunderstandwhoyouraudienceisandwhichtypeofessayisrequired,youwillknowhowto
presentcompellingcontent.
“Youcan'tstudythedarknessby�loodingitwithlight.”
―EdwardAbbey,TheBestofEdwardAbbey
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4.UseOnlineToolsandApps
AseasonedwriterwillhavetoolssuchasThesaurus.comandDailyWritingTipsbookmarkedforef�iciency.
TherearealsoahostoffreestudentappssuchasTheOxfordDictionaryandJumpCutwhichcanhelprescue
youfromwritersblock.
IfyouarealreadysigneduptoExamTime,youcanuseourfreeonlinelearningtoolsforessaywritingalso.
Asabove,ourMindMapsareperfectforplanningthestructureofyouressay.Flashcardsareagreatwayto
gatherusefulgrammartipsorwordsyouwanttoincludeinthe�inalpaper.AsyoucangenerateaNotefrom
yourMindMapplan,thiswillhelpyousavetimewhen�inalisingyourassignment.
5.AvoidtheWorstAcademicSin
Manyuniversitiestakeplagiarismsoseriouslythatastudentcanbeaskedtoleavetheinstitutioniffound
guiltyofthismajoracademicsin.Plagiarism-theworstacademicsin.Therearesomeusefulplagiarism
siteswhichwillcheckyourworktoseeifitisindangerofbeingmarkedasplagiarism.Ensurethatyouhave
read your university's plagiarism policy and referencing guide before including information from an
externalsource.Ifyouarewritingyourdissertationorthesis,thisknowledgeisespeciallysigni�icant.
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That Extra 10%
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StudyHackstoHelpYouLearnBetter
WalkBeforeanExam
It'sbeenproventhatexercisecanboostyourmemoryandbrainpower.ResearchconductedbyDr.Chuck
HillmanoftheUniversityofIllinoisprovidesevidencethatabout20minutesexercisebeforeanexamcan
improveperformance.
SpeakOutLoudInsteadofSimplyReading
Althoughthismaymakeyoulookalittlecrazy,giveitago!Youwillbesurprisedhowmuchmoreyoucan
rememberwhenyou'vesaiditoutloud.Warning:Don'ttrythisinacrowdedlibrary!
TeachWhatYouHaveLearned
Thebestwaytotestifyoureallyunderstandsomethingistotrytoteachittosomeoneelse.Ifyoucan'tget
anyonetolistentoyouexplain ,whynotteachaclassofstuffedanimals!thePythagoreanTheorem
RewardYourselfwithaTreat
Therearemanywaystointegratearewardsystemintoyourstudy
habits.Here's a simpleway tomotivate yourself to studywith
GummyBears.
DrawDiagrams
Drawingdiagramswillhelpyoutovisualiseinfomation
whichwouldbehardtodescribe.Thiscreatesavisualmemoryinyourmindwhichcanberecalledinan
exam.Youmayevenbeaskedtodraworlabeldiagramssuchasthehumanheartinyourexamsoget
practicing!
Meditate
Studiessaythatmeditationcanhelpstudentsstayfocusedwhenstudying.Notonlywillmeditationhelp
youconcentratewhenstudyingbutitwillhelpreducepre-examstressasitimprovesbothmentaland
physicalhealth.
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TimesNewRomanistheFastestFonttoRead
Simplyput–there'sareasonwhyTimesNewRomanisthedefaultfontonmostapplications!
Practice,Practice,Practice…
Practicingsampleanswerstopastexamquestionscanhelptrainyourbraintoretrieveinformation.Create
realistic,exam-likeconditionsandtestyourunderstandingbyusingthe .ExamTimeQuiztool
UseScentsorGumtoJogYourMemory
Thismayseemabitrandombutsprayinganunfamiliarscentwhileyou'restudyingcanhelpjogyour
memorywhenyousprayitagainjustbeforeanexam.Chewingastrangekindofgumwillworkthesame
way.
“Acreativemanismotivatedbythedesiretoachieve,notbythedesiretobeatothers.”
AynRand
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ABiggerBrain
Areyoufedupofwalkingintoaroom,onlytocompletelyforgetwhyyou'reinthere?Trustus,we'vebeen
there.Luckilythough,herearesometoptipsandtricksonhowtoimprovememory:
PlayGames&MindMapping
Nowadays,improvingyourmemorycanbelotsoffunbyusingawiderangeofgamesandappsdesignedto
trainourbrainswithoutusevenrealisingit.CheckoutfreegamesfromBBCBrainsmartandBrainMetrixor
eventhe toolsrighthereonExamTime.MindMapsareagreatwaytogetanoverviewofaprojectMindMap
or plan and visually are great to look at. Studies show that aesthetically pleasing concepts make
memorisingnewinformationeasier.
TakeaDeepBreath
Thisisalittletechnical,sobearwithus,butifyouswitchyourbreathingpatterntoaslow,deeprhythm,
you'll actually make your brain change to Theta waves – something that usually happens during a
hypnagogicsleep.Thesewavesmakeyoumorereceptivetonewinformation,soit'llbeeasierforyouto
rememberthingsthatyoulearnduringthisstate.
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EmbraceSpacedRepetition
Yourbrainhastodealwithalotofinformationeverymomentofeverydayandrememberingitallwouldbe
nexttoimpossible.Infact,instantlyforgettinginformationisanimportantskill.Butasaresult,youneeda
waytoinformyourbrainaboutinformationthatyouneedtokeep.
Spacedrepetitionisexactlythat–awaytotellyourbraintoenterinformationintoyourlong-termmemory.
