The Ultimate Exam Survival Guide

Written by BJANKA

Ah, exam season – that magical time of year when caffeine becomes a major food group, and all-nighters are the new normal. For me, my main source of caffeine is the white Monster – not because that is my favorite taste, but because the Zero calories make me feel less guilty about consuming energy drinks. Then we have the endless study sessions, the constant stress, and the pressure that feels like a drip, drip, drip, that will never stop (people who haven’t watched Encanto won’t get this reference :-)). Since I have finished all of my exams, and I know it is the middle of the exam period, I decided to write a blog where I will share some tips on how to ace those exams and celebrate in style once you’re done!

Study Smarter, Not Harder
Procrastination is the enemy, so get ahead of the curve by mapping out a game plan as soon as possible. For me personally, putting sticky notes on the wall helps a lot. The notes are putting pressure on me, so every time I look at the wall, by the way, I live in a dorm so it’s not like I live in 100 m2 and I have the option of avoiding it, I get the urge to do as much as I can that day so I can take down a couple of notes and sleep better at night.

When it comes to studying techniques, I am a pretty active listener for the courses I find interesting so I
remember the information from the interactions with the professors during class. Of course that is not the case for literally every class I have, so for the classes where my concentration was not at its best, I use summarization – I like to summarize things in my own words and write them because writing helps me remember.

Another technique I use is teaching others, but since I don’t want to push someone to listen to me explaining something they are not interested in, I pretend to teach the material in my mind so I can see if I understand everything. When it comes to pieces of information like lists and sequences, things I need to know by heart, I write them on paper and I go out for a walk, and while I am walking I read it, and after the second time it is already in my mind. So if you see a girl in the Zizkov area walking alone with a piece of paper, talking to herself, probably that weirdo is me.

Since I am not able to remember something that I don’t understand, when I am learning theory I like to use real-life scenarios that will make me understand the problem and once I understand it like that, that knowledge never fades away. Visualization also helps me remember, so if I am dealing with different concepts I like to create a mind map.

Self-care Isn’t Selfish
Sure, it’s crunch time, but running yourself into the ground won’t do any favors when the exam day comes. Make time for the basics like decent sleeping, and fueling up with healthy meals (my friends will find this hilarious since I am the queen of ordering junk food just so I don’t lose a minute from my time for grocery shopping or cooking instead of studying), and squeezing in some exercise to blow off steam. When I feel mentally tired from studying, or I just don’t feel like studying, I go for a run. Running helps me clear my mind and get some energy, so even though I am not spending my time in front of the laptop, I don’t feel guilty because I still do something healthy for my body and mind. Gotta keep that brain operating at peak capacity!

The most important thing is to ditch the negative self-talk. If you didn’t start studying on time don’t waste time on making yourself feel bad about it, that won’t help you, try to make the best out of the time you have left and change your tactics in the next semester. You’ve got this!

Exam Day Arrives…Then What?
You made it! After pouring all that blood, sweat, and energy into the books, it’s time to celebrate putting those exams behind you. But how? Since this is a blog that is going to be published on the university portal I have to keep it cool :-), so let’s say that you can celebrate with a night out in the town for drinks and dancing. Or you can keep it low-key, binge-watch a TV show, or whatever is your vibe.

If you’re the ambitious type, like me, after the third day (my third day is today) without the pressure of studying you will get bored of the freedom, so you can spend the post-exam period setting some new goals. Spend some time brainstorming what you want to achieve next – some internship, job, or writing a blog that will make your friends who are having their state exams this summer laugh a little bit.

No matter what comes next though, take a breath and celebrate first!