Right now the academic calendars in schools are at very different points — one set of schools has finished with the final exams, students have got their report cards and moved into new classes, while another bunch is getting ready to sit their final exams. So some of you are in a chilled out zone, while others are breaking into a sweat over the colossal amount of course they have to learn.

If you are among the second bunch of students, read on. Some of the tips we are going to share here are aimed at making the preparations for the final exams easier for you and, hopefully, with better results.

The study tips being shared here are those that have the backing of experts and research conducted into study methods. Most are very simple, things that you already know and may be following. And if there are some that you haven’t followed earlier, try doing so now as you really have no time to waste. And let’s also not waste any more time and get to the point.

1. Write it out

Research shows that when we write down something, we remember it better. And here we are talking about writing by hand and not typing it.

Writing down what you are trying to learn or have learnt is a great way to cement the new knowledge in place. Start by recopying the important points, preferably in bullet points, as you learn them. This will also prove great as your revision notes. Looking at the books and notes as you do it is fine, but later on once you have completed a topic or chapter, jot down what you have learnt without turning to your books as it will act like a mock test for you and you will then know how well you can recall what you learnt.

2. Read aloud

Reading aloud anything – either directly from the book or as if you are giving yourself a lecture and explaining it to yourself – is one of the best and well-proven methods of learning.

Reading aloud means your brain is storing the information by seeing it and hearing it. And when you add writing down the information you have read aloud to yourself, there is absolutely no reason why you won’t learn it well. So the more senses you involve, the better for your brain.

3. Test yourself

One surprising observation by experts about learning is that the more difficult it is for a person to remember an answer or information when being asked a question about it, or getting the answer wrong, the more likely it is that the person will remember it in the future.

Hasn’t it happened to us that when we were asked a question in class and we got it wrong, the question and subsequently its correct answer remains in our mind for a long time. This is probably because it was a reminder of an embarrassing moment for us.

This is also why practising past exam question paper, getting a friend to quiz you on a topic or asking questions to yourself, makes the brain active and what you learn and recall during the process remains there for long.

Decades of research have alos shown that making yourself recall information helps strengthen your long-term learning. Henry Roediger, a psychologist at Washington University in St. Louis who has done some key research on this, explains, “The problem with repeated rereading, which is what most students do to study, is that it gives you a false sense of familiarity. You feel like you know the material, but you’ve never tried retrieving it,” he says.

So frequent quizzing or testing can help you get better marks in tests and exams.

4. Bedtime studies

New research shows that going to sleep shortly after learning new material is most beneficial for recall.

New research from the University of Notre Dame shows that going to sleep shortly after learning new material is most beneficial for recall.

In the finding reported on Sciencedaily.com, ¬¬¬ psychologist Jessica Payne reported, “Our study confirms that sleeping directly after learning something new is beneficial for memory .... This means that it would be a good thing to rehearse any information you need to remember just prior to going to bed. In some sense, you may be ‘telling’ the sleeping brain what to consolidate.”

So instead of reading any fiction, watching TV or browsing the internet, read your course book in bed till you fall asleep. And if there is something you are finding hard to learn, do read it before going to bed and chances are that during sleep when the brain is working at strengthening new memories, you will retain what you read before falling asleep.

5. Break it up

Breaking up information into smaller sections and reading and learning them over a period of time will make it easier for you to learn it rather than trying to do so all in one go. For instance, when learning the spelling of a long word, if you break it up into syllables and then learn it, the task gets easier. And you can’t just learn the periodic table in one go but if you learn a row at a time, you will do better.

6. Work it out

Research has found that just half an hour of aerobic exercise helps to improve our brain-processing speed and other important cognitive abilities. You can also do a bit of lighter stuff, like take a walk, do a few stretches or a bit of yoga and get both your body and brain charged up.

7. Eat superfoods

Eating the right kind of foods during your exam days, particularly nutritious and energising breakfast on the day of the exam can boost your performance big way. Research suggests that high-carb, high-fibre, slow-digesting foods like oatmeal are best for breakfast and oatmeal is more fulfilling than cereal.

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in certain fish, nuts and olive oil, are brain-boosting and according to one study, “eating a combination of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids before an exam reduced test anxiety.”

It is best to start eating a balanced diet, that includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, well in advance. A study conducted on college students in the University of Oxford showed that the performance of a group that was fed a five-day high-fat, low-carb diet heavy on meat, eggs, cheese and cream, declined while that of the students who consumed a balanced diet remained the same.

Another aspect of your diet that you need to watch out is your glucose or sugar needs. When you study, your brain consumes glucose, so take a five-minute break every hour to let your body produce more fuel for studying. You can also snack on healthy stuff like almonds, fruit and yogurt, during breaks to get nourishment.

8. Change study spots

Studying at different places seems to have a positive impact on retention, according to psychologists. In an experiment reported in the New York Times, psychologists found that college students “who studied a list of 40 vocabulary words in two different rooms — one windowless and cluttered, the other modern, with a view on a courtyard — did far better on a test than students who studied the words twice, in the same room.”

The reason for this, the researchers believe, is that every time we move around, we force the brain to form new associations with the same material so it becomes a stronger memory.

So if you have been just confined to your study table then it is time to find alternate places around the house, with few distractions of course.

9. Never all night long

We all tend to stay up longer in the night the day before the exam and as people reach higher grades, many stay up studying almost all night. But this can easily backfire.

A study conducted by Pamela Thacher, Associate Professor of Psychology at St. Lawrence University, showed that “all-nighters impair reasoning and memory for as long as four days.”

So get a good night’s sleep and review the toughest section right before going to bed the night before the exam.

So study well and good luck!

Published in Dawn, Young World, April 23rd, 2015