10 Key Strategies & Tips to Ace Your School Exams with Flying Numbers
No matter how much you dread exams as a student, they have a purpose of benefiting you in ways that you might not understand in your early school years, but they will help you go a long way in your future education and professional world. Not every student despises exams. Some very gladly look forward to it. The competitive spirit of the exams and the accolades followed by performing well in them are cherished by most.
The importance of good scores on school exams is not just limited to graduating to the next grade. It helps you build confidence, it gives you an opportunity for self-reflection, and you can gauge your potential. Acing your school exams with flying numbers feels rewarding and opens doors to many opportunities post-school.
Here are some exam preparation tips that you can rely on to perform well on your school exams. Even though every school year is different, you can ace every exam by constantly using these key strategies.
1. Know the exam paper pattern
Every subject has a paper pattern that gives you an idea of the weightage certain topics have. The paper pattern helps you evaluate which questions may or may not be on the exam paper. This is only to give you an outline of the question paper and the marks each format accounts for.
2. Focus on both your strengths and weaknesses
Your strengths and weaknesses could be across various topics in one subject or across all subjects. Keep track of it under both scenarios. Knowing your strengths will give you confidence, and knowing your weaknesses will help you understand what you need to work on the most. This way, you will invest time in subject areas that need more attention.
3. Use notes and flashcards
You can create separate written notes or highlight them in your books to refer to later. You can also use flashcards to improve your memory. This is one of the top exam preparation strategies as it effectively develops active recall.
4. Clear your doubts long before your exams
Do not let last-minute doubts fade your confidence. They are bound to occur. Hence, don’t be hesitant to take help from your teachers, friends, peers, or any fellow students. You can try to solve it on your own, but if you cannot, then make sure you figure it out sooner and get it solved before your exams.
5. Tutor other students
Tutoring your fellow classmates is like killing two birds with one stone. You get to help others as well as yourself. Teaching others is a good way to test your knowledge or do a quick revision.
6. Create a timetable
A timetable is of the utmost importance as it keeps you disciplined. You get to allocate your time to different activities in an organised manner. Make sure to create a timetable throughout your academic years and not just a couple of days before your exams.
7. Solve past year’s exam papers
Solving old question papers is a good way to practise what you have learnt. It gives you an insight into the kinds of questions that you can expect. You may come across some concepts that you missed out on or thought were not of importance. It’s a stepping stone in your exam preparation.
8. Make a list of important questions
You have to prepare every concept for your exams, but every subject has a set of important questions that you must put extra focus on. However, it is important to not neglect other topics and only depend on reliable sources for a list of important questions. It helps you narrow down your preparation and forms a hierarchy of topics based on their importance.
9. Make a list of formulas
Math and science are the two subjects in schools that have various formulas. It is easy to get overwhelmed by them. So, it would be helpful to note them down on a sheet of paper and refer to them while solving the questions. Gradually, you can memorise them and go through them for last-minute exam preparation.
10. Use online study materials if needed
Make the most of technology by looking for extra study materials. But you have to keep two things in mind. Firstly, give more importance to your textbooks and, secondly, only choose reliable online study materials. Don’t overburden yourself with different sources.
Pearson’s K12 offers a cohesive learning environment for school students. You can use their Active App to learn at any time, at your own pace. The Pearson Active App is suitable for every learning style. Its study materials are highly interactive, which makes learning fun. You also get access to their e-books and worksheets that will help you ace your school exams with flying numbers.