COPING WITH "EXAM FEVER"

Assalamualaikum, hello reader !

I have finally accepted the fact that I can not update this blog regularly; even if I wanted to. I'm blogging now cause guess what.... I'm procrastinating. Yeah it's a common crime amongst students. I have my Removable Partial Denture textbook next to my laptop now.. still waiting for me to start studying. I figured that it's useless to force yourself to study if you know you're not gonna absorb most of it. This is when the phrase "quality beats quantity" applies.

As of today, my professional examination is only 25 days away (cries, cringes etc!). Even thinking about it makes my stomach feel acid-y. I MEAN HOW DOES ONE COPE WITH HAVING A YEAR  WORTH OF 4 SUBJECTS TO MEMORISE & TO REGURGITATE ON PAPER IN THE SPAN OF 4 DAYS-WITH NO GAPS IN BETWEEN! (insert horror face here) But as they all say, nothing worth having comes easy. Tonnes of people have survived and even excelled through dental school; so can I !

It's normal to have jitters when your exam is just around the corner-your routine has to change to prepare for the exam. Anything you do reminds you of the big tsunami soon to hit you. You get stressed out, depressed sometimes and feel that everything's out of control. So, based on 20 years of experiencing with academic examinations, I'll share how I cope with the exam fever.

PREPARATION

1. Get your syllabus list for each subject- to be a guideline when you study. This way, you can keep track of your lecture notes and know how many more topics left uncovered.

2. Apart from printing the lecture notes, I bind them together according to subject. In this case, being organised is crucial. You don't want to miss any lecture notes and go berserk a day before the exam. So, update your lecture notes regularly.

3. Keep a notebook for every subject and take down notes during the lectures. Some lecturers give away important information during their lectures. Some may give a tip or two of what's coming out in the exam. So grab the opportunity!

4. Get a list of recommended reference books from your lecturers. Don't simply buy books to later finding out that they don't suit your syllabus.

5. Work out a study schedule, at least 1 month before the exams. AND STICK TO IT.

STUDY

1. Make sure to heed the study schedule but let's say you burned a day, find an alternative day. That is why I suggest you include "flexible days" in your study schedule. Flexible days allow you to study or not study-according to your mood. LOL I just made that up-but it works for me !

2. Have breaks in between topics. Normal human beings have a certain amount of attention-span.

3. To help memorise; maximise your senses- sight, hearing, touch. Making colourful notes, creating acronyms, making diagrams and tables, writing down what you've memorised after reading, recording voice notes and listening to them repeatedly can REALLY help you memorise better than just plain reading. Unless you're gifted with a photographic memory, I highly suggest that you perform the above stated extra methods.

4. Block out other unnecessary things during your studying session. Unfree yourself of other commitments. That's why I prefer to perform my prayers prior to studying, have my meal first & other basic human routine. This way, it increases your focus and ability to absorb.

OTHERS

1. Diet
I hate to break it to you guys but all that junk food and carbonated drinks- they ain't doin good to you. All they do is make you hyperactive and fat and lazy and bloaty and hyperglycemic. You wanna maximise your brain's memorising rate and ur fueling it with nonsense.. think about it. Your brain needs brain-food; nuts, veges, fruits, honey, olive oil, muesli, yoghurt etc so just eat healthily. Snack on healthy stuff as well.

2. Stress-management
Stress is an inevitable component in exams. However, you NEED to address the stressors after recognizing them. Take some time off to do the things you love- read 2 pages of your fav book, go play basketball, window shopping, eat desserts. None of this has to stop. Instead, transform them into a "treat/reward" after finishing a bunch of topics or a subject. Now that's killing two birds with one stone!

These are a few things that I can think about for now. Hope that you can benefit from this :)
All the best, to you and to me !

xx