Itworksbyshowingyouthesameinformationatincreasinglylongintervals,forexample:
Ÿ Youmightseea forthe�irsttimeFlashcard
Ÿ Thenseeitagainafter1minute
Ÿ Ifyourememberitafter1minute,don'tlookatitagainforanother10minutes
Ÿ Andthenforanentireday,week,monthandsoon….
Ÿ Everytimeyouremembertheinformationcorrectly,thegapwillincrease
Ÿ Untilyoudon'tseethatcardformonthsoryears
Ÿ Butyourememberit
Youcanusespacedrepetitionwitha thatyouneedtolearn.Thisisawholedeck(orvirtualdeck)offacts
particularlypopularmethodforlanguagelearning.
BePositive
Themore that you tell yourself and everyone aroundyou that yourmemory is bad, the longer you'll
continuetohavea'badmemory'.Manyexpertsbelievethatmemoryisactuallylikeamuscle–ifyoutrain,it
willgetstronger,unlessthere'ssomethingdeeplywrong.Sostopmakingexcusesandstarttraining!Adopt
apositivemindsetandyou'llbesurprisedatwhatyoucanachieve.
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UseMnemonics
Tryingtorememberarbitraryfactsand�igurescanbeanightmare–andthereasonisoftenbecausethese
wordsandnumbersdon'tmeananythingtoyou.Tomakethemmeansomething,simplyattacheachword,
orevenletter,toadifferentsymbolinyourmind.Thiscanbeliteral–forinstance,rememberingthefamous
nurseFlorence'ssurnamebyimagininganarmouredknightbattlingthroughheavywind–oryoucan
replaceeachwordwithanother,morememorablewordwiththesame�irstletter.Learnmoreaboutusing
mnemonicrulesbyreadingstudytip8inourpopulararticle“HowtoStudy:10StudyTipstoImproveYour
Learning“.
DoSomeExercise
Regularworkoutsaren'tjustbene�icialforyourbody.Studieshaveshownthataerobicexercisecanimprove
circulation(seeaboveimage),whichmeansamoreef�icientbrainandpreventionofage-inducedmemory
loss.Youdon'tneedtobeanathletetoimplementthesechanges,though–adailyhalf-hourwalkwillhelpto
improveyourmemory.
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GrowSomeRosemary
Gardeningisoftenlaudedasaworthwhilepursuitwhichisbene�icialtothehealthofbothbodyandmind.
However,ifyouplantsomerosemary,you'llbedoingyourselfanevenbiggerfavour.Thescentofrosemary
issaidtohelpaidmemory–andasit'sbeenusedtoboostrecallsincetheancientGreeks,wereckonthere
mustbesomethinginit.
BuildYourselfAMindPalace
Mindpalaceshavebeenpopularrecentlythankstotheiruseontheprogram“Sherlock”inwhichthefamous
detectiveusesamindpalacetoremembervirtuallyeverythingheeverseesorhears.Mindpalacesactually
arerealandalthoughtheydon'tworkinexactlythesamewaythatSherlock'sdoes,theyaresimilarandvery
effective.Buildingyour�irstpalacetakessomeworkandthereisalottothinkabout,soifyou'reinterested,
hereisacompleteguide.
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What is ExamTime?
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ExamTime is a free online learning platform that aims to modernize the classroom by integrating
technologyintothelearningprocess.WithExamTimeyoucanquicklycreatedynamicstudyresourcessuch
as , , , andaStudyPlanneronline.Aswellasthis,ExamTimeMindMap Flashcards DigitalNotes Quizzes
providestheabilitytosharetheseresourceseasilysootherpeoplecanengagewiththelearningresources
youcreatedanditbecomesacollaborativeprocess.AnotheradvantageofExamTimeisthatitcanbeused
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ExamTimehelpsthousandsofstudentsaroundtheworldtocreatetheirownresourcesandstudyinaway
thatsuitstheirstyle.
ExamTime.com|StudentGuide
See What Others Say
32
WhenitcomestotheExamTimeplatform,nothingspeakslouderthantheopinionandstatementsofour
currentusers,ofwhichwecurrentlyhaveover600,000.Seewhatjustsomeofthemaresayingandnotethe
differentareasofstudytheyareallengagedin.
Lauren – “Making a time table on excel from scratchwas very time consuming and a scary prospect
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ismoreengaging.”
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becauseIlookedatotherpeople'sMindMaps.”
Paul–“Usefulrevisionstrategiesformy�inalyearexam-EnglishLiteraturedegreeinBA(Hons)”
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itinteractiveandnotboring,soIhavebeendoingitsofar.I'mveryhappywiththeservice!”
Joanna–“Flashcardsmeanthatthingsarestickinginmyheadmore.“
Amina–“Twoweeksagowewereattendingabusinesslessonandourteacherletusreviseoncomputer.
Oneofthestudentsfoundawebsiteandshetoldeveryone.Nowmostofthepeoplehaveanaccounton
ExamTime.”
Tania–“Thisisfun;itnearlydoesn'tfeellikestudying.”
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ExamTime.com|StudentGuide
Revolutionize Your Study!
34
WithExamTimeyoucanrevolutionizethewayyoustudy.Ofcourse,thesearejustafewideas.Youcan
developyourownapproachtostudyingwithExamTimeandadaptthewayyouuseittomeetyourown
needs.
Ifyouhaven'talreadydoneso,weencourageyoutosign-uptouseExamTime'sfreeonlinestudytoolsand
encourageyourfriends,teachersandclassmatestodothesame.
We'reworkingeverydaytoimprovetheexperienceofourusersandimproveourfeatures.Ifyouhaveany
commentsorsuggestionsorjustwanttoshareyourexperienceabouthowyouuseExamTime,pleaseemail
usat [email protected]
Allthebest,
TheExamTimeTeam
ExamTime.com|StudentGuide
Notes
36
ExamTime.com|StudentGuide
