exam tips

How to Battle Studys Greatest Enemy Procrastination
 1. We would like to thank Lojain Al Ahmary for writing this article. Lojain is an eleventh grade High School student from Dhahran High School, Saudi Arabia. It s fantastic to be able to share a student s contribution on procrastination. It is high school students, after all, who understand better than anyone the reasons why so many of their peers procrastinate. .....
Procrastination Do not delay what can be done today
 2. I have so much time left. Ill start it tomorrow. These were the thoughts going through Henrys mind when his history teacher notified his class that they would have an essay and a final exam in precisely a month. Well, it is two days before the submission date and exam, and Henry has not started anything. He is panicking, stressing, and cramming way too much information in his head on such a short amount of time. His fingers are vigorously typing, .....
What is procrastination
 3. Perhaps the most common definition of procrastination is the postponement of a task. Usually the individual undertakes a less vital task in favor of an important one or undertakes a gratifying task instead of an unpleasant one. This results in postponing the task to a later time. There are an innumerable amount of students such as Henry, who leave school work until the eleventh hour, yet they do not immediately realize what they are doing to them .....
Why do we procrastinate
 4. There are numerous reasons for a students procrastination, but nowadays it is even more intense than it ever has been because of twenty first century technology. There are obvious benefits that come with this technology, but students can avoid writing papers, studying, doing homework or projects with a click of a mouse or screen. It is important that these students realize that they could be using their time more efficiently; similarly, the time .....
I procrastinate all the time and my grades are fine Let s dig deeper into this
 5. The condition of a students work is not the same as it could be if he/she did not procrastinate, indicating insufficient learning of the task. For instance, this can be seen in the five year study of 777 marketing students at the Warwick Business School which was conducted by two researchers at the institute, David Arnott and Scott Dacko. They observed the final assignments from 504 first year students and 273 third year students, and discovered .....
Do you still think procrastination is good for you
 6. Many proponents of procrastination argue that is has positive effects on a student. Notably, many students believe that they work better when they are under pressure. However, according to psychologist Timothy Pychyl, the director of the Procrastination Research Group at Carleton University, this is just a myth. He states that there is not any evidence that legitimately proves that students perform better in a hurry Pychyl . Furthermore, many of .....
Want to stop procrastinating
 7. Figure out the why you are procrastinating. Is the task challenging? Is it boring? Does it require time and effort? If so, then this is why planning is crucial. Usually, students tend to leave the daunting assignments until the last minute. Instead, try to do them first because once the difficult task is over, you can do something you prefer without the burden of doing this particular task. Stay motivated. What doesnt kill you makes you stronger, .....
Top Tips for Study Success Infographic
 8. Sometimes you need to go back to basics to get the most out of your study sessions. Scroll down this graphic and check yourself: how many of these good practices are you following regularly? Source The International Association of Book keepers, designed by Reflect Digital .....
How To Smash Out 2 Hours Worth Of Study In Just 1 Hour
 9. A lot of the time when students sit down to study they feel like theyre about to climb Mount Everest. A long and painful time awaits them... This is hardly an inspiring circumstance to be faced with. Its easy to see why a lot of teens are suffering from the motivation blues. Unfortunately, the victim of the motivation blues is almost always productivity.Its incredibly difficult to engage in a productive study session if youre not feeling motivate .....
So how can we fix this
 10. Were going to take the task that feels like Mt Everest, and give it a make over so it now feels like a brisk walk. Not a walk in the park. Any productive study session requires some effort. Heres what your teen needs to do.Instead of thinking they have the daunting task of revising 10 weeks of class notes yuck , your teen needs to set themselves just one meaningful task. Only one. This could be: Making their own diagram of cellular respirati .....
The result
 11. Instead of staring at their desk or computer screen for two hours, your teen has just powered through a productive study session in which they completed a meaningful task that will directly contribute to them getting better grades this semester. Theyve completed a task in half the time it would have taken them had they not set themselves this one manageable goal. They took a task that seemed virtually impossible to complete, and broke it down int .....
And the added bonus
 12. Not only will your teen have engaged their mind to complete a tangible goal, they will feel good about having achieved something. Its very satisfying to tick something off the study to do list, and this is a powerful motivator for wanting to keep going. .....
How this works for me
 13. Breaking my study down like this into manageable chunks is the way that I like to study normally. Like your teen, I would feel extremely low at the prospect of having an infinite number of study hours ahead of me. But if I set myself a manageable 1 2 hour task, then thats all I have to focus on for that time I put can in the energy and effort the task requires without feeling overwhelmed. Once I complete a task I usually have a break make a c .....
