Wendel Abel

The Easter holidays are over. This is a signal to buckle down and start preparing for exams.

O - Organise yourself. Organise your study area, organise your study groups and develop a study timetable. Avoid studying in areas where you will be distracted such as the living room or near to the television. Bedrooms and the bed are not the best study areas; they are intended for sleep and if you study in these areas you will fall asleep. So stop fooling yourself! Choose an area conducive to studying.

R - REVIEW and recall your material several times over until you know it well. Avoid studying word for word. Make sure you understand concepts and principles. Use your study guide or syllabus to help you as you study. Focus on key areas. It is useful to remember the headings in a chapter; it helps you to organise your material. Do not spend too much time studying the areas you already know.

G - GIVE yourself adequate time to prepare for exams. If you have not yet started any serious preparation, you must start now. If you have already started to study, you should step up on your preparation. Remember to give yourself time for rest and relaxation even while you are studying.

A - AVOID the 'escape syndrome'. This occurs when you think about the amount of work you have to cover and panic sets in. In order to reduce your anxiety, you start eating a lot, watching television and chatting too much with friends. If you find that you are getting nervous, try deep breathing exercises, relax yourself and develop a study plan.

N - NO sleep, no food and no exercise. This is a no, no! Ensure that you have adequate amount of sleep. Persons who engage in light exercise find that they are able to study better and longer. Pay attention to your diet. Not eating enough food will affect your concentration and memory; too much food will make you drowsy and sluggish. Ensure you have adequate meals while doing exams. Many students blank out during an exam because of hunger.

I - Insist that you can make it. You must affirm everyday that you are going to have a successful day of studying and that you are going to do well in your exams. Place words of affirmations around your room to remind you that you will succeed. Believe in yourself. If you work hard, you must succeed. Remember, you can if you think you can!

S - Study smarter, not necessarily harder. Study aids such as diagrams and flow charts will help. Doing pass exams questions is advisable. These questions get you familiar with the exam process and help to sharpen your exam skills. They also help you to focus and, let's face it, sometimes the questions are repeated. Make a priority listing of the areas you need to prepare.

E - Each subject may require a different approach. Subjects such as maths, physics and chemistry require that you do a lot of problems; foreign languages require that you know your vocabulary and learn the rules of grammar; literature and history require that concepts are clearly grasped.

Note that I just gave you an example of a mnemonic, which is a combination of letters such as ORGANISE that cues you into an item that you need to remember. Mnemonics are helpful in studying.

All the best in your exams, again.