Yep, it is that time of year again where the pressure is on, deadlines for course work are looming and now exams are rearing their ugly head. This is traditionally a time or short tempers, sleepless nights worrying and study, study, study! Futures are made and lost all in an exam, hope and dreams dashed or are they?
I teach students how to deal with exams, how to perform under pressure and to rise to the challenge rather than shying away in a nervous wreck. The whole experience of exams is what you make of it. Yes they need not be depressing or life stopping, it all depends on how you approach them. This is where I come in. Ten years ago I studied Psychology and Law at the University of Tasmania. I went in as an average student and came out with a 85% average. The majority of my exam results came in anywhere between 76% and 97%. This was not because I was Einstein but because I had developed a way of learning and remembering under pressure which worked a treat.
I now teach students the tricks of the trade, to understanding their thinking and memory in order to excel.
MY TOP TIPS FOR EXAMS
1) Remember to study! Just kidding, but to succeed you need the right head set, I mean mind set!
2) The brain is made up of 90% water, so, guess what in order to perform to your best you need to give it what it needs good ol’ H2O (water)
3) Create a dream board. This is great fun and help to focus you. Decide how well you want to do, what marks are you aiming for and print them out like it would appear on your results letter, then stick it to the board. (I find that Pound Shop cork boards are brilliant for this). Next find pictures of jobs or professions and what I call ‘psych it up’ words. Words that make you think YES I can! Make a collage
4) Get some perspective, is it really going to be the end of the world if you fail, will the earth burn up in the atmosphere, will man cease to exist on the planet? By putting excessive pressure on yourself you are setting yourself up to fail. There is a whole stash of research which points to the detrimental effect stress has on performance. For one it causes the dendrites of your neurons to shrink, in other words, it effects your memory and you may not be able to remember all the information you have learnt about a topic! So what is the worst that will happen? After the tears and tantrums look for a solution, it may be easier and better than you think!!!
4) Talk to friends and family about how you feel and work out ways round any difficulties, staying stuck or going over and over and over the fact that you haven’t studied enough or you can’t understand a particular topic is not going to fix it. Decide on a plan of action and get to it. There is nothing more sexy than determination and planning!!
Will post up more helpful tips over the next few weeks as exams begin to loom! Till then chill out, be good, and make the most of each and every moment!
Tanya