Studying But Not Getting The Grades How To Find And Fix Your Trouble Spot
 14. As with most things, students tend to sit on a spectrum. The straight A+ students are at one end, and the first prize for most number of absences are generally at the other end. This spectrum is generally directly proportionate to the number of study hours invested throughout the semester and exam study break. However, there are outliers the teens who actually DO try hard.DO their homework, DO study for exams, but dont manage to get the grades .....
The trouble spot
 15. If you are or if your teen is actually putting in the study hours, but the hard work just isnt showing in your transcript, then to put it bluntly, youre doing something wrong. Somewhere along the line in your study process, something is breaking down. This is your trouble spot. And before you go any further, you need to figure out where and what it is. .....
Reading but not understanding
 16. For some students, their trouble spot arises early on in the study process. They sit down at the desk, pull out the books, but dont make sure they understand what theyre studying. Whether youre reading, writing study notes, or making diagrams, it is ESSENTIAL that you are studying in such a way that ensures the information isnt just going in, but is staying in. If youre just going through the motions when you study, then its highly unlikely that .....
Can you answer the question
 17. For other students, their trouble spot is further down the line of their study process. Maybe they do make sure they actually understand what they revise, but when it comes to applying their knowledge to practice questions, they may as well be written in another language. If this happens to you or your teen, then you are going to have to PRACTICE doing loads of practice questions. Im sorry theres not a magic wand solution to this one, but practic .....
How To Nail A Science Exam The Key Is In The Question
 18. Describe and explain the differences between the reactions of sodium and water and aluminium and water. Discuss the process of photosynthesis. Explain why car tires become warm to touch after a while. Dont worry I dont actually want to test you on your high school science knowledge. I want your teen see how the clue to nailing a question in a science exam is in the questions themselves. .....
What do I mean
 19. The hypothetical questions above dont give a lot. On the face of each one, its not obvious what the parameters of the question are. Where do you start? How much detail do you need to go into? But if you know what clues to look out for, the questions actually tell the student exactly what they need to do. Lets take the first question: Describe and explain the differences between the reactions of sodium and water and aluminium and water. On the fac .....
How does this work
 20. The word describe in this question tells your teen that the first thing they need to do is describe the differences in the reactions between both sodium and aluminium with water. Describe simply means tell us the facts. Your teen would need to detail what one would observe in both of these reactions in such a way that emphasises the differences between them. Describe the reaction of one, and then the other. I never said this was string theory. Th .....
To sum up
 21. When it comes to written answers in science exams, your teen should always be looking for signals in the questions. They should ask themselves what is this question really asking me to do? Of course the questions wont tell them the answers exactly, but there are always patterns to look for in questions that will come up time and time and again. .....
How To Make Semester Study Count Towards Exam Study
 22. Todays study technique is to help your teen make their semester study more effective in preparing for exams and other forms of assessment. It will help your teen stay on track during semester as they focus on how what theyre learning in school will be assessed. This technique is something that Ive only started applying regularly this year, but I so wish someone had told me about it years ago Luckily your teen doesnt have to wait until the end o .....
How it works
 23. The idea of this study technique is to frame your revision around the types of questions the exam or other assessment is going to ask you. I think the best way to explain this is to use an example. If your teen is studying Biology, lets say specifically mitosis and meiosis. They know that they will be assessed on both of these in the exam. It would be tempting to simply learn the steps of each process separately. Thats absolutely fine, and woul .....
How this technique can turn Cs into As
 24. This study technique could be the ah ha moment your teen is looking for. For all those students that actually do put in the study hours but dont get the grades they were hoping for, making this relatively simple change in their study process should enhance their ability to convey to examiners that they understand the issue thats embedded in the question. To get those top grades, examiners are often looking for that little bit extra that in dept .....
3 Simple Tips For Improving Your Teens Memory
 25. When youre frantically scribbling a semesters worth of information onto a page during an exam, memory becomes very, very important. Of course the field of memory is a dedicated area of interest for scientists. What is going on in our hippocampus and how can we harness its amazing powers? That is not a question to be answered in todays article. I would struggle with that one. But I do have a few nifty ideas about how you can help your teen impro .....
