Along with the approach of Christmas and the close of the year, exam week is here. I wanted to share some tips and encouragement for everyone who will be taking exams as well as those who have already taken them.
Rest
Rest is so important leading up to exams. First, you need a good night’s sleep to do your absolute best. Getting enough rest will allow your brain to function well and think clearly about the questions on the exam. However, this is not the only type of rest you can have.
Likely, you do not have many assignments this week other than your exams. Rest in the fact that you can study in your own time. Rest in knowing how much you’ve grown in knowledge and as a person during this semester. Most importantly, rest in the peace that God gives when you feel stressed.
Pray
If you are feeling particularly stressed about an exam, pray about it. You shouldn’t necessarily pray for an A, but pray that God will give you the peace and strength you need. Your teachers have prepared you with the knowledge you need, so pray that God will help you be able to focus your full attention and knowledge on the exam.
Pace Yourself
Don’t try to get all your exams “out of the way”. It is so much better to spread your exams throughout the week than to either save them up or do them in the beginning. For example, if you have six exams, don’t do them all on Monday and Tuesday. It’s better to take no more than two per day.
Because of the way my classes worked out this year, I only have two exams left (biology and Latin). I started studying this past week for them. I plan to continue studying on Monday for both. Then on Tuesday, I will take my biology exam in the morning because that’s when I work best. I’ll continue studying for Latin, and then I’ll take that exam on Wednesday.
I decided on this plan because biology comes easier to me than Latin. I don’t want to keep both exams until Thursday and Friday, so I’m taking biology first. Since I’m less confident in Latin, I’m giving myself an extra day to study for it before taking the exam.
Easy to Hard
In most things, I would say do the hard ones first and then finish with the easier stuff. However, I think exams should be done the opposite way. Get the easier ones done first since you’ll be more confident in them. Then, do the harder ones later so you have more time to study. And hard and easy will be different for everyone. Just do the subjects that come more naturally to you first, then move to the ones you tend to struggle with.
Be Prepared
Being prepared will help you do the best you possibly can. Don’t just jump into an exam. Review the concepts from the semester, focusing on the ones you’ve struggled with. Go through old tests and make sure you can still understand the right answers. And of course, if your teacher provided study materials, use them.
Take a deep breath and go for it
You’ve studied and prepared for this. You’ve prayed for strength, focus, and peace. You know the material, so be confident as you take the test. If you come across something you don’t know, don’t stress. Answer all the other questions first, then come back to the hard one and reason through it. Answer questions thoughtfully. It’s better to use up your time and be confident in your answers than to make silly mistakes and get it done quicker.
When you’ve finished
You are done with this semester! Enjoy your Christmas and the start of the New Year by spending time with family and doing things you enjoy. If your exam is taking a while to be graded, put it out of your mind. Don’t spend your break stressing about it. And if it’s graded right away, celebrate if it’s a good grade.
If it’s not, don’t let it bog you down with stress and regret. You have next semester too, and one bad grade is not the end of the world. Even if you didn’t do well, you have increased your knowledge and learning is much better than a score on a test.
And remember, this one grade does not determine your future or your identity. Only God can do that, and as long as you try your hardest on the exam, He is proud of you. Finish strong!
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