28 Sep 2017

In the middle of exam period when we’re drowning in flash cards and endless scribbled notes of revision, we’re all looking for ways to boost our marks.

Cheating is off the cards and you’re probably limited on time, so what are your options?

Despite the feeling of impending doom you may have, there’s still plenty of ways to give yourself the best chance possible to ace your exams. There’s no point stressing out, so take a deep breath and read on.

1. Start right now

Your teachers told you that you should have started studying months ago and now you’re only weeks/days/hours away from your exams and freaking out about what to do. It’s pretty simple, start now. Even if you feel like there’s an impossible amount of content to revise, too many concepts to learn and a billion essays to write, get on to it asap.

Set yourself up in the library or an empty classroom with your notes and get cracking. Avoid thinking about how much you need to cover and just get going. Focus on getting one thing done at a time and break everything up into small, manageable chunks.

2. Buddy up

Buddying up is a prime way to boost your marks this exam period for a couple of reasons. Not only will you have someone else motivating you to get studying, you will also be able to pool resources and get notes for anything that you might have missed over term.

There’s legit science that says studying in groups helps students learn more effectively; Dr Thomas Neilsen from the University of Canberra says that you can find energy and inspiration from the people around you, and he’s an expert on wellbeing, so it’s definitely worth giving this method a crack.

Plus, studying with your mates can make the whole thing a lot more fun and push you to keep going even when you just want to flop on your bed and watch Netflix. Be careful though, make sure you pick a mate who will actually study instead of persuading you to take a break when all you’ve done is the title of your essay.

3. Download this study guide

To get you through your exams you’ll want to get your hands on University of Canberra’s study guide. A holy grail of exam period, this guide will give you a heap of tips to ace your exams, the best ways to destress and how to make the whole studying process more bearable. Trust me, when you’re struggling to push through to the end of exam period, you’ll want to flick through this. Hop over here to get a copy, then grab your notes, head to the library and hit the books. You got this.