NGU Skyliner

Julie Cobb
Staff Writer

With exams coming up just around the corner, it is important to do everything possible to be prepared. Here are five easy steps to get you on your way to exam success.

The first step may seem like common sense, but it is very important nonetheless: study. Studying is the best thing you can do when preparing for an exam. If your professor has given you a study guide, make sure you review all of the material.

However, too much studying can be harmful.

“If possible, study no more than 30-40 minutes at a stretch. Many students retain more by studying for short periods with breaks in between. It all depends on what you’re trying to study, but generally, after a period of study, take a break,” Dr. Bob Kizlik, a professor at the University of Virginia, said.

The next step is to get a good night’s sleep before you take the exam. The average college student needs seven to nine hours of sleep each night.

“You can’t do your best work when you’re sleep-deprived,” Pamela Thacher, a psychology professor at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., said.

While you sleep, your brain processes all of the information that you have studied. So instead of pulling an all-nighter, turn out the lights and go to bed.

The third step is to eat a healthy breakfast. Students who eat well-balanced breakfasts perform better on exams. A study at Blinn College revealed that of the 65% of students who had eaten some kind of breakfast, 72% made a C or better on their test. Healthy cereal, waffles, oatmeal and a glass of orange juice are some foods that have been proven to boost academic performance.

Step four is to prepare an outline for essay exams. Writing an essay or two within the time limit can be a daunting task if you do not know what you are doing.

First, go through all of the topic choices and choose one that you know a lot about. Then, make a short outline in order to gather your thoughts together.

Once you have a general outline for your topic, start writing. Make sure you give yourself enough time to go back through your essay and edit any spelling or grammar mistakes you may have made.

Last but not least, be smart when taking the exam. When the professor gives you the exam, write down everything you can remember if you are allowed to write on the exam.

Next, go through the test and answer the questions that you know the answer to. After you have answered all of the ones you know, go back through the test and reread the questions. Then answer the ones you think you know the answer to and guess on ones that you cannot figure out.

After answering all the questions, go back through the exam and check your answers. Remember, keep track of time and do not panic!

Tags: Fall 2009, Vol. 109 - Issue 11

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 and is filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.