Intro
September is around the corner and back-to-school anxiety is starting to hit everyone hard. In this post, you’ll learn more about how to cope with stress and how to handle exams in a better manner.
Keep in mind that you’ve gone through every school year so far, so you’ll get through this one as well, no matter how hard it gets.
Getting used to academic pressure
After a relaxed couple of months over the summer, the initial workload from academics may be overwhelming.
It is essential to prepare mentally - perhaps familiarising yourself with the topics you may be learning during the first week for all your subjects. Most teachers will provide a syllabus, or if you’re following an exam curriculum, you can use that syllabus.
Keep procrastination minimal - it may be hard to remove all the distractions, but getting work done first and then seeking entertainment is a better alternative.
Find good studying techniques for you - whether it is for time management, such as the Pomodoro technique, or learning, such as the Feynman technique, acquiring a suitable method is vital.
Ensure that you have a sleep schedule that works for you - eight hours is recommended, but usually not feasible for most of Gen Z, but having a consistent sleep record can help you focus on schoolwork.
Balancing extracurricular activities
Whether you are a student-athlete or a young changemaker passionate about environmental issues, extracurricular activities are time-consuming. Make sure that you do not join too many clubs, especially for the sole purpose of your CV - most times, if you have too many, you could easily burn out, and will be overlooked by universities and others. Though important, balancing them with your academics, social life, and free time is necessary. Having a consistent timetable made with blocks of time dedicated to each aspect could be helpful if creating one is viable. Otherwise, having a planner or calendar, either on paper or online, would be incredibly convenient when you are busy.
Being organized
Note down your deadlines
Use different notebooks for different subjects
Have a calendar and a to-do list ready for the school year
Block out distractions on your devices using Chrome extensions
Download apps such as Forest to get you into study mode
Organize and clear up your desk
Preparing for exams
Though exam season may seem far, being prepared for them early on is extremely helpful. The best and easiest way to be ready would be to be attentive in class - take notes, complete assignments on time and refrain from distracting yourself. A great way to retain the information would be to review it for fifteen minutes every day after school for each class. Thus, you will not need to relearn everything once exam season approaches. The key to good revision closer to exams would be to do past papers if they’re available as they closely model the actual exams; otherwise, doing questions out of workbooks and textbooks would also help.
Sources
Evernote. (2017, August 5). Learning From the Feynman Technique - Taking Note - Medium. Retrieved August 17, 2021, from Medium website: https://medium.com/taking-note/learning-from-the-feynman-technique-5373014ad230
Kat Boogaard. (2018, January 18). Take It From Someone Who Hates Productivity Hacks—the Pomodoro Technique Actually Works. Retrieved August 17, 2021, from The Muse website: https://www.themuse.com/advice/take-it-from-someone-who-hates-productivity-hacksthe-pomodoro-technique-actually-works#:~:text=The%20Pomodoro%20Technique%20is%20a,are%20referred%20to%20as%20pomodoros.
5 Reasons why you should use past papers in your revision. (2020). Retrieved August 17, 2021, from Wjec.co.uk website: https://www.wjec.co.uk/articles/5-reasons-why-you-should-use-past-papers-in-your-revision/
Writers: Joyce Liang (Zenerations) and Hailey Wong (Because Mental Health)
Editors: Kate Chan (Zenerations) and Megan Kwok (Because Mental Health)
Artist: Holly Liu
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