If its important write it down
 26. For most students there is a real benefit in writing stuff down. This is why writing study notes is such an important part of exam preparation. Theres something about the process of writing something down going through the motions of putting pen to paper that helps information stick in our memories. Your teen is unlikely to remember something simply by reading about it once. A good rule of thumb is that if its important enough to know for the .....
Hard facts and flash cards
 27. An oldy but such a goody. When it comes to memorizing hard facts for subjects like History and English, elements of the periodic table, your teen doesnt need anything better than good ol fashioned flash cards. Nothing is as good a substitute really, because its very well to think you remember something when youre reading over your notes, but this isnt a true test of your memory. But with flash cards theres no oh yes I know that. You either know .....
Talking it over
 28. If we wind back the clock a few years, we have Chris and I getting ready for our Biomed exams. Chris is one of those annoying people who only has to read something or hear something once and hes got it. I on the other hand, have to work at my memory retention a bit more. Hmph. Theres no way Im going to remember something I wrote down a week ago. I need to further input. Well theres one thing in particular that I swear by when it comes memory rete .....
Has Your Teen Figured Out Their Study Formula Yet
 29. Today Im asking you this question, because if the answer is no, then its no wonder your teen is getting the grades theyre truly capable of. If you dont what I mean by Study Formula you can find out all the gory details here and here. But the abridged version is simply this: Your teens Study Formula is the tried and proven process they go through every time they have to study for a test or exam. Their Study Formula should be made up of all the stu .....
Is your teen struggling to study effectively
 30. Two common sources of worry for parents is that their teen cant concentrate for very long, and that their teen does study but doesnt get the results they should from it. Does this sound familiar? Of course there are many factors that may be contributing to why your teen isnt getting the grades theyre capable of, but if theyre having the problems Ive described above, then Id bet good money its because they havent quite figured out their Study Form .....
Is your teen mixing it up
 31. Another reason your teen might be struggling is because they have no variation in their Study Formula. I would go bonkers if all I did to study for exams was read and make study notes. Doing these things is a crucial part of my Study Formula, but if thats all I did, my motivation to study would sink because it would be such a monotonous process. Its really important to try and incorporate different things into your Study Formula. .....
What Subjects Require Practice And Why
 32. Theres this thing that students who get good grades do throughout the year. To some students it comes naturally, while others have to work at it. Its the thing that separates the teens who get fantastic grades, and the ones who get less fantastic grades. Its this little thing called PRACTICE. Theres no getting around this one Im afraid. To get good grades in Math, your teen HAS to do practice problems. To get good grades in English, your teen HAS .....
Every student no matter how experienced or naturally smart
 33. Ive had this lesson drummed into me only this week and Im in my sixth year of university study. Im about to sit an exam that requires me to look at about 100 pages of evidence and come up with a theory about what I think happened, along with some other bits and pieces. As my lecturer rightly reminded us many times , do you learn how to ride a bicycle by reading a book on how to ride a bike? Do you watch a video of someone riding a bike? No. Yo .....
The Biggest Exam Study Mistake Your Teen Can Make
 34. If I had to pick one thing that prevents teens from getting the grades theyre capable of, it would be this. Well, maybe its second to not actually studying. Whatever this is really important. If your teen is putting in the effort but their grades dont reflect it, its probably because theyre studying everything, without studying whats really important. .....
Lets do a little math
 35. The school year runs for 40 weeks, give or take depending on where you are in the world. Forty multiplied by 5 equals 200 days in the school year, minus a few days off for public holidays, etc. 200 multiplied by, lets say 5 hours of actual class time each day, equals 1000 hours of learning every year. Thats a lot of hours. School exams are usually 3 hours long. Do you get where Im heading with this? 1000 hours of learning time squished into 3 hou .....
Straight A students know that effective exam study requires tactics
 36. It requires sussing out before you get stuck into exam study what the really essential must understand topics are, and making sure you understand those with your eyes shut and your hands behind your back like the back of your hand. Once your teen has that sorted, then they can move on to studying some of the more peripheral topics, and scrub up on the things that are going to secure that A grade, such as memorizing facts, quotes, etc whatever i .....
How A Study Formula Guarantees Straight As
 37. Studying can be overwhelming. There are so many pieces to the puzzle. Different subjects, essays to write, facts to memorise, formulas to figure out, study notes to write, slides to look over, websites to check out, books to read .....
There is good news though
 38. There IS a way for your teen to make everything simpler. This method streamlines your teens study. It helps them focus on whats really important. Its something good studiers utilise all the time. To have the best chance of getting good grades this year, your teen needs to develop a Study Formula. For those of you who have completed our Straight As email course, you will already have heard me harp on about the importance of your teen developing th .....
