5 Tips to Help You Retain Concepts Better
Exams are synonymous with stress and anxiety for many of you. As the exams draw nearer, the stress levels build up, to the extent that all the year-long hard work goes in vain. We understand your problem. To help you retain all you have studied, and brace your exams with confidence, we bring you these tips.
Prepare from well organised notes
Just before the exam you are pressed for time; you need to revise a lot and all subjects. Going back to all through the year you have studied a lot—textbooks, teachers’ notes, reference books, online study materials, etc. is practically impossible. Instead fall back on the personal notes you prepare while studying a particular lesson. While revising further break down the content of these notes by preparing flash cards, listicles, flowcharts, diagrams, etc. Visual aids can be really useful.
Take breaks between studies
Make sure that short breaks feature in the schedule you have prepared for your studies. Human attention span is very short—ideally held at 20 minutes. So if you stretch your study hours too long, it is possible that you are not doing effective learning and might fail to recall them later. Take breaks, recharge your energies and get back with renewed confidence. If the work is not going too well and you have difficulties in concentrating, you may need a long break and go back to it later.
Go for a stroll
Utilise your study-breaks constructively. Go for a stroll, exercise, listen to music, chat with your parents or friends. In short take studies off your mind but indulge in something which will refresh your mind and help you go back to studies with a keener attention. For instance, you should not take up an exercise which will drain you of your energy; a brisk walk should suffice. Meditation can be a very helpful way of boosting your memory.
Eat small, frequent meals
Don’t get so lost in studies that skip your meals altogether. Eat small frequent meals that will give your brain the energy to function effectively. Food also makes one feel happy. So at times also give in to your cravings. But avoid a large meal as that might induce lethargy and prove counter-productive.
Sleep well
Studying all-through the night without sleeping—or sleeping for just a couple of hours—will not do you any good. A good night’s sleep relaxes the brain, helping it to function faster and better. So make sure you allow your mind and body to rest by giving yourself the luxury of peaceful sleep. Research says that lack of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep—the last stage of sleep—results in slower cognitive and social processing, problems with memory, and difficulty concentrating.
Achieving success in exams will be an easy affair if you keep these tips in mind. After all, all we want is you to come out with flying colours.
