How to Pass Exams After New Year: Psychologist's Study Tips
After New Year celebrations, as Moscow returns to its normal rhythm, students will need to gather their strength for exams. The winter session always catches some by surprise and can even lead to panic. How to get back to studying after the holidays, salads, and 12-hour sleep? Is it really possible to prepare in just two days? Educational psychologist Yekaterina Maskinskaya from the City Psychological and Pedagogical Center helped us figure this out.
Rest or Study?
As our interviewee explained, you can either rest or quite successfully combine studying with breaks for finishing off salads. But, in any case, it«s important for the student to understand what stage of preparation they are at. For example, if they are learning new information — then it needs to be reviewed. The first time — immediately after memorizing.
«As an option, you read a small paragraph during a break between congratulating friends, and it«s better to review the information right away. Then you finish your salad, and after 20 minutes — a second review. Or after 40 minutes, after an hour, but the break should be short,» advises Yekaterina Maskinskaya.
The third review — about eight hours after the second, and the fourth — another day later. And then systematically review to reinforce.
Special Memory Techniques
You can use mnemonics — special techniques for memorization. They suit some people and not others, but in any case Yekaterina Maskinskaya recommends familiarizing yourself with them.
Some mnemonic options:
«Associations» — link information to familiar, vivid images, preferably — funny or even absurd ones. For example, this is how you can learn concepts or foreign words.
«Memory Palace» (Cicero«s method, Roman room, method of loci) — link concepts to well-known spaces.
«For example, this is your room. You need to mentally place objects/items in different parts of it, you can do it in order. The first item might be near the door, then place others, for example, clockwise. It is important that the items do not repeat, otherwise there is a chance of getting confused. Items can be linked to each other. For example, this is how we can memorize formulas or pieces of text, key words in definitions,» Yekaterina Maskinskaya gives examples.
«Envelopes/Pockets» — a compressed version of the previous option. You need to imagine a series of envelopes, labeled by topic, each containing its own information. This works well when you need to memorize concepts strictly in order or group information.
«Acronyms» — the famous «Every hunter wants to know…». Come up with abbreviations that encode expanded text.
Writing cheat sheets is good — but not for cheating, but to structure the material in a convenient form and review it one more time. It«s important to highlight significant points in different colors, it»s easier to remember that way.
Another option — explain the topic to a friend or family member. The listener should give feedback: what exactly they understood, and what remained unclear.
«The most important thing here — is not to give negative comments, but simply an assessment from the point of view of what was clear and what was not; what needs to be added, and what — replaced. We go through the material itself and gradually arrange it into a certain structure,» described the interviewee.
How to Get Out of Bed and Hit the Books
The methods are interesting, they are worth trying, even if you finished studying long ago. But the main question remains — how to force yourself to do at least something? Yekaterina Maskinskaya answered this question for us as well. She proposed a four-point formula:
Adaptation to the new rhythm. You need to gradually shift bedtime to the usual time, as during the school year. It is worth dividing study into blocks and planning both preparation and rest, because without it information won«t stick in memory. It»s worth analyzing the list of topics to study and calculating the time that can be devoted to each.
Creating a comfortable environment. Set up a comfortable workspace and limit distractions — at least turn off notifications on your phone.
It is also important to create an entry point into preparation.
«This is a ritual in a good sense, which will be associated with studying and repeated. Some people turn on background music, some drink coffee. This is the entry point into the task, when I focus. Like an athlete before running, focusing on the starting block,» recommends the teacher.
Positive motivation methods. You need to set achievable, measurable, and specific goals. In such-and-such period you cover one topic, in such-and-such — another, and be sure to record progress.
Productive self-control techniques. If anxiety overwhelms you, remind yourself that this is not the first exam in your life, and you have coped before. Support from loved ones, sports, or a psychologist will help cope with stress.
What to Do If You Have Two Days Before the Exam
It seems everything is clear, everything is achievable, we sit down and study, but what if not?.. If you skipped all of December, rested through all the holidays and have two days before the exam, and the books are still on the shelves?
«First — we reduce emotional tension. Don«t panic and determine what to do now to get into a good emotional state. For this, I recommend, as we said earlier, to secure the necessary support, or use breathing techniques if they suit you and are not contraindicated. Also, try to divide these two days into hours and even minutes, and it will turn out that there is still time to assimilate some amount of information,» Yekaterina reassures.
She recommends, if desired, teaming up with classmates for mutual aid and support in preparation, and making a clear plan for these two days.
Possible action options:
Study key topics and concepts, as many tasks are based on them. You can consult with senior students who have already taken the exam.
Divide the exam tickets among classmates and explain the main points of the answers to each other.
If a student still decides to learn a few tickets at random, they must realize: likely, luck won«t be on their side and they will have to prepare for a retake. They should immediately plan when they will learn the rest.
A Mistake Is Not a Failure
In any case, it«s important to get enough sleep, watch your diet, and breathe fresh air, Yekaterina Maskinskaya reminds. Secure support from loved ones and remember: a failed exam — is not a failure, but new useful experience to consider in the future.
«We are all human, we can make mistakes, but we need to draw the right conclusions and correct ourselves. You can approach this not as a problem, but as a task that needs to be solved. Of course, emotionally it«s still unpleasant, so it»s important to have support,» concluded the educational psychologist.
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