In this day and age, we are well acquainted with the notion of studying hard. But how many of us know how to study smart? The art of studying has become a lost art of sorts. The true key to getting good grades is not just studying hard, it is studying smart.
Therefore, we at Bright Culture want to share with you our top 4 tips to prepare for chemistry exams. We have developed a methodical approach to studying chemistry that we believe will be effective for your child. Practice these tips and you will do better in your chemistry exams!
Let’s dive right in!
Tip 1: Do many practice papers at home
The trick to doing well in chemistry exams is to get as much practice as possible. Understanding the concepts through the use of a textbook may be important, but at the end of the day, you must complete the exam paper to show your understanding. To have knowledge is not enough for the exams: you must be able to display that you have knowledge.
Therefore, it is not enough to simply read through our textbooks. That is for daily revision. If we truly want to prepare for the exams, we should be doing as many practice papers as possible. In doing so, we are ensuring we obtain maximum exposure. By exposing ourselves to as many questions as possible, we are ensuring that we are familiar with question types and answering styles. Therefore, in the actual exam, we will be better able to answer the questions, improving our speed and our accuracy.
Tip 2: Simulate exam conditions as closely as possible whilst doing practice papers
Simulate exam conditions as much as possible. Remove distractions and get a proper chair and table to practice on. Turn on the air conditioning and so on. The more you get used to exam conditions, the easier the exam will be.
For instance, if your exam is 2 hours long, give yourself 2 hours exactly to complete a paper. If your exam hall has air conditioning, turn on the air conditioning. If you’re going to wear a jacket to the exam, wear a jacket whilst preparing for it. The list goes on. Although it may appear silly at first, the reason for this is simple: we want our bodies to be in a state that is as close to exam conditions as possible.
Even Bloomberg says that simulating real exam or test conditions can be really beneficial to helping you prepare for the actual exams!
Surprisingly enough, being in a specific physical state while doing papers means that our body learns to attach doing papers to that state. In this way, when the actual day of the exam comes, our body will become triggered to enter a ‘doing papers’ state.
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In other words, we will be very comfortable and familiar while doing the paper, since we’ve been in the same situation countless times and this is no different.
Tip 3: Switch up topics while preparing for the exams
Try your hand at all the topics and not just fixate on one or a few specific topics.
Although it is important to focus on certain topics while studying for exams, it is also equally important to ensure that we get exposure to a wide variety of topics while we study. The reason for this is if we consistently do the same topic over and over, there will come a time when we get tired of the topic. Once we get too used to the topic, it is wise to switch to a newer one. In this way, we ensure that we keep our brains fresh. To stay on one topic for too long is ineffective in the long run.
Although it is important to switch topics, it is also important to know how often to switch. If we switch too often, we will find our practices lacking focus. As such, it is important to take all things in moderation. Switch moderately to ensure a balance between keeping your brain refreshed and ensuring you do not get tired of the topic.
Tip 4: Make good use of teacher’s consultations
Most teachers are more than pleased when students come up and ask them for help.
It is important to realize: making good use of consultations is the “make or break” factor when it comes to preparing for the examinations. In other words, a student that effectively makes use of his/her consultation slots with her teachers will have an added edge over other students.
The reason why consultations are so important is that they allow us to ask specific, pointed questions that allow us to clear our doubts as fast as possible. Furthermore, it allows us to be able to get a more in depth explanation from the teacher.
In other words, the advantages that a consultation offers far outweigh the advantages of a lecture or tutorial. Make sure to build a strong relationship between your teachers or chemistry tutors and go for consultations often near the exams. It can be the determining factor that gets you your ‘A’!
Conclusion
In conclusion, these four tips will ensure that you are now a master at studying for upcoming chemistry exams. We hope this article proves useful to you and your child(ren). Stay tuned for more articles!