What is a Study Formula
 39. Students who get good grades follow a process when they study. They follow certain steps. They have a pattern. Its this collection of results proven practices that make up what we call a Study Formula. Students who get good grades apply this Study Formula EVERY TIME they study for exams. .....
What study techniques should your teen have in their Study Formula
 40. A really important point to make is that every students Study Formula is their own. The combination of practices and study techniques that make up their Study Formula will be unique to them. However, heres a list of study techniques and processes that would commonly be in a straight A students Study Formula.Making a list of all the topics that you need to study. Looking at past exams to get an idea of the exam format Writing study notes or typin .....
What your teen should do this weekend
 41. Your teens task for this weekend with your help is to have a think about what study techniques they already find effective, and then make a conscious effort to think about where these techniques might fit into their Study Formula. Your teen might already know what study techniques they find effective, but I want them to consciously think about where in their study process they fit. What Im saying is that your teen might sort of have a Study For .....
The Inside Scoop On Writing A Grade Essays
 42. Writing essays is like serving in tennis. Most people when they start out make it way more complicated than it needs to be, and produce something that doesnt look quite right. The pros do it smoothly and easily. Its uncomplicated and easy to follow. Well if that doesnt make any sense, what Im saying is that good essays are simple. Everything about their structure is simple the structure as a whole and also paragraph and sentence structure. .....
How can you help
 43. You can help your teen make their writing simpler and more like a straight A students by helping them plan their essays. It is absolutely impossible to write a top grade essay without having planned it out first. Your teen might feel like planning their essays is an annoying addition to their workload, but in fact if they get in the habit of making essay plans, theyll save a huge amount of time and stress overall. I cant stress this enough .....
Send me your stuff
 44. Its a bit difficult for me to get more specific when just writing about essays generally. So if your teen is struggling with a particular essay at the moment send it my way. Id be more than happy to give it a read and offer my thoughts if I see something your teen could work on. .....
The Most Important Study Tip I Can Give Your Teen
 45. I have mentioned this tip several times in previous articles, but it really deserves a whole article all to itself. This morning Chris and I were talking about studying Chris heads back to uni on Monday , and we decided on the one thing that has been most important to our study success. And here it is. In order for your teen to get good grades, it is essential that they figure out what they are most likely to be examined on, and pay much less at .....
This method gives your teen focus
 46. Your teen has a heck of a lot of material to go over during their study break. Realistically, there is not going to be enough time to study and memorize every single thing their teachers have said over the past year. Trying to do so is not making good use of the precious time your teen has to study. Trying to learn EVERYTHING is a fruitless actually detrimental exercise. It will make your teen stressed, make them loose confidence in themselve .....
But wont my teen miss something
 47. Exams are not designed to trick your teen, and examiners are not expecting them to know everything there is to know. Your teen will be examined on the topics that come up repeatedly in class the ones that they have spent multiple lessons going over. Your teens biology teacher might have mentioned some interesting/completely left field fact about whale sharks last August. Is this going to be in the exam? Heck no. But your teen better understand .....
So in a nutshell
 48. I guess what Im saying is that your teen needs to learn how to filter. What is important to know, and what is not. Study the stuff that goes in the important to know file. This is honestly the best exam study tip I have. I have others too in the Exam Survival Package . If you want your teen to really nail their exam study, help them make an important/not important list. Get a piece of paper, and make a list of what your teen would be foolish not .....
Top Tips For Avoiding Exam Stress
 49. There are many ways to revise and you will find out what works best for you. Exams can be an extremely stressful time, but so long as you revise well and avoid feeling stressed on the day, you should be able to succeed. Here are some tips to help you .....
Learn and revise your subject
 50. Dont study late into the early hours on coffee or the latest stimulant. Studies have shown that you will remember things more clearly and effectively if you revise when you are fresh. Practise bursts of revision. This can mean as little as ten to forty minutes revising. Time yourself and have a ten minute break. Its not always about quantity of revision, but also quality. Dont drown yourself in a subject, but take it one step at a time. Think abo .....
Discussing and revising with other students
 51. If it is the case of making a point, argument or giving proof of why you think something, then think an answer out loud to a friend to improve your recall and train of thought. At this stage, its a simple way of testing how much you know and to see if you can string a logical answer together. It doesnt matter how bluntly you put it. Let your friends or fellow students prompt you if you get stuck and prompt them on theirs, if they get stuck. Try n .....
