We know that preparing for an exam can be stressful and nerve-racking. It’s a good idea to know what to expect on the day of the exam so that you won’t be surprised or stressed out. To ensure that you are fully prepared for your exam, here are the top ten study tips that will help you pass:
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Be Creative With Your Studies
You don’t have to follow the standard studying process, you know. Make it fun. Draw stick figures, diagrams, flow charts, whatever. Anything that can help you stay productive and relaxed.
Educational Sites
With the invention of the Internet, there has never been a time where so much information was available. The key is to find a reputable source to help guide you. Look for an MCAT test prep tutor either online or in-person who can help answer any study questions you have as well as provide the right kind of sources for you.
Be Organized
It sounds so simple, but having your things laid out perfectly where nothing is distracting and everything is neatly within reach, can save you so much stress. Clutter can make it difficult to focus, so keep your MCAT test prep station neat.
Have A Good Night’s Rest
I know, I know– you “have to study”. You must practice, you must do this, you must do that. “I must, I must, I must.” Look, we know that studying hard feels beneficial, but here’s the thing: we are only people and we need sleep. We need it simply to stay alert. Just as when we don’t rest a muscle enough and we over-fatigue it when push our brain harder and harder, eventually you crash and burn. Cramming will not help you.
Set a Timer
Be realistic. Set very real, expectations. If you know that the exam will only last for 60 minutes, then set a timer for 60 minutes and stick to it. This will help drill your mind into focusing and squeezing as much relevant information onto paper as possible. Simulating real testing conditions is a vital part of smart MCAT test prep.
Practice Exams
Even before the big day, it’s good to start practicing. It sounds simple, but here’s the thing: what you have in your head, in your brain, are a bunch of tiny muscles. These little muscles are all working together to make the big muscle work. As we all know, in order to make a muscle stronger, you use it. In this case, you practice, so that in the future you won’t be as stressed because you’ve already done it.
Have Others Grade You
Remember, you have friends and family who are ready to help. Ask them to grade you. This will help ground you, showing you where your strengths and weaknesses are. You can even have them quiz you.
Meditate
That sounds like odd advice, doesn’t it? Yet there are countless research papers that all say that mediation helps. Here’s what we’ll do: just practice meditating for 1 minute, then 2 minutes, then 3 minutes. Focusing on one thing and one thing only: your breathing.
Did you notice the keyword there “focus-ing”? It’s an ongoing process; a practice on focus. In the long run, this will help you be able to control your stress and help your stamina on the final exam.
Create A Study Guide
Even if they provide you with a study guide, use it as a secondary tool, not as your primary. What you want to do is use it to make your own study guide, because structuring the guide into your way of studying is vital. MCAT test prep is not a one-size-fits-all thing, so you need to construct the perfect study guide for your goals and learning style. You may want to invest in the best MCAT prep books so you can reference them.
Teach Others
This is the best advice anybody could give you. Teaching what you studied to others will not only earn you brownie points but solidify in your mind what you just learned. Try finding an MCAT test prep group so you can work together to learn from each other.
Neha Nidhi
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