Olivia Brian is a 26 year-old Australian who volunteers for GOLD as their Resource Mobilisation Manager. In 2001 she graduated from high school in Australia, scoring 99.25 out of 100 percent. Here she shares some study skills and exam advice that worked for her.

From day one of my final year of schooling I committed myself to three hours of study each night – no more, no less. Early in the year my friends weren't doing much homework, and I wondered if it was silly that I was heading home to spend three hours bound to my desk. But later in the year, with exams looming, these same friends were studying for upwards of six hours per night – cramming right up until the night before an exam – while I was watching TV and relaxing after I'd completed my regular 3 hours. It was hard to keep up the discipline, but in the end the sacrifice was worth it.

Like it or not, exams are an essential part of your schooling experience. You can have all the knowledge in the world, but if you freeze up in your exam and forget that crucial answer you swear you had memorized the night before, its knowledge gone to waste. Your study technique has a big role to play in how you perform in your exams – study time can be highly effective or useless, depending on how you do it. The good news is that with some simple tips and tactics you can refine the art of preparing for and sitting exams and get the marks you deserve.

1. Set yourself a weekly study timetable and stick to it

Our brains respond well to routine, so tap into this by working out (you can also ask your teachers) how much weekly homework time you need for each subject and organize this into a study schedule. Make sure your family and friends know about your study schedule so that they are aware of the times each day when you are not available for household chores or socializing. Ask them to support and encourage you to stick to your study timetable, and encourage your friends at school to come up with their own study timetable. As a general rule, you should aim to do between 1.5 and 3 hours of homework each weeknight in your final years of high school, and up to 5 or 6 hours over the weekend. However, our brains work best if they focus on a task for 1 to 1.5 hours and then get a tenminute break. Work these ‘power breaks' into your study schedule to get maximum attention and retention from your brain. For example, your study schedule for Wednesday nights might look like this:

> 4pm – 5pm: English revision

> 5pm – 5.10pm: Power Break

> 5.10pm – 6.10pm: Maths revision

> 6.10pm – 6.30pm: Break (dinner)

> 6.30pm – 7.30pm: Science revision

Brainstorm fun and relaxing things to do on your 10 minute study breaks, such as phoning a friend who is also on a study break, going for a quick walk or playing some sport to get your blood flowing, listening to your favourite song or watching a bit of your favorite TV show. Stick to your study schedule no matter what. If your schedule says ‘maths revision' on Wednesday night but you didn't receive any maths homework at school on Wednesday, spend your scheduled maths time revising last week's work or, better still, look ahead at what you'll be learning next week so that you're ahead of your class.

2. Set yourself up with a good study environment

Decide on where you are going to live out your study schedule. If you come up with answers like ‘in front of the TV' or ‘at my friend's house whilst we catch up on school gossip', erase them immediately. Your study environment needs to be free from distractions and a place that will enable your brain to get the most out of your time. A desk or table in a quiet and well-lit room is best. Try to get used to doing your homework at a desk or table if this is possible, rather than in your bed, as unfortunately you can't write exams in bed and your study time is about preparing you for the exam experience. You can study alone, or experiment with study groups from school, or even with your brothers and sisters. Sometimes just knowing that the person next to you is also studying can help you to focus.

3. Turn your "nothing time" into "something time"

Start making great use of your ‘nothing time'. ‘Nothing time' is the time spent doing useless but necessary tasks that are part of your daily life. We actually have lots of ‘nothing time' in our lives and making use of it during your final years of school will allow you to fit in hours of extra study. Review your study notes whilst waiting for taxis and even whilst you're on taxis, stick little notes with important formulas on the toilet door, read your English novel over breakfast or get your brother to quiz you on algebra on the way to church.

4. Slow and steady wins the race

Start your study schedule early in the year, and keep at it slowly and steadily until your end of year exams. As I mentioned earlier, from day one of my final year of schooling I committed myself to three hours of study each night – no more, no less, no excuses. By studying every night from now onwards, you'll be able to firmly store all the crucial information in your long-term memory. Then in the days leading up to your exams you should only be reviewing and revising the material and resting and reviving your brain. That way, when the big day comes you'll be rearing to go and ready to win.

Finally, spend some time putting your schooling and your final results into perspective. When deciding whether to do 2 hours of homework or hang out with friends tonight, consider your future and ask yourself which option is a choice for tomorrow, not today. Consider yourself at the end of your final year of school. You will want to know that you tried your absolute best and that your marks truly represent you and your abilities. Remember that the stresses of studying for and sitting exams in your final years of schooling will soon be a distant memory, but that your results have the power to unlock your potential for your future and enable you to live out your dreams.

 

PERSONAL REFLECTION QUESTION:

How does your plan for studying for exams compare with what's recommended in the article? How could you change your routine to include some of the exam slamdunk tips?

 

TALK GROUP DISCUSSION: Study Guru

1: What tips do you think are most useful and practical?
2: What tips do you think would be most difficult to follow?
3: Is there anything our school/teachers/principal could do to help us with our studying? How are we going to ask them to do these things?
4: How can we support each other to study better for exams?