How to look forward to the challenge
 52. Gain more confidence. No, its not a stubborn confidence you want here. Each time you get something right, you should feel good about yourself and more sure about the individual answer. Your confidence should reinforce this and make the task more enjoyable. If you have pitted yourself against possible exam questions, fellow students and revised your best, then you should look forward to the day when everything you have worked so hard for should co .....
Techniques for remaining calm on the day itself
 53. Go to your exams early. Usually, teachers or exam officers advise you to be there ten or fifteen minutes before. Arrive with the right essentials. Your teacher or lecturer should tell you whats necessary beforehand. Dont chat to every person you know who is also taking the exam. Exam nerves can be catching and you can feel more nervous beside someone else who is feeling anxious. If you are waiting before going into the exam room, take out a good .....
Why You Need To Know Your Teens Study Strengths And Weaknesses
 54. What does getting good grades boil down to? a. Being the smartest kid in the class? b. Going to the best school? c. Studying 20 hours a week? d. None of these. Of course, the answer is d. Getting good grades really boils down to being strategic. .....
To get good grades your teen needs to employ strategy
 55. You would not want to head into battle without a well thought out strategy, and you sure as heck dont want your teen to head into study time without one either. A CRUCIAL part of a straight A exam strategy is knowing what youre going to ace without too much trouble, and what part of the curriculum usually pulls your GPA down the gurgler. I mean, knowing your strengths and weaknesses. .....
Dont let your teen ignore the parts of their subjects they find hard
 56. Because these are the bits they should be spending most of their time studying. For the stuff they find easier of course your teen should spend a bit of time polishing what they know to make for an A+++ answer, but it shouldnt be the main focus of their attention. Your teen will come out with much better results overall if they identify what they struggle with and spent some quality time sorting it out. .....
Where To Start With A Lazy Teen
 57. As with most things, starting is the hardest part. It doesnt matter whether its losing weight, starting a new project, starting a new job, or in your teens case, starting to give a damn about school. Old habits are hard to break. Its not easy getting into a new routine. If your teen has been fairly useless before now about doing homework and studying for exams, then installing good study habits isnt going to happen overnight. It will happen, but .....
First thing to do is to try and get your teen on board
 58. As youre probably all too aware, nagging is not an effective long term solution for motivating your teen. If you want your teen to do well at school, theyre going to have to get on board with the idea. Try and have a chat with your teen about adding regular homework/study time to their weekly routine. Talk about the future and the importance of doing well at school. The key will be to keep the conversation on an even playing field. This should NO .....
The next step is to get some sort of weekly routine sorted
 59. This means sitting down with your teen and deciding not telling them when theyre going to do their homework each day, and how much study its reasonable for them to be doing. In my view, homework is a critical part of academic success. It keeps the brain engaged throughout the year and not just when exams are approaching. It forces teens to go over what theyve learnt at school that day, which is crucial for consolidating information. How much st .....
If theyre really stuck you may need to see outside assistance
 60. Being stuck is a really crap feeling. If your teen feels stuck about their school subjects, you can guarantee the motivation to study will be pretty much zilch. You cant expect to teen to slave away over the books if they dont get whats going on. If theyre finding the subject difficult, its probably a good idea to get them some help. Depending on the subject and year level, you may be able to help them. If theyre a senior doing calculus, you may .....
What To Do If Your Teen Hates School More Than Anything
 61. Im not a parent. I dont know what its like to have a teen who hates school. I cant imagine how frustrating that must be. But, Ive tutored enough students to see how stressful and frustrating it is for parents. I get how badly you want your teen to do their best at school. I understand how crucial it is for your teen to get the best start possible to their young adult life. Its excruciating to see a teen with truckloads of potential who doesnt giv .....
Where do you start
 62. The very first thing to do is to put yourself under the microscope. Are you helping or inadvertently hindering your teens progress? If youre in the habit of nagging your teen to study and to do their homework, youve got to stop. Long term, nagging isnt going to get you or your teen anywhere. Your job is to be encouraging and supportive. You want your teen to know youre their friend, not their enemy. .....
Is your focus on the right thing
 63. The next thing is to make sure that the focus of your encouragement is on your teens effort, and NOT their grades. Of course grades are important, but if your teen is completely unmotivated about school, then weve got to get a few things sorted first before getting straight As becomes the goal. If your teen hates school, encouraging them to get good grades is pointless. They may not even believe its even possible at this stage. .....
