Study tips!

After five years of high school it’s finally time for me to graduate. But before I do so, I have to pass my exams. The day you guys are reading this I am actually taking my IB exams and in about a week I’ll be taking my first HAVO exam and maybe some of you are too. Therefore I am going to share some of my study tips with you guys. If you’re interested, keep on reading!

Start on time.

My very first tip is a very obvious one, but start on time. This counts for studying for your exams but also for other tests. For a normal test I used to start studying about a week to 3 days before the test itself. I started studying for my exams about one and a half month beforehand. That might sound extreme, but if you have a lot to study and you want to pass you will have to.

Make a planning/to-do list.

The main problem I came across while studying for my exams was that I didn’t really know where I had to start. It was such a lot. If you’re going through the same thing don’t stress. I got you. Just make a to-do list. Write everything down you need to know. Then make another list with everything you need to do per subject and eventually make a planning. If having a planning/schedule is not really your thing that just stick to the to-do list. I’ll promise you this will lift such a big weight off of your shoulders.  You don’t have to worry about what do I still have to do, am I forgetting anything because everything is right there on the list.

Make summaries.

For my exams I have to study everything from my last two years of school. I obviously knew that beforehand so I made a summary of every single chapter from every subject and I put all of them in a big file. This way I don’t have to study four books, but only the summaries I made. This is something that takes a lot of time and you actually have to start with doing this right from the beginning. It saves you tons of time.

Use colors.

When I go through my summaries I like to write things down. This way I feel like I am actually doing something. So one of my biggest tips is; if you’re reading something use markers/highlighters to mark the important words. This way you’re actively reading the text instead of quickly going through it. This way you will actually remember what you’ve just read.

Also when you write things down or when you’re making a summary use colored pens to write down the important words. It does take a little longer, but this way the important keywords will stand out and it looks way prettier. It’s more attractive to read something if it looks fun.

Use sticky notes.

Another very useful tip is to use sticky notes. I have tons of them. You can get super cute ones from Ebay or just your local bookstore (I got the ones on the picture from Hema). They are very affordable but look very cute. You can stick them on the most important pages so you can instantly find the page you’re looking for. You can also write fun little facts on them which you’re trying to remember and stick them on your summary.

That was it. That were all my tips. I hope that they are somehow useful to you guys and that they can help you get higher marks or pass your exams. Just make sure you’re prepared and there is nothing you have to worry about!