Articles

How to Plan Your Time for the Final Exams

How to Plan Your Time for the Final Exams

How to Plan Your Time for the Final Exams, The majority of reviewing should be finished by now, according to an education expert, and the limited time before and during the exams should be carefully planned. Matric finals are approaching, and students will soon be traveling to exam locations.

How to Plan Your Time for the Final Exams

“However, despite the fact that the final exams are an undeniably significant milestone, students should not become overwhelmed by what lies ahead and instead enter this time with a comprehensive strategy to perform at their best. Basically, you should start planning your road map for the difficult few weeks that are ahead, he advises.

The Independent Institute of Education, South Africa’s largest private higher education institution, says the upcoming exams “represent the culmination of 12 years of hard work, and will play an important part in determining what options are open to you after school.” Wonga Ntshinga is the Senior Head of Programme: Faculty of ICT.

Planning and reviewing should now move from the general to the specific by doing the following:

Organize Yourself

It is a good idea to go over your study schedule just before the exam period begins. What tasks remain to be completed, and how much time will you have between papers? Make a new roster that takes into account the realities of the coming weeks and stick to it.

Make a clean working environment and a clear plan for what you need to do and study each day, and make sure you have all of the necessary materials organized and on hand.

Limit your reviewing.

Once you enter the exam period, you should have adequately covered all your materials. With little time available between papers, you must now focus your attention on the sections of work that are almost certainly going to be tested and master them, rather than trying to re-read all your textbooks in their entirety.

Breathe deeply and get your mind in the right place.

Your biggest weapon right now is the ability to remain calm and perform under pressure. Download one of the many mindfulness apps available online (Headspace is a good one), and invest 5-10 minutes in calming down your nerves before you step into the exam room. Managing your anxiety ahead of each paper will go a long way towards helping you avoid mind blanks during the exam.

Stay healthy

Don’t start stress-eating or staying up into the early morning hours before an exam to cram. No matter how hard you worked, if your body and mind are tired and worn out, you won’t be able to accurately reflect your effort in your papers.

Take regular scheduled breaks, get plenty of water, exercise and sleep, and ensure you eat as healthy as possible.

How to Plan Your Time for the Final Exams. Don’t worry about papers that have already been written, but don’t relax either.

Don’t start relaxing too soon as the exam progresses and the list of subjects you still need to write shrinks. Keeping your focus until the end and working hard for every mark can mean the difference between being accepted into the institution and course of your choice and having to consider other options.

How to Plan Your Time for the Final Exams

If, on the other hand, things did not go well in one subject, let it go and concentrate on what comes next. Stop worrying about the topics you’ve already written about, because there’s nothing you can do about the results. You can, however, compensate for a setback by focusing on and performing well in upcoming papers.

Defer your concerns, but keep the end goal in mind

What if I don’t pass as well as I need to? Have I left applying to uni too late? Don’t let questions such as these take up mental energy during the exams. Instead, keep a laser focus on the task at hand – doing as well as possible on each paper, and earning every point you possibly can.

It is helpful to continually visualise your plans for next year, and match that dream with the performance you need to get there. But don’t let these motivational thoughts turn negative. After the exams, you still have time to investigate all your study options, and to match your interests and performance to the amazing higher education paths available.

How to Plan Your Time for the Final Exams. It is worth taking stock now of where you are, determining what still need to be done, and getting to a space where you are able to stay strong, motivated and effective right until the end of the exams.

“Matric students face a challenging yet exciting few weeks ahead of them, and going into it with the right frame of mind and a clear strategy can mean the difference between an average and an exceptional performance.”

Leave a Comment