What IS important is the effort they put in
 64. Making an effort is something your teen CAN do today, getting straight As probably isnt. Getting your teen to do just half an hour of homework/study each day after school is realistic. Its something that they can complete successfully, and its something that you can reward your teen for doing. .....
What is your teen good at
 65. Thinking about this may help your teen find something about school they can really enjoy. If your teen hates reading and would rather do household chores than write an English essay, please dont force them to like it. Of course its important that they try their best in every subject, but sometimes youve got to call a spade a spade, and accept that your teen is never going to like every subject. Whats far more likely to see your teen succeed down .....
Projection thinking is the key
 66. One of the biggest issues with getting teens to care about school, is that they often dont give a toss about the future. The part of their brain that deals with things like consequences and repercussions is not fully developed. Literally. So the cruel irony is that the time your teen is at high school is one of the most important times for them to be thinking about the future, but many arent able to. This means its up to YOU to help your teen thi .....
Ways To Maximize Your Output During An Exam
 67. Good grades are won and lost in the way students approach the actual sitting of the exam. Obviously its the hard work put in before exams that counts the most, but it would be a huge mistake for your teen to not appreciate how important having an in exam strategy is. Today Im talking about the 3 most important things to do in an exam to ensure your teen gets the most out of their exam time. .....
Make the most of your reading time
 68. Most exams allow for about 15 minutes of reading time before the exam actually starts. This time is not 15 minutes of leisure time, its 15 minutes that can make or break your teens exam results. This time is invaluable. It allows your teen to read over the exam, get an idea of its length and format, and sometimes they might even be able to start jotting points down on scrap paper. The most important thing for your teen to do FIRST, is to skim rea .....
Stick to your time schedule
 69. Students who get good grades dont only know their stuff, they time manage their exams too. One of the biggest mistakes your teen can make is to spend more than the allocated time on one question and consequently run out of time on another. At the end of the day, what counts is the overall grade your teen gets for the subject. There arent any prizes for answering one question incredibly well when you fail to answer five other questions worth just .....
Take a moment and breathe
 70. Being in an exam room is a high stress environment. All of the work your teen has put in leading up to it depends on the next few hours, and theres usually a huge time pressure. This pressure cooker environment can play funny tricks on your mind. About an hour after my last exam a couple of weeks ago, I realised that I forgot to include something really, really obvious in an essay. It was a point that I knew really well. There was no reason for m .....
The Simple Solution To Procrastination
 71. Its a terrible curse that even when its in our own best interests to do something we still procrastinate. Even if dire consequences await if you do. Procrastination is a particularly common problem for high school students. Perhaps your teen is currently suffering from a vicious strain of procrastination right now? If they are, theyre not alone. Every single person procrastinates. And unless some drug company comes up with a very freaky type of d .....
Our goal simply needs to be to get them to procrastinate less
 72. Procrastination is probably one of the biggest obstacles holding your teen back from getting the grades theyre capable of getting. Unfortunately, its more trying than ever for a teen NOT to procrastinate, with the ridiculous number of technological distractions at their finger tips I battle procrastination fairly well most of the time , but thats only because Ive been studying a lot longer than your teen and find it fairly easy to get into the s .....
So what is the simple solution to procrastination
 73. When youre staring down a long dark tunnel that seems never ending it can all seem pretty grim and depressing. And this is the way most teens think about studying. But when you have something to look forward to, its a THOUSAND times easier to launch into the task ahead of you. .....
This is why incentives can play a huge role in combating your teens procrastination
 74. Incentives will give your teen little beacons of light to look towards as they make their way through the otherwise very dark tunnel. Incentives punctuate study time and make it seem much less daunting. This is why they work so well. When a task feels daunting and overwhelming, its human nature to try and avoid it for as long as possible. .....
When you have little things to look forward to it makes the task much easier to tackle
 75. The way I use incentives is simply to set myself little goals throughout the day. For example, Ill tell myself that Im allowed to watch an episode of Friends if I study straight for the next three hours without procrastinating. Or Ill tell myself that if I study hard for the next few hours before dinner, Ill feel great about the effort Ive put in and feel no guilt in sitting down to a nice dinner and relaxing for an hour or so. These small incent .....
Everyone is different
 76. Incentives that help your teen battle procrastination may very well be different. Sit down with them and have a chat about what little things would motivate them. They will often have a few ideas that you wouldnt have thought of that might work very well for them. Using incentives it just one example of all the really simple things your teen can do to help transform their grades. Maybe using incentives will be your teens magic bullet for study su .....
