How To Prepare For The First Exam You’ve Had In Forever
Feeling a little rusty? Don't panic.
The feeling of walking out of your final HSC exam is like no other – stepping out into the bright spring sun, the bags under your eyes beginning to lighten instantaneously and an overwhelming feeling of relief consumes you.
If you were asked then about future exams, you’d have thrown your head back and chuckled in exhausted madness. Well, the future is now. You might be a little rusty after a long gap year, or a little too comfortable after a few semesters of strictly assignments, but exams are still very much a thing.
Here’s how to casually nail them.
#1 Remember What Worked For You And What Didn’t
Did you study at night? Did you work better alone, or in a group? Could you focus more at the library, or with your cat in your lap at home? Did you spend hours cutting up palm cards, only to never use them?
No one knows you better than you, so get real with yourself and don’t set a ‘study date’ with Barry if you know you’ll just end up with alcohol poisoning, keeled over in the uni bar bathroom.
#2 Planning Is Important
Work out how long you have until the exam. Quadruple check that you have the time, date and location correct, and that you know exactly where the room is. Or at the very least have left ample time to find it on the day. No better recipe for sheer, sweat-drenched panic than running down the wrong corridor with a minute left on the clock.
Set a timeline with goals for what you want/need to be well-versed in, and when. Hot tip: calculate the minimum mark you need to pass, but also what you’ll need for that HD.
#3 Sleep Is A Must
For god’s sake, please sleep. Set aside enough time for study that you’re not subjecting yourself to unproductive six hour blocks in the last stretch. If you start early enough, half an hour a day before your Netflix routine is totally okay.
As a last resort, if you’re cramming furiously the night before, try to sneak in even just a few hours. The No-Doz will keep your eyes open, but your thinking muscles will have called it a day. You’re better off catching some shut-eye and reading over your notes on the bus to uni.
#4 It’s Really Just Another Exam
It’s just some sheets of paper asking you questions you’ve been prepped to answer. You’ve done this before and you can do it again.
Worst case scenario, if you don’t pass, it’s not the end of the world. Best case, you absolutely ace it, and you’ll feel amazing reaping your rewards – i.e. the celebratory drinks – you worked so hard for.
(Lead image: Ali’s Wedding/Matchbox Films)