The 5 Steps to Exam Success

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The road to achieving

successful exam results may seem like a long and arduous one for most of us.

However, you shouldn't be discouraged from the journey, so long as you take it one

step at a time.

Follow this guide on how to prepare and keep focused on the journey ahead. If you do, you will reap the rewards of successful exam

results and break down the journey into manageable paths.

A word of advice from the

outset though; achieving good exam results should never be your only

motivation, you must discover your own motivations. While getting straight A’s

feels great and is a tremendous achievement you should have your own goals you

wish to achieve by successfully completing your exams. This underlying

motivation is personal to each of us but once you discovered this knowledge it

will guide you through the rough and dark parts of your journey.

While it may seem slightly

hyperbolic to compare exams with a perilous and adventurous journey there are a

lot of similarities, especially if you ever want to make it to the end!

Preparation is key, having the motivation and energy to get up and go—even when

it seems impossible—are essential and most importantly of all, you always need

to have one eye on the prize; the end goal, the destination, the exam!

Adopting such a mindset

will not only make the humdrum business of studying more exciting but will

allow you to celebrate the small victories along the way.

Many people will tell you

they find it hard to sit down and study; this may feel true but it’s not!

Everyone has the capability to study and absorb information; what we all can

suffer from, however, is a lack of motivation. This guide will give you tips on

how to implement study practices that help keep you motivated and help you

succeed!

Step One: Define

Before you start any

journey you need a destination and a map! Exams are no different. Most of you

will know roughly, if not exactly, when your exams will be on. Whether you’re

preparing for a mid-term test or an end of year exam, you should always know

what it is you are preparing for. However, it is not simply when they are that

is important. Before you even begin contemplating studying you should consider

what you want to achieve.

Do you want straight A’s?

Who doesn't right? But you may be setting yourself up for failure! Set

yourself realistic goals; if you got a C last year in English, aim for a B this

year. Realistically assess your strengths and weaknesses, you may have a

natural aptitude and interest in one or more subjects but dread others. It may

be easier to start studying your favourite subjects more often but you should

ask yourself if such a strategy is productive. If you need to improve your

grades in your least favourite subjects you should spend more time with these.

Before you start studying

write out a simple plan of the grades you want to achieve by the end of the

year[1].

A classic tool to help you

define your goals is to use a S.M.A.R.T.

plan. This refers to:

Specific:

This means your goals are

clearly defined, they aren't ambiguous. A good example would be: By the end of

the year I want to achieve an A. A bad example would be: I want to be satisfied

with my results.

Measurable:

Having clearly defined

goals means that you know when you have accomplished them. In the above

examples, you will know if you got an A or not, however whether you are

satisfied with the results might be open to debate. The importance of having

your goals measurable is so that you know when things are going right and can

celebrate your victories but also, crucially, you know when you have under-achieved

and can become aware that you need to change your strategy and/or work harder.

Attainable:

A goal can be well defined

and measurable but there is little point in doing so if you know you can never

achieve it. If you failed a class last year, don’t aim for an A this year. Your

ambition should be lauded but in the long run, if you see you aren’t making as

much progress as you’d like, you will be become disheartened and this will

negatively affect your motivation and study skills.

Relevant:

The goals you set yourself

must hold meaning. There is little point in taking the time to set yourself a

goal if its accomplishment means nothing.

Timely:

For most of you, having

the end goal of your exams coming up will mean your goals will have a context

of time. This is an important element of any goal as it provides an impetus for

action and means you know how much work is needed each day in order to achieve

your goals.

When planning the most

important thing to do is be honest and realistic with yourself.

Adopting such a plan

throughout your study, on a subject by subject basis, will aid you greatly but

having a thorough understanding of your ‘big’ or ‘broader’ goals—the goals that

traverse your subjects-- from the outset will help you contextualize every

action taken thereafter. It will give you a barometer to measure your actions

against and you will know if what you’re doing is in line with your goals or

not. Following this approach will give

you the roadmap that will guide you on your journey and will be an important

tool in keeping you motivated.

[1]

Or whenever you have set your

‘destination’ for. Also, take account of any minimum course requirements you

may need to achieve.

Step Two: Organise

Now that you have your

overall plan mapped out, you need to get supplies and prepare yourself for the

journey ahead! Three basic tips to get you started:

Never underestimate the benefits of a well-stocked stationary

drawer, having all the necessary tools to hand will save you a lot of time and

make your study more efficient.

It’s also important to have a proper filing

system in place! Knowing where everything is can save you countless hours over

the year.

