How to Actually Study for Exams Efficiently

I know, I know, you're searching up ways to study because you got a low grade on your last test.

Or you just got bored of the way you used to study.

Or maybe the way you study currently is just not working well.

But don't worry, I got you.

At least, I hope I do?

Let's get started talking about how I study for tests and manage to get decent grades in high school, especially in an IB school.

Pay Attention in Class

You have no idea the amount of times I have accidentally started daydreaming in class because I wasn't able to focus and I probably missed out on some important info my teacher told our class.

I like to think I didn't though cause why would I want to remind myself of that?

But yes, PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS.

Your teacher will literally give you little details that are so important which may pop up on upcoming tests and if you manage to remember what they said, you'll be like "Oh yeah! I remember my teacher said to do this!"

Trust me, man. Been there, done that.

However, if you do somehow miss an important detail your teacher said...I have a trick for you.

If you know you're a person who typically zones out at times, then this will most likely help.

Make sure that at all times, you are staring directly at the teacher. Like, literally eye contact staring. When you zone out, your teacher will look at you and if they see a confused look on your face, despite the fact that you're zoned out, they'll quickly notice the look on your face and rush to explain.

This is extremely helpful as now you know what your teacher just said AND your teacher thinks you are being an attentive listener.

Of course, it may not work all the time but I have tried it and it seems to work perfectly.

Take Notes that Make Sense to YOU

I mean, there's really no point of taking notes about your subject if they don't make sense, right?

But have you ever taken notes in class and just felt like you were rushing everything because your teacher was going too fast?

Don't worry because same.

A helpful tip is to jot down some important details of what your teacher said and make it into a bullet list in your notebook.

OR

You could take a photo (if your teacher writes down what they're saying on the board) on your phone and save it until you get the chance to actually write them down on whatever you're comfortable in taking notes with.

After that, I like to color code my notes because it's just so much neater and prettier instead of just using one color that gets boring throughout the entirety of note-taking.

I literally never use pencils to take notes anymore because it just doesn't give that same effect, y'know?

I do use pencils whenever we get a math packet, because, well I don't want to write on it with pen and then mess up and then get white-out and having to fix that and blah, blah, blah.

This is why I take my "before" notes, the ones that are messy, not pretty at all, etc. in pencil and my "after" notes in pen or whatever writing utensil I prefer to help me study better.

I swear it helps. And it's so much fun to take pretty notes.

Search Up YouTube Videos if You Don't Understand Something

Sometimes we may not understand something at all or just need a little help on it.

You can ask your teacher for help but if you don't have the time or still don't understand, searching up videos on how to do something is pretty harmless.

It's honestly better since it's a video so you could go back any time to look back on it and remember a specific thing that was said.

I can't tell you the amount of times The Organic Chemistry Tutor has saved me in Physics, Chemistry, Math, etc.

Like, that man is my hero for real.

Meditate

And no, I don't mean like meditating by doing yoga poses or whatever.

But you could do that if you want to.

I mean like searching up exam meditations on YouTube.

TRUST ME.

I remember when I used to get such low scores on tests and the reason was because I was so anxious and nervous and I ended up making tiny, tiny mistakes that affected my tests tremendously.

But one day I was really upset after I got a low score on a test and I wanted to calm myself down so I searched up meditations for exams.

And there were so many??

I picked one that was ten minutes long and I kept doing that everyday until my next test and it actually stopped me from having such a negative mindset and I wasn't anxious anymore before tests.

And guess what?

My test scores improved.

So yeah, go search up exam meditations or meditate however you prefer.

Don't be stressed.

Have a Positive Mindset

Please don't have a negative mindset.

That's not going to get you anywhere.

Or it will, who knows.

But just not far.

You really need to start having a positive mindset.

Like start saying things like "I will do amazing on this test," not "I will probably fail this exam."

No.

If you're confident enough, trust me, you'll do better than you would have actually expected.

So no negativity, alright?

One Bad Grade Does NOT Define You

Yes, it may feel like the end of the world when you see that you got a grade lower than a 90% because you tell yourself that anything below an A is considered failing.

Anything below a D is considered failing actually, so if you get D's, there's still time to improve. Do not stress.

Take the time to study, look over notes, ask questions, and make sure to not stress before an exam.

You WILL get to where you want, one day.

This one bad grade does not mean you are doomed.

I have felt like this every time I got a score below an 80% and I cried because I felt like a failure.

We all have our moments.

If you constantly get grades that you're not proud of, you can work harder to achieve those A's.

It will happen one day.

Don't push yourself too hard but also don't get caught lacking.

I mean that in the nicest way possible.

Stay productive and don't procrastinate and don't do everything last minute.

That just stresses you out even more.

You CAN and WILL be able to do this.

In Conclusion

So to sum things up:

- pay attention in class

- take notes that make sense to you

- search up YouTube videos if you don't understand something

- meditate

- have a positive mindset

And most importantly, have fun with the way you study.

This may not work for everyone but if you want to try to change up your studying habits even a little bit, go ahead.

I love you all and good luck! You got this!