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Quick exam cramming tips

> How to gain the most out of the least amount of time

Lauren Paulsen
Senior Columnist

 

L is now the end of the
semester. Undoubtedly, there
will be several of us who have
left all of their studying until
the last minute. You figured
you had plenty of time to get

to the material, but suddenly
looked at the calendar and
realized that exams are starting
already. So what do you do?

The most important thing for

you to remember is not to panic.
If you panic, you won't be able
to make up any lost time. Now,
you need to focus on cramming
as effectively as you can.
Secondly, don’t lose hope.
If you despair and wail that you
are going to fail the exam, then
you will. Try to think positively,
but don’t be unrealistic. You
most likely won't be getting
an A on your test, but you can
probably still pass. As Will
Rogers said, “The best way out
of a difficulty is through it.”
First, you need to pick and
choose what material to work
on. You won't have time to study

  

everything before the exam, so
you want to try and study the
things that will give you the most
marks. Look at the course outline,
and try to remember anything
that the professor emphasized.
Make note of these things. If
there is something that you find
very difficult, you might have
to skip it to go through more
important material. Likewise,
if you know something really
well, only briefly review it and
then move on to something else.
There’s no point in spending a lot
of time on something that you
already know, or wasting time and
energy focusing of stuff you won't
have time to fully understand.
After you have determined
what the most important things
for you to learn are, then you
need to give yourself a schedule.
Remember to include breaks,
because while doing a 12-hour
marathon of studying might
seem necessary, without giving
your brain enough breaks you
wont be able to retain much of
the information. Once you have
set up your schedule, stick to it!
Then, during your cram
sessions, be proactive. Don’t

just read the textbook: make
flashcards, draw mind maps
answer practice questions, create
mnemonics, write things out
repeatedly. What is key here
is repetition. You want to drill
those concepts into your brain
as quickly as possible. Taking
an active approach to your
studying will help immensely.
Finally, the night before the
exam, get enough sleep. Pulling
an all-nighter may seem the way
to go, but even if you think you
will be okay for the exam, not
getting enough sleep will really
hinder your ability to effectively
recall the material. You need a
well-rested brain to remember
everything you’ve crammed.
If you don’t get enough rest,
your results will plummet.
When you've finally
finished the exam, relax. If
you were committed in your
cramming, then there is hope
for you. Now make a pledge to
yourself that you will never do
this again. Everyone has the
potential to get As. Why waste
that potential because you leave
everything to the last minute?

Image via thinkstock

(¥ Highs and lows of high-end

(¥Y Self-care for students
(¥Y Packing tips

And more!

  

Listed: S1x
useful language
learning tools

Image via thinkstoc

> Free websites and apps to help you

learn a foreign language
3.

Lauren Paulsen
Senior Columnist

 

here are hundreds of

different language learning
tools to help aspiring multi-
linguists. But you don’t need
to spend hundreds of dollars
on courses and programs to
be able to effectively learn
a language. The following
are some very useful tools
that you can use to help you
learn a foreign language
without breaking your bank:

1. Adictionary. The most
important tool you will
have while you are learn-
ing a foreign language
is a dictionary. You can
use either a solid form
in a book, or use an elec-
tronic one. Whichever
format you choose, take
it everywhere with you.

2. Anki. Anki is a free soft-
ware program that you
can use on your comput-
er Or as an app on your
mobile device. Basically
electronic flashcards, the
program is very popular
among language learn-
ers. You can create your
own deck, or you can
download a previous-
ly-made one that some-
one else has shared.

Duolingo. Another free
software that you can
find online or on An-
droid and iOS. Duolingo
acts like a game, giving
you experience points

as you learn words and
complete lessons. It is
very easy to use and
makes learning fun.

iTalki. This is a great
website where you can
find other people to talk
with, such as teachers
and native-speakers. Be-
cause talking with some-
one is one of the most
effective ways to learn a
foreign language, iTalki
is an invaluable tool.

Memrise. Also a web-
site and app for iOS and
Android, Memrise is an-
other game-like learning
tool. It measures your
progress, and the courses
use tools such as images
and mind tricks to help
you learn vocabulary and
phrases.

Omniglot.com. This
website has an ency-
clopedia for writing
systems of the world. It
also offers useful tips on
learning languages and
lists of words in count-
less different languages.