Tips To Help You Prep For Exams Like a Pro!

Here at Campus Living Villages we always want to do our best to support our students in both life and study, so this week on the blog, we’re giving you our top tips to help you prep for exams like a pro! Let’s get into it.

1. Start your revision early

The best advice for students worried about upcoming exams is to start their revision as soon as possible. By revising topics, chapters and questions early on, you set your future self up for success come exam time. If you can aim to begin your study at least six weeks in advance, you’ll power ahead without having to cram at the very last minute. 

2. Prioritise your time with a study schedule

A good study schedule will be your BFF come exam time. Writing a list of important tasks for the day and ticking them off as you go can be satisfying and help you keep track of what you’ve got to do. Read our ‘How to study effectively with time blocking’ (link) blog to help prioritise your study day.

3. Take care of yourself

During exam time, it can be easy to burn ourselves out and stay up till all hours of the night to get that extra hour of study in, but this can be detrimental to your mental health and your results. It’s important that you take care of yourself first to feel your best – so you can learn, take in the information and perform well on exam day.

Don’t let exams get in the way of taking care of yourself.  

Aim to have 8 hours of sleep each night, drink enough water to keep the brain fog away, exercise regularly, and fuel your body with nutritious food. 

If you are crashing, don’t be discouraged and take a break.

Regular breaks will help you to keep refreshed and focused while studying. Breaks give your brain time to digest what you’ve been reading. So taking a walk, visitng a friend, doing a craft class or grabbing a bite to eat are all essential activities when studying for exams. There are lots of great activities in the Village to get involved in, or you can head to the games room to blow off some steam at your nearest student village.

4. Study with a friend 

Why not grab a friend from the village to study with? Studying with friends can be a great tactic when prepping for exams. Having someone to talk to about topics can provide you with new ways of thinking and learning methods, as well as encouraging each other to learn new skills and concepts. Having someone to bounce ideas off can really help while studying. 

5. Do practice exams

Practice exams are an excellent way to assess how well you know the course content and will allow you to spend more time focussing on the areas you’re falling short in. By practising exams of previous years, you’ll be able to get an idea of what questions may be in your exam, and you’ll be able to see how prepared you are. If you can’t find them easily, trying asking your lecturer if they can share them.

6. Never hesitate to ask questions if you’re stuck 

Sometimes when students don't understand course material, they may feel afraid that the questions they’re asking will make them appear unintelligent to their peers - but never allow this to stop you from asking questions in your class tutorials. Know that everyone is in the same boat as you, and you aren’t alone. Most of the time, you’ll find you’re actually asking a helpful question that all your peers are also really keen to know. If in doubt, raise your hand – what’s the worst that could happen?

We hope this has helped you along with your exam preparation journey and that you have some quality tips up your sleeve to help you power through. If you’re feeling worried or stressed about your upcoming examinations, know that we offer 24/7 support to our students at our Campus Living Villages as well as lots of fun activities to participate in if you want some friendly faces to smile with or someone new to chat to.