An Effective Exam Study Technique Your Teen Will Love
 77. How your teen studies is critical to their exam success. Thats the underlying theme of everything we do and say at The Study Gurus. With the right study techniques and a good work ethic, good grades are within anyones grasp. My exams are creeping up horribly fast, only six weeks away now. But the good news is Ive come across a fabulous exam study technique that I know will help my study. And Im sure it will apply just as well to your teens subjec .....
Whats different about this technique
 78. A lot of students go wrong because their study has no direction. The reason this technique is so effective is because it forces your teen to think specifically about whats going to come up in the exam. This will focus their study without them even trying. Some students fail to think about their study with the exam in mind. Unfortunately this means that when theyre in the exam, theyre not sure how to mould what theyve studied to answer exam questi .....
Question and answers
 79. Thats really what exams are all about isnt it? The idea of this technique is to come up with hypothetical exam questions, and then plan your hypothetical answer. .....
English Exam Example
 80. Lets say that for your teens English exam theyre going to have to answer an essay question. Obviously they dont know exactly what the question is going to ask. But they should be able to hazard a pretty good guess as to what topics are likely to come up. What they need to do is to write down some essay questions that are likely to come up in the exam. And then plan out the hypothetical answer to each question. Lets say that your teen will have .....
And it doesnt just work for English either
 81. Ive used an English essay exam question as an example, but your teen could use this technique for all word based subjects. It probably wouldnt be applicable to math or other pure number subjects. For example, Chris is using it to study for his med school exams. He wont be writing out essays, but he is using questions like flash cards to prompt short answers. Im planning on using this technique a lot during my upcoming exam study, and I hope y .....
How To Make Your Teens Study More ManageableAnd Productive
 82. There arent many short cuts available to your teen when it comes to study. Theyre going to get out what they put in. But, there is something you can help your teen with that can improve their grades MASSIVELY. Not only will this change help your teen keep up to date with their homework, it will help them study consistently throughout the year. It will make their exam study far more manageable, less scary, and more effective. To help your teen jum .....
Why is this so important
 83. Because our brains like patterns. Love them even. Even if we dont want to admit it, we love consistency. And a weekly timetable will help lay out a study routine for your teen. If your teen is in the habit of not studying and not doing their homework on a regular basis theyre not likely to break the mould. Even if you start off lightly and build up the number of hours towards exam time , your teen will begin to think around their study timetable .....
So have a go at making a study timetablewith your teen
 84. Thats all Im asking. You can draw it or make it on the computer, it doesnt matter. What is important is that it includes everything your teen has on in an average week of school. Start by filling in their school hours, then their extracurricular activities, also dinner, and any other commitments they have on during the week. Then, fill in when theyre going to do extra study. This isnt homework time, this is going over stuff from class time. Last .....
Now the REALLY IMPORTANT part is that your teen sticks to this timetable
 85. Sticking to a routine and being consistent in their study habits is what will propel your teen forward. Getting used to studying and doing homework regularly is going to get your teen the grades theyre capable of. For extra brownie points all round, make a few copies of the timetable and stick it around your house on the fridge, on your teens door, and in their room so that they feel accountable, and are therefore far more likely to stick to .....
How to Secure More Marks In The Last Week of Exam Study
 86. With exams just around the corner we know how stressful things can get. Especially when youve got a number of teens at high school. If this is a position youre in at the moment may the force be with you. Hopefully your teen is going OK and isnt too stressed. If they are panicking, weve got a tip for them to help remember much more in the last few days leading up to each exam. .....
Make a Cheat Sheet
 87. No, were not saying your teen should smuggle in bits of paper into the exam. A Cheat Sheet is something your teen should prepare in the last few days before each exam. Its purpose is to help your teen remember things that are hard to remember. Content such as facts, important peoples names, place names, subject specific terminology, formulas, processes all of those fun things. Most students find it easier to remember more conceptual content w .....
This stuff can be a pain to study because you just have toknow it
 88. Our solution? Create a Cheat Sheet. So we want your teen to write down on a piece of paper all of these fact type things theyll need to know for their upcoming exam. Any and all facts that they can think of. Then in any down time your teen has before the exam they need to read over their Cheat Sheet. Perhaps before they go to bed, when theyre having lunch, or even when theyre not driving. in the car. The idea is that these tricky bits of inform .....