Most importantly, having all the content you need at your fingertips

reduces frustration, makes you more productive and, of course, keeps you

motivated!

Another crucial aspect of

your study journey is planning. Creating a study plan and sticking to it is the

No. 1 tip for successful exam results. Unlike your S.M.A.R.T. plans your study

planner or timetable should be more specific and detail what you will do on a

daily basis, topic by topic, subject by subject. When you’re creating your

timetable though, make sure you include free time for relaxation and your

social life. You should also keep it somewhat flexible to ensure that if, for

example, you miss a day because you’re sick you can make it up at a later date.

The benefits of creating a

study planner are numerous:

Your study immediately becomes more productive as

you know exactly what you should be doing, when you should be doing it and how

long it will take you. You will get a better return on investment than if you

simply opened a book and started to study a topic. You become more productive

and your study is of a higher quality- it’s a win-win.

There are also numerous

psychological benefits of implementing your timetable before you start your

arduous journey:

You don’t panic, waking up in the middle of the night with the

dreaded exam fear, because you feel on top of things.

You know what you’ve done

and what you need to do and, importantly, you know when you need to have it

done by. So long as you stick to your timetable you can sleep easy.

This ease

of mind means you become more confident in how you approach your study.

You

won’t feel guilty about spending time with friends or watching TV as you know

that you covered you’re allotted study requirements.

A side note, some people find a study planner

too restrictive and as such abandon the whole concept all together. You

shouldn’t do this; if you don’t like timetables give yourself a number of hours

for each day. If you study more one day you can take it away from another day

and vice versa if you want to finish early one day you can make it up the next.

Such an approach could be very beneficial for some types of studiers. What’s

important though is that you have some kind of plan in place.

Another useful tip is to

use exams as stepping stones. This is especially prevalent for mid-term exams.

You should use these exams as a barometer of the progress you are making. You

shouldn’t be discouraged if that C isn’t yet a B but you should at least be

maintaining and hopefully progressing. If this isn’t the case you need to

re-evaluate your study patterns.

Getting organised is the

final step before you actually put your foot out the door and take to the road.

If you have followed the first two steps you will be well on your way to exam

success and reaching your destination.

Step Three: Create

When it comes down to

actually studying you shouldn’t just sit there reading your text book from

beginning to end. You should always be in the process of creating a study resource;

something you can return to again and revise later. This could be a summary

sheet, a note, a flashcard deck, a mindmap, acronyms or any number of other

tools that help you study.

When you’re in class,

taking notes can be very beneficial. However, depending on what type of learner

you are, you may approach things differently. Some people like to take down

what the teacher/lecturer says word for word, some put it in their own language

and some simply prefer to listen[1].

You should know which style suits you best as this will help your study

patterns.

When reading from a text

you shouldn’t read passively. You should be actively engaged; highlighting

keywords and phrases, making notes in the margins and taking down notes in your

own words. Doing these simple tasks will greatly improve your retention of the

topic covered. It is better to cover 5 pages actively then to passively read a

whole chapter. You’ll get more out of it in the long run.

Also, a tip on

highlighting: you shouldn’t highlight more than one sentence per paragraph as

if you highlight too much, it becomes meaningless—only highlight the most

important parts.

If you can put notes into

your own words this shows that you have fully understood the concepts. This

will help you when it comes to revising it as it is easier to recall something

written in your own language.

Flashcards are perfect for

memorizing vocab lists, definitions or formulas and can be used for a myriad of

other topics.

Mindmaps can be used for

representing your notes visually but also for brainstorming and planning sample

essay-style answers. Simply have each node represent one paragraph and include

all the pertinent information in nodes off that.

Mnemonic devices are an

easy way of learning of lists. A famous example is ‘Richard Of York Gave Battle

In Vain’ which gives the first letter of each colour of rainbow: Red, Orange,

Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.

Although it may seem easier

and more productive to use materials from teachers/lecturers and other

professionals, creating your own study resources so that they are written in your words,

and have your emphasis on what is important, will be an immense help when it

comes to studying and revising them later on and closer to the exam date.

Keeping on top of your

creation of study aids as you engage with new content on a daily basis in class

will mean less study in the long run and more productive study over time. This

can only lead to better results and greater motivation.

Creating different study

aids as you go along is the equivalent of putting one foot in front of the

other as you travel along the road. It’s not glamorous but it is what gets you

from A to B… or hopefully in this instance B to A![2]

[1]

These learners may wish to

invest in a Dictaphone to help them recall classes/lecturers.

