Top Tips for Acing Any School Exam

The new school year may still be a lazy summer away, but with hours of free time and sunshine-induced good vibes in the forecast, now is the perfect time to start thinking about your study strategies so you can ace your classes come September. Like it or not, exams are a big part of our education system. They’re the Big Bad Wolf — learning is all fun and great until that looming test comes a-knocking. Now is the time to commit to making the upcoming school year your best one yet. So, sit back and let’s talk test prep.

HOW TO STUDY FOR ANY EXAM

You know how it often goes with test prep: you scramble to gather all of the materials you’ll need to study for the exam, read through them, take the test, promptly misplace those materials, and then, come midterms and finals, scramble desperately to locate them once again. Break. The. Cycle! What follows are a series of recommendations that we’ve found helpful for various learning styles.

Build the Ultimate Study Guide

Create a Master Study Packet for each exam you take.

As you review all exam materials provided by your teacher (a tedious, but crucial step), transfer any larger themes, important details, key problems, formulas, charts, and other “test-worthy” information onto 1-5 sheets of paper. Break exam material down into sections (for example: Communism vs. Democracy; Berlin; Vietnam War; Cuban Missile Crisis) so that the material is all organized and clear. Our Organization & Time Management Tutors will work with you to synthesize all test material and translate it into an efficient study guide format. Ultimately, this Master Study Packet will be like a “SparkNotes” version of all review materials, class notes, and homework assignments to be covered on the exam.

Work with your tutor or on your own to create a list of questions on topics that you are uncertain about. Bring these to your teacher for clarification or work with your tutor to understand the topic more clearly. Do this far in advance before the exam date and update your Master Study Packet with the answers once you have them.

Create a Practice Packet supplement with mock exam questions and attach it to your Master Study Packet. Build your Practice Packet by selecting representative questions from in-class work, homework assignments, and any previous quizzes. Attach three copies of your Practice Packet to your Master Study Packet. This robust document (Master Study Packet + Practice Packet) is your Ultimate Study Guide.

After you’ve compiled and reviewed your Master Study Packet, complete the mock questions in one copy of your Practice Packet. This step of your studying should happen in the days immediately leading up to the exam. The second and third copies of your Practice Packet are for safekeeping to be revisited during midterms and finals. Speaking of midterms and finals…

Keep your Ultimate Study Guides organized so that midterms and finals are a (nearly) stress-free experience. If you follow our advice, all year long you’ll be doing incremental work that you can leverage come midterms and finals. This will make for a more relaxed and efficient studying process. Keep each Ultimate Study Guide that you develop in a special folder, and your midterms and finals studying will be as simple as “review the Master Study Packet, complete the Practice Packet, rinse and repeat” until you’ve worked through the Ultimate Study Guide of every unit that will show up on the exam.

Time yourself, if you think it will be helpful. Some exams are a time crunch; others, not so much. If you’re preparing for a fast-paced school exam or if your exam includes a timed written response, consider completing your Practice Packet with a timer going to acclimate yourself to the feel of the exam.

Make it Convenient to Study

If your exam covers vocabulary or formulas, stick Post-it notes with the information in various everyday places where you’ll notice them. In addition to the Ultimate Study Guide, there are other, smaller steps you can take to ensure test day success. Consider putting a Post-it with the Spanish word for mirror (espejo) on your bathroom mirror, for example. Put the French word for book (livre) on the book you keep on your bedside table or the quadratic formula atop the keys of your piano keyboard (reminding you of this helpful little song). It may feel a little overwhelming to see Post-its, Post-its, and, yes, even more Post-its everywhere you turn, but, hey, it’s a great way to keep the upcoming exam top-of-mind and make you study on the regular. Consider other creative ways to integrate studying into your everyday life and you’ll be getting As in no time.

Start Studying Early

This is a big one: it’s never too soon to begin studying for that upcoming exam. Sure, you might want to procrastinate with something fun; heck, you may even procrastinate by doing other homework! But procrastination always creates more frustration and stress down the line. Next time your teacher announces an upcoming quiz or test, do yourself a favor and immediately integrate your “Path to the Ultimate Study Guide” (see above) into your homework planner. For example, if you know you have a history exam coming up in two weeks, devote week one to reviewing the materials and crafting your Master Study Packet and week two to reviewing your Master Study Packet, completing your Practice Packet, and drilling details that just won’t stick. Make a non-negotiable appointment with yourself to get the work done — every day — and schedule a specific time to do so (7am, 7pm, etc.) if it helps keep you on track. Create and stick to a study plan to ensure test day success.

The summer is a great time to get a jumpstart on the upcoming school year. It’s never the wrong time to learn how to be organized. No matter your location, from organization and time management skills to academic tutoring, Top Tier’s comprehensive virtual tutoring programs help students both in and out of the classroom!

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