How to Study Effectively for Exams at Home

Do you find yourself coming home from a long day at work or school with a pounding headache, or cranky? Do you dread going out of town because you know you'll have to endure another long night of cramming for your exams? If so, you're in good company. Millions of students worldwide struggle with study anxiety and over-study before an exam. It's natural to feel anxious about exams and other stressful academic events. But how to deal with it effectively? Exams are the one area in life where being over-anxious can be detrimental. Over-analyzing, under-sleeping or simply rushing through tests can all backfire and make things worse.

1: Define the problem and its cause.

If you continually worry about something that has no basis in fact, you're more likely to come to grips with the cause later on. Even if you know the answer to the exam, you're still likely to feel nervous about taking it. What's worse, if you have no idea what's causing it and you can't find an explanation for it in the test questions, you will fail. Don't worry if you can't explain your anxiety to someone else. It's normal to feel nervous even if you think you're calm.

2: Talk to yourself out loud.

Not only will you feel less anxiety, but you'll also be able to see if any of this translates to you speaking out loud to yourself. It's a great way to communicate with yourself if you find yourself in a conversation with yourself. This can be very helpful if you find yourself in a conversation with yourself but you don't know it. You may find that you start talking to yourself that you didn't think you would.

3: Take a walk.

It's odd, but walking is one of the best ways to clear your mind. Whether you walk toward the rising sun or the setting sun, taking a walk clears the mind and helps you relax. Plus, it's good for your body because walking ups your circulation and helps your body "sweat" which means it works more efficiently.

4: Draw comfort icons.

If you find yourself constantly zoning out because you're so busy worrying about your upcoming exams, you might want to look into drawing comfort icons. These can help you relax and focus on the present moment. To draw comfort icons, take a moment and think about something you're happy about. For example happy feet, a cloudless sky, a smile, a closed door, a red rose, a cup of coffee, a cute friend, a delicious dessert, etc. If you draw a comforting icon with your finger, think about how you would feel if you had that in real life.

5: Exercise strengthens your muscle memory.

Staying active releases endorphins in your brain which makes you feel happy, confident, and less anxious. The best way to work out your muscle memory is with games or tasks from your school days. Why not try taking a familiar test and drawing comfort icons for each question? This will help you stay focused and avoid under or over-thinking the test.

6: Keep calm

Do you have any questions before you head to bed that will help you relax and sleep better? Here are a few common questions you might want to ask yourself before bed: Is this test worth the anxiety? Do I want to be in this state of anxiety? What can I do to reduce/mitigate the anxiety? And last but not least, when will I feel better?

7: Get rid of distractions

Your mind is 80% neurons and 20% thoughts. The more things that interrupt your deep meditations, the less space is left for your thoughts to roam. Even the quiet of your bedroom can sound social, depending on what's going on in your head. Shuttling between two states of anxiety can be difficult. When you feel anxious one moment, you may be talking to yourself or entering data on a test question the next. This is called "shuttling" and it's a surefire way to make things harder.

8: Utilize available resources

If you've got a family member or friend who studies, let them know how you are doing. Ask them to remind you to focus or remind you to shut your brain off. It's important to have structure when you're feeling stressed out. Taking care of yourself is important; you can't just throw yourself into hard exams What are you going to do when you feel like this? You may want to draw inspiration from the following people:

9: Conclusion

Exams are a part of life that everyone must face at some point in their career. It's important to remember that you can prepare for exams like writing and reading tests by practicing at home or a school or university. Whether you're taking an early or advanced exam, there is help. Taking care of yourself is the only way to properly prepare for exams and pass them with flying colors.