It’s May, which means we’re officially into this year’s exam season. It can be extremely difficult to study efficiently while maintaining a healthy mind during this time, so we’ve come up with a few tips to help you out. 

Take regular breaks

While studying for exams, people often try to study for long periods of time so that they can finish sooner, but this isn’t actually very effective. After concentrating for a certain amount of time, the brain switches off and it’s extremely hard to concentrate. The best way to avoid this is to take regular breaks allowing the brain to relax in between processing large amounts of information. 

Sit in the sun

With summer exam season often comes good weather… and studying for exams doesn’t mean you have to miss out. Sitting outside in the sun can so easily improve your mood and make revising a much better experience.

Practice old exam papers

A great way of knowing what to expect from an exam is to practice old papers. These can be found on the exam board’s website. Doing this will make you more aware of what to expect when the real exam rolls around.

Make a schedule

If you have multiple exams to revise for, or multiple topics and modules, it always helps to break everything down and make a schedule for how you plan to study. As mentioned earlier, it’s also important to make sure you schedule breaks into your plan. 

Make it visual

One thing people always forget is that revision doesn’t just have to be reading a textbook over and over again. A great way to help your brain take in information is to create things like colourful posters, cue cards and diagrams.

Organise study groups

Although studying alone can sometimes be more effective, it’s also a good idea to change things up and study in a group. This allows you to be able to explain your answers to each other as well as learn things from other people which you might have missed out if studying alone. A great idea for this is to book out one of the study rooms in the Library. 

Drink plenty of water

It’s always important to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated, but even more so during exam season. Drinking lots of water throughout the day will improve your mood and concentration and is far better than trying to stay energised with energy drinks. 

Snack on healthy food

The temptation to reach for an unhealthy snack while studying is usually much higher than usual, but this will only make you more tired and less likely to concentrate. Making healthier choices with food will help you keep your brain switched on.

Get plenty of sleep

As well as making healthy choices throughout the day, it’s important to ensure you’re getting enough sleep each night so that you are fully rested throughout the day. It’s a good idea to get into a habit of going to bed at a good time, and waking up early to start your day. 

Plan your day

It’s always useful to plan the day of your exam to avoid extra anxiety and stress on the day. Plan a time to get up, eat a good breakfast and also allow yourself plenty of time to get there – the last thing you want is to be rushing around right before your exam.