[2] Too corny?

Step Four: Study

In truth you have already

started studying when you sat down to create your study resources. However, what I mean

by study in this context is different from the creation aspects. Creation is

something that should be happening all year round; after every class, every

week you should be compiling study resources. When it comes to study though you are

more focused on preparing for your exams as opposed to documenting what you

covered in class.

You should be going back

over the study resources you created from week 1. Study consists of taking the

content you have learned in class and applying it to an exam context. So, you

frame the content in the style of your exams. If all your exams are multiple

choice, then practice using that format! If your exams are essay style then

practice these. There are numerous ways to prepare for each style of exam. You

should practice as much as possible.

For short questions or multiple

choice style exams your focus should be on memorization.

For essay style answers

you should focus on making connections; focus on the topics that are likely to

come up and have a store of facts and quotes and ideas that you can apply to

differing contexts.

You don’t need to know

everything and you shouldn't panic if you can’t master a topic in its entirety.

You may be able to cover 80% of the course work but find mastering that last

20% takes as much time as the 80% that went before; this is quite common! If

you have numerous subjects or are covering numerous topics it may be best to

quit while you’re ahead and move on instead of expending so much energy on

trying to master that final bit of content. You have to think of the big

picture.

A good tip for exam

strategy is that it may be possible to disregard certain topics so long as you

cover other ones. This may sound dangerous but it is actually studying smarter.

It’s very important though, that you always give yourself options. If you know

you have to answer on three topics then study at least five. The question on

the day could be awkwardly phrased and might throw you so you should have

options.

You should prioritise your

subject topics in order of how capable you are at each and plan from there.

Everyone will have a weakness in a subject so you should try and strategise so

that you can give your best answers. This may not always be possible but where

it is, focus on your strengths and bolster your weaknesses enough so that they

don’t impact on your overall score.

Practice papers are key to

good study. If you’re lucky enough to have example past papers for your exams

then these should be your first port of call. If you don’t have any past papers

to go on, then don’t hesitate to ask your teacher for example questions or for

the structure of the exam. Having these facts is paramount when preparing for

exams.

When you start studying

you can see your destination on the horizon. It’s still a long way away but

it’s closer than ever before! You shouldn’t look at the approaching Exam with

trepidation you should greet it happily as the traveler would be invigorated by

the sight of their destination.

Step Five: Success

So, you've planned, created

and studied to get to this point, the exams are upon you! When exam time is

looming the stress may build. It’s very important to keep calm in this stage;

not to cram. If you have followed the other steps then you should be well prepared

to maintain a steady pace. You may wish to ramp up your timetable hours closer

to your exams but you should always have time to relax, do what you want to do

and don’t be afraid to socialise too!

The importance of sleep is

also something I wish to emphasize when exams are approaching. Getting enough

sleep is always an issue but the closers the exams the greater the temptation

there is to stay up late and study. You should fight this urge as much as

possible! 7 to 9 hours a night is the average and teenagers need the most sleep

out of all age groups; so make sure you’re getting enough. Been well rested

will give you a solid bedrock that will sustain you throughout the day and make

your revision more fruitful. It will also keep your stress levels down which in

turn will maintain your motivation.

Likewise with diet, it’s

an old one but Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Without

it your concentration levels will plummet and your revision will suffer.

By the time your exams

have come you should be able to use a number of ‘trigger’ words. These are

words that encapsulate a whole topic or area, when you come across them they

should trigger a whole host of different ideas to unfurl in your head without

the use of any study resources. When this occurs naturally you know you have covered

a topic enough and that you’re prepared for your exams.

At this point you are at

the foot of the hill, the final hurdle you need to surmount before you have

reached your destination. You shouldn’t rush to the finish line only to tire

yourself out before you get there, maintain the same steady pace, keep your

motivation high and be confident in the fact that you can reach your goal.

Homeward Bound

On the day of the exam

very little should have changed in your routine, you should be :

Be well rested,

Be well fed,

Be well prepared!

Have all the necessary stationary.

Plan to be at

least a half hour early as this will reduce any stress you may have and will prevent

you from being late which could upset all the hard work you put in.

If you do

find you are stressed or are panicking take a few deep breaths to calm yourself

down. You should rest easy in the knowledge that you have prepared yourself,

step by step, for this, the final stop, on your journey to exam success.

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The Journey Ahead

Step One: Define

Step Two: Organise

Step Three: Create

Step Four: Study

Step Five: Success

Homeward Bound

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