The single most scary part of student life, whether it is through school or well into post-graduation, is the thought of having to face exams. The word “exam” has terrified generations after generations of students all over the country, but never before has it brought on such levels of stress and nervousness. In a world of cut-throat competition, even the highest scores are sometimes not enough, so pre-exam stress becomes uncontrollable. Here are a few nifty tips to help your child get over the exam fever and make sure they put their best foot forward when the time comes!
1. Let them get an early start
I am sure your kids have definitely heard this said all the time. It’s not the best idea to start studying just the night before an exam. Spend your valuable time to help them understand and assimilate concepts.
2. Organise the study area
Let them have a personal space to study which does not have distractions. You will be surprised to know how much the interiors of the room can distract a child. Don’t let them develop the habit of studying on the bed. Invest in a good study table that has enough space for them to organise their books, notes etc. You don’t want them to get frustrated trying to locate the particular notes they need in the middle of a study session. That will break their chain of thought and distract them when they need to focus.
3. Give them the space
Listen to your child when they struggle with studying. If anything makes them uncomfortable, try to understand what that is. For example, if your child is used to studying with music, let them have a playlist in place, so they don’t have to break their mental processes because of unwanted music. Let them tackle one subject at a time, so there is no unnecessary pressure of “there’s so much to do!”.
4. Teach them to plan well
Teach them to budget their time well. Try to evaluate how much time each topic could take. Don’t be too ambitious, give them enough time to truly understand rather than just remembering what they read. If they are pressed for time, list down topics and chapters in descending order of priority and approach in that order. Don’t make each study session too long and try to have some variety in the study material over the course of a session or a day to preclude boredom. Also try to allocate some time for revision, at least of the really important portions.
5. Encourage group studies
Contrary to what you may think, a group session helps your child. For starters you can’t really solve every doubt that your child has and he/she may also feel intimidated studying from you many times. Studying with a friend or in groups has multiple benefits. It is a great way to keep your child motivated and fight back boredom. Having people studying the same stuff around them is a great opportunity to clear doubts and gain new insights. Group study sessions can help remove a lot of doubts and misconceptions in addition to being useful for testing each other with questions.
6. Conduct mock exams
Invest time in making a question paper that is based on previous years exams. Apart from the format, keep the environment as close to an actual exam- time bound, privacy, answer sheets etc. When you correct the paper of your child, explain their mistakes and acknowledge what they have done right. Let them revisit their mistakes as part of the revision. Old question papers also help them figure out the portions that are worth more marks. This makes the actual exams a little less daunting.
7. Taking breaks is important
Remember to let them take plenty of breaks in-between study sessions. This will help them come back with a fresh and more relaxed perspective. It also helps ensure that they don’t overload their brain. Let them plan their breaks according to the times of day or night and according to their tendency to be productive.
8. Let them use the breaks wisely
It’s important to be mindful of what they do during their breaks. Watching TV or playing video games is likely to tax their eyes and brain even further. Instead, a short walk outdoors during the day to take the mind off things is far more beneficial. They will also collect some Vitamin D in the sun; it helps keep the brain healthy. Make sure they switch off completely during the break rather than spending it worrying about the exam or the portions.
9. Avoid rote learning
It might seem like the easiest thing to do, but they run the risk of forgetting everything they’ve learnt “by heart” when they see the question paper. One could even panic if one would forget a single word and then end up failing to remember the entire answer because of one word. While it is crucial to remember some keywords (especially while studying definitions), remember that context is the key to spark off faster and more accurate recall. Take your time to help them contextualise everything they study. The chances of remembering it are significantly higher than if simply rote-learning.
10. Let them dress well
It may seem insignificant or even frivolous, but it’s important that they give their physical appearance some attention. It affects everything – the way they respond to their own image in the mirror, the way people look at them when they walk by – it all has a significant impact on the way they perceive themselves. It is very important to appear confident and collected; that can help boost their morale in ways you cannot imagine. Help them.
Keep in mind that although exams are very important and marks definitely do matter, they’re not worth the mental and physical well-being. There is a very simple way to deal with them without causing more serious long-term damage to their body. Whether it is the disruption of their sleep-cycles or raising the risk of developing cardiovascular problems later in life. This exam season, help your child beat the stress with these easy tricks and let them face the exams with confidence and poise!
Our experienced academic tutors from UrbanClap believe in all the all round development of your child and help them tackle exams with ease. Book one today!