“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Exams—any exam—throw a lot of weight on your shoulders for you to carry. final IB exams are no different. The weight sneaks in and sits on your study table until you break it strategically and consistently.
There is no best approach to streamlining your preparation. Every student has their own pattern and strategies for navigating through the troughs and crests of preparation. Some days, you feel productive; other days, it feels like a painful stretch. But with the right strategies, although these can vary from person to person, one can get the most out of their preparation. Let’s dive into a few tips and techniques so that you can choose the ones best suited to your judgement.
Strategies And Perky Tips
- Early Riser Strategy:
You do not have to rise early to follow this strategy (this can make your parents happy, though). You can choose your study hours at your discretion. What this means is that you should start your preparation early, well before your exams’ date sheet rings the doorbell. Since preparation for IB exams can feel like an arduous task, starting early will give you sufficient time to prepare the right strategies for the preparation and execution.
- Building A Routine:
Building a routine is the first step on the ladder of exam preparation. Routines become imperative because, without a proper routine, your mind’s horses will run aground and nothing will get done. Having a routine gives you a sense of clarity in terms of your responsibilities.
Pro Tip: Take time to form a strategic routine plan, but keep it from burning in dust. Hang it nearby. Always leave space to make tiny amends so that you remain motivated.
- Jack, do not cram:
You will hardly retain anything if you just fill yourself with words, numbers, formulas, etc. Use various techniques to understand and memorise the concepts. There are a lot of techniques, but you can choose the ones you think are most suitable. Some of these techniques include the following:
- Feynman technique: It is a great way to understand your subject matter conceptually. This is a technique where you teach the concept as if you were teaching it to a five-year-old. Breaking down your complex thoughts into a simplified manner is the key to this learning technique.
- Flashcards: Flashcards are another way of retaining what you have learned. Condensing tons of information into small chunks is an excellent learning aid.
- Visualising the material: Imagination is key to keeping the material in your brain. So, visualise an elephant in your room or a cat sitting on your TV panel.
- Sweet Study Spot:
Find a Sheldon-like spot. Just kidding. Your study spot should be isolated enough to keep you focused and stimulating enough not to get you bored. The study spot is a personal preference, depending on what helps you focus. But having a particular spot will help your brain distinguish your regular work from your exam preparation, and you will tire less.
- Wiggle Your Toes A Bit:
Your brain needs time to dissect and process information. Taking regular breaks will help you both physically and mentally. You can also leverage the Pomodoro Technique to manage your intervals.
Pro Tip: Do not use this break to play a video game because your monkey brain might not like to study after this. Instead, take a walk and get something healthy to eat.
- Take The Right Approach:
Every subject’s exam follows a different pattern and format. While some will have more MCQs and others will have essay-type questions. Taking a different approach to various subjects becomes imperative. For example, MCQ questions will require an in-depth understanding of concepts, and essay-type questions will require good memorisation techniques.
- Switch It Up:
This strategy will help you work effectively on the subjects you find boring. You can switch your favourite subjects between boring subjects so that your concentration is not compromised.
Pro Tip: Do not dwell on that favourite subject and make sure to return to that complex subject as well.
- Eat Carrots Like A Bunny:
A carrot is a symbolic reward. Who doesn’t like to get rewarded for the efforts they put in? For instance, rewarding yourself after getting good scores in your past papers will keep your mind motivated and focused.
Pro Tip: Keep your rewards simple to avoid burning a hole in your pocket.
- Group Studies:
Group studies have also been proven for exam preparation as you feel motivated and confident by having others around studying at the same pace. It helps with implementing the Feynman technique more accurately. Help can be granted to students facing difficulties with a particular topic.
Pro Tip: Remember to keep some time for self-study.
- Revise, Practice, Review, and Revise:
It is less of a strategy and more of a process that will help you navigate your exam preparation effectively and efficiently. It is not imperative to begin from scratch. Start your preparation by revisiting your notes and other sources, then practice some past papers, review your results, and revise again. This will take care of all aspects of preparation.
- Eat And Sleep Well:
These are the primary needs in Maslow’s hierarchy. Good sleep and diet improve your concentration, and in order to prepare well, you need to have a focused mind and a healthy body. It is not advisable to stress-eat. It is crucial to cope with stress healthily—in exams and otherwise.
Some of these strategies and tips might work for you, and some might not. You have to choose your own style and add your flavour. And rest, effort and consistency will lead you graciously to the desired results.
Happy learning!
