IB Students! As our first half of the year comes to a close, it’s time to start focusing on our end of the year exams. This time of the year can be extremely overwhelming, and even harder without the proper study tips.
While these may not work for everyone’s learning style, I hope they are able to guide you in a better direction.
First tip: Create a Studying Timeline
We all know we are prone to wait to the last minute, and cram in all the information right before a big test. While it may be efficient in the short-term, we won’t remember all of the information in the long term. As soon as you find out about an exam coming up, depending on how long you have until the exam, create a pacing chart to follow. As little as 30 minutes daily dedicated to studying will be beneficial. The longer you have to study, the better.
Second tip: Limit Distractions
It’s extremely easy to lose track of time by scrolling aimlessly through social media during studying time. You can use two methods to limit distractions. First, if you know you will grab your phone instantly when you start to lose focus, put your phone somewhere you can’t easily reach it. If not, you can turn on “focus mode” on your phone, or download an app for focusing. I use an app called Plantie in which as I use it for focus time, it gives me coins to plant online trees! The more you limit your distractions, the more efficiently you study.
Third tip: Know your Learning Style
There’s three types of common learning styles: visual, auditory, and hands-on. Knowing how you learn best will help you soak up the information better! If you are a visual type of person, make flashcards, write down the information repetitively, or use diagrams.. Auditory? Record yourself speaking and play it back to yourself, or watch videos. Hands-on? Play a game with the information, such as on Quizlet, or act it out!
Make sure to store whichever method you use somewhere where you can go back to it for repetitive studying! Good luck!