We found it really helpful to go over our Cheat Sheet just before our exams too
 89. Waiting outside an exam room is a horrible business. We dont recommend ever studying new information in this time its way too late. What will be will be. But looking over a Cheat Sheet will give your teen something to do, and let them consolidate all those nasty little facts they need to remember. If they want to be really sneaky as soon as they get into the exam room they can jot down the ones they always struggle to remember on the inside c .....
Get Top Marks With Simple Exam Answers
 90. Studying hard for their exams is not the only thing your teen needs to do in order to be well prepared. They also need to dedicate time to planning how theyre going to answer their exam questions. Because theres actually a right and a wrong way to tackle exam questions. And this is most apparent with short answer questions those requiring one or two lines maximum , and long answer questions those requiring possibly a paragraph or two . .....
How To Study For And Sit Exams
 91. Between the two of us weve sat quite a large number of exams since high school. In fact, we estimate weve sat 98 2 3 hour exams between us. This doesnt even include tests or assignments or internal exams. Thats not supposed to impress you by the way. Only to inform you we really have sat a lot of exams. And on top of our own experiences, were each currently spending three to four hours a day tutoring high school students about to sit their own .....
How To Write Study Notes That Really Work
 92. Making study notes should take up the majority of the majority of your teens study time leading up to exams, which is why you want to make sure they know how to create study notes that rock. Not suck. This article contains a simple 5 step guide to writing study notes that really do, well. rock. .....
How To Write Incredibly Bad Study Notes
 93. As a sort of continuation of the previous article, here we look at the art of writing study notes from a different angle what sort of things does your teen need to avoid to prevent their study notes from being as useless as tits on a bull. .....
How To Sit Exams Like A Pro
 94. When exams are looming its easy to get caught up in the exam preparation side of things and completely forget about planning your time in the exam. Thats right your teen needs to sort out an in exam strategy too. Not doing so can be the difference between scraping a pass and absolutely nailing it. .....
How Your Teen Can Make The Most Of Tutoring
 95. Earlier this week we talked about what tutoring is for and what its not. The crux of the article was that in order for your hard earned pennies to pay off, your teen cant treat tutoring sessions as homework or study time. Furthermore, tutoring isnt cheap. Youd hardly expect a $5/hr tutor to be amazing. So if you do decide to get one for your teen, you want to make sure theyre getting absolutely all they can out of their time together. Weve consid .....
The Most Powerful Procrastination Squashing Technique For Exam Study
 96. For many teens, exams are just a big annoying disruption to their social life. Instead of planning their study time carefully, they find it extremely difficult to knuckle down even when their exams are only days away. Procrastination. It gets us all. But it seems to be a particularly rampant disease amongst teenagers faced with upcoming exams. .....
How to Maintain Concentration While Studying
 97. Hopefully your teen is using these tips to build their Study Formula. This means theyre figuring out what study techniques work specifically for them. A Study Formula is basically a study routine. We want your teen to get in the habit of using the same study techniques every time they sit down to study. Once their study habits are set, studying becomes a whole lot easier. As your teens Study Formula takes form they should find that studying is no .....
The Best Type Of Exam Preparation Your Teen Can Do
 98. In this article were going to talk about the most valuable study tool for your teen this year. Subject Maps eliminate all of the major problems teens struggle with during exam study. They will save your teen huge amounts of time They will give your teen a study roadmap to follow when studying They will ensure your teen studies the right stuff, and ignores the surplus stuff. .....
ways to destroy exam time stress
 99. Sitting exams isnt fun. And preparing for them can be even worse. Sometimes a little bit of pressure can spur your child on to study, but once this pressure starts turning into stress bad things happen. Here are 5 of the most common stress causing complaints from students leading up to exams, and our solution to each one. .....
The Art of Purposeful Study
 100. A lot of things that an effective studier does are subconscious and dont actually involve doing anything physical. These non tangible aspects of studying are a lot harder to explain than the tangible aspects, such as writing study notes, making timetables etc. Luckily, I had an epiphany the other day about how I could explain an extremely important non tangible aspect of studying. .....
What Do Good Studiers Do
 101. When we want to get good at something, we look to those who have already achieved highly in that area. Would you take weight management advice from someone who thought cream puffseb were a healthy afternoon snack and hadnt exercised since they were 10? Probably not. You want your personal trainer to look amazing in lycra and have a six pack. In the same way, you wouldnt want your teen to mimic the study habits of a student who gets less than stel .....
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