It’s a great reflection of your commitment to study if you are reading this section at the start of the semester or much earlier than exam time. If this is the case, then Pogojo’s tips are going to have you leaps and bounds ahead of the rest. Read more about how to prepare long before your exams.

Or need to call in sick to work to study for an exam? you got to follow some rules first.

Studying before exams:

• Create a study timetable or study in chunks of time. Mix up subjects so that you use some parts of your brain while giving other parts of your brain a rest. If you are more alert during the day, then use the day time to tackle subjects that need most of your energy and study and revise content that is easier to go over later on in the day or at night.
• Write a “to-do list” with the topics and tasks you need to tackle based on the subjects you have to cover on your timetable. This puts your workload in to perspective and give you a sense of progress and accomplishment as you tick each item off.
• Prioritize your studying based on the difficulty of the subjects and course material, the amount of information you need to cover, and of course, the order of your exams, which should be reflected in your study timetable.
• Summarize each unit of the course whether you write or type your notes is up to you.  Writing out notes can sometimes help memorize the content better.  
• Highlight sections of information that you need to familiarize yourself with still. Recap by reading and re-writing these points out. Look over the easy work first and then focus your energy on points you need to revise. There’s no point in wasting reading time and brain space looking over information that you already know! 
• Take notes! Use techniques that suit your style of studying. Learn more about techniques of taking note.
  
• Use past exam papers. Go through the questions and check your answers. Review those that you get wrong and seek similar questions till you are able to answer that style of question confidently and accurately.
• Group study with other students can be great for swapping notes, teaching each other and revising in general.  
• Give yourself a break! This is easy to pencil in if you have a study schedule set up. It motivates you to get through a session of study, knowing that you get to chill out at a certain time. Have food, phone, TV or internet breaks every couple of hours to relax your mind and revitalize. But be careful, jumping online and trying to keep up with emails and online chatting can sometimes keep your brain working and send it in to overtime and exhaustion. So make sure you’re doing something on your break that doesn’t require too much effort.  
• A decent study area is like great studying Feng-Shui. So make sure your study area is exactly for just that - studying! Clear the area from any distractions, especially electronics such as your mobile and computer! Have adequate lighting and a comfortable chair with plenty of desk space to have your study materials close by.
• Procrastination - don’t do it! This is when you keep delaying study especially for subjects that you don’t want to face. It’s when you find reasons that you think are valid enough to stop you from studying such as a sudden need to help with the household chores. Keep it real and don’t put off studying for a later time. Stick to your schedule and tackle the study load straight away in small section and save yourself from having to cram it all in later on. 
• Eat and drink well and try to avoid overdosing on junk food, which serve as comfort food in times of stress - they are low in nutrients. Although the food pyramid tells us that fruit is healthy, it actually has useful natural sugars that fuel you with the energy that you need to help you concentrate. Cereal, sandwiches and muesli bars are also a good fix and they keep your tummy from aggravating you, and don’t forget to keep your brain hydrated by drinking the right quantity of water!
• Exercise or do something that keeps you active. You can do this during your break or by dedicating a morning or afternoon to getting outdoors. Vigorous activity makes it easier for you to relax, stay calm and of course sleep.
• Various university facilities are at your disposal and you probably don’t even know it.  There are usually personnel who are trained to help you cope with stress, answer study-related questions, give you study tips and other forms of guidance. Just visit your uni website or ask your professor what help is available.
• Don’t panic when you are unsure of something or become stressed. Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing and get your breathing to a slow and deep set of inhaling and exhaling. Get away from the books for a while and listen to a bit of music or talk to someone you know to get your mind off study.  
• Work smarter, not harder. Lastly, Pogojo wants you to remember that you know yourself best. Don’t match anyone else’s efforts.  Improve on what you need to study. Be honest with yourself.