Three Months From Now, You Could Be Looking Back At The Hardest Months Of Your Journey And Thinking,

Study Tip 5

When you're studying, most of you will probably focus more on the input. You'll take in loads of information. And i mean loads and loads of information. But do you still wonder, why am I not getting the grades for the amount of input I put in? Like, you study alot only to get mediocre grades?

Well, let me break it down...

Input is important but... output is more important.

Input is absorbing information. Committing it to memory. Remembering facts. It's a mental activity.

Output is how you communicate or display information.

Let's be honest, the teacher correcting your paper doesn't care if you studied the whole year or the whole night. They just care about finishing their task and whether you've answered the questions correctly. So, the way you communicate it is important.

When you study, give more focus on the output. If you're input is "x" amount of effort then your concentration and effort on output should be "2x".

How do you do that?

Well, after studying, spend a good amount of time recalling the information by giving the processed information back. Whether you do it by saying it aloud or writing it down or both. I prefer to say it aloud, write it down and then say it again and again. The main thing is...

What you learnt must be communicated.

It doesn't have to be through teaching. There are multiple ways. Notes. Drawing. Visuals. Mind maps. Audio recordings. Anything that works for you!

Written notes is probably the best because at the end of the day you are going to write the exam, even if you know the whole damn textbook, what you write in your exam is the only thing that counts.

So, here's the secret (which isn't a secret anymore) i use:- When you finish a topic:

Write the key words.

Say it out loud multiple times until you remember them.

Close the notes and recall. Aloud.

Repeat step 2 & 3 about 4-5 times.

Bonus: you can write the points without looking this time.

Basically... Write it. Say it. Recall it. Repeat it.

The first 2 steps are the means of inputs. You're getting information in.

The next three are outputs. You're getting the information out. See the emphasis on how you recall it aloud? It needs your 100% attention for you to remember the points. And when you repeat it, it's literally for you to process it. To let it sink in. You're less likely to forget it sooner too.

Remember. X input needs 2x output.

Whatever the output is. It needs to be multiplied.

Hope this helps! :D

123 days left

Today's exam was honestly pretty alright, i couldn't believe that i could attend everything especially because the teacher told us that she'd give no options for MCQ questions and we have to study like fully throughout the book T-T

Now, I'm more scared about tomorrow... even though I've been practicing for more than 2 weeks for accountancy, today, as soon as I came. I slept and I just woke up around 9:30 and panicked because I haven't revised anything. Right now I've completed 1 and a half lessons and I got to complete 2 major topics tomorrow morning.

So yeah... and my hopes and dreams on resting on Sunday alittle and studying just went down the drain. I got to complete a computer project which is like 10% of my final exam grades and submit it by Monday T-T

Today I:

Studied accounts

Tomorrow's To-do list:

Revise accounts in the morning

Complete 5/10 pratical projects in computers

Clean my desk (cause it's just too much of a message right now)

Progress is still progress!

It doesn't matter if you hadn't done the things you were supposed to do. It doesn't matter that if you finished 1 thing out of 4 things. You don't have 3 more things to do, you have 1 less thing to complete.

It doesn't matter if you had relapsed after a day or 3 of productivity and healing into a spiral again. What matters is that you get back up and start again. Because now you're a bit stronger and more resilient than before.

It doesn't matter if all you did today was getting out of bed, eat and change your clothes while you did nothing else. Appreciate yourself and give yourself the credit you deserve for doing those small things.

It doesn't matter if the only thing you did today was to focus on existing and on yourself alone. Be proud of surviving till the end of the day because you made it through knowing that there was a possibility of you not making it.

Progress is still progress. It doesn't matter if you take small or big steps. You're taking a step and that's all that matters.

Tips for before, during and after exams

Before (Night before and in the morning)

Pack your bag. Materials, supplies, everything etc.

Always take extra pens. If it's only an MCQ type, just take one extra pen but if it's a written theory exam. Take 2. (I always keep 4 pens with me and two in my bag just in case)

Sleep before 10:30 or max 12

I always recommend not to wake up too early during exams. Get a good 8-9 hours sleep.

Eat breakfast.

Don't drink/eat anything that will cause you have stomach upset or something. Cause you're already anxious, you need to be mindful of what you eat. I especially avoid coffee and tea.

Try to reach school an hour before the exam.

Revise things that you already know very well. DO NOT LEARN ANYTHING NEW.

Before (I'm talking about like 1 hour)

Take your water bottle. If your examiner doesn't allow it take 3 short sips before entering. If you are taking it, don't keep it on the table because there's a chance of spilling it.

Personally, I never ever revise before 30 mins of the exam. I just calm myself down repeating affirmations and duas.

Go to the bathroom and as much as possible try to avoid it during the exam.

Before entering, again make sure you have the supplies needed. Pencils, rulers, pens, erasers etc.

After taking your seat, just close your eyes and calm your breathing until you get the question papers.

Pray. I always pray. We need to be in our halls before 20-30 mins itself, so I just sit in my place for 30 mins and just pray and recite some duas. During this time, I also retain some important keywords and other things in my head

5 mins before, I take all my materials out and place it beside me with my watch.

During exam:

At the start, when I receive my question paper. I just look through the questions, I don't start writing immediately. I give a solid 5-7 mins for recalling the answers in short.

Then, start writing! Just write. Whatever you know. Puke it all out!

Always follow the question sequence.

If you don't know the question. Go to the next one and start from there. Otherwise you'll waste time. Come back to the question after you complete the paper.

Try your best to complete the paper before 20 mins till the exam ends. For 2 main things, presentation and cross checking.

I always underline my headings, subheadings, keywords etc etc and underline between each question so it looks neat. It looks good and it kinda covers for bad handwriting.

Cross check your answer sheet with the question paper. Are all the questions there? Have I accidentally written the wrong question number for the answer? Spelling mistakes? Grammar mistakes? Wrong answer? Just cross check and count the questions and see if you've written everything.

When you don't remember something or don't know something. Do not panic. Don't. Just take a breath and go to the next. After completing everything, write anything related to the word. Just anything. Try to remember if it is familiar and if it is, write the thing related to that topic. You will get a point for attending the question.

NEVER LEAVE A QUESTION. Just write something, it must be relevant but you'll get a point.

Set a time limit for each sections. Example: I have 4 sections in my exams, I always complete the first three in 1 hour 15-30 mins so I can have time for the last one which carries the highest points.

Stick to the time limit. Keep checking your watch in between and see if you're going according to plan. (It helps if you know how much time you take for each question.)

If you are writing an answer and you're kinda remembering another answer, write keywords in pencil on the margin so you won't forget it but don't forget to erase it before submitting the paper.

When you've completed. Just take a breath.

After:

Don't discuss answers with your friends. It's a waste of time, energy and causes panic.

Hydrate yourself. Drink water.

Get a small reward. Chocolate or any snack.

Be glad that you finished the exam.

If the exam didn't go well, just take some rest. Try not to think about it. Rant to someone because you'll feel better. No body is going to be asking you from years down the line about why you scored less in your highschool exams.

Watch your favourite tv show or something funny.

Take a walk.

Enjoy that it's over.

Hope it helps :)

Study until you think you are perfect and then study some more because you are never perfect.

I'm alittle out of ideas for posts so if anyone has any issue/problem (by problem I mean tips or self improvement etc) on something related to studying, self care, mental health etc etc. Feel free to dm/ask me!

Thanks for the input! Of course, you do you so whatever works is the way to go :)

Reblogging because it may be a useful tip for others :)

How To Study Multiple Subjects

As someone who had studied 4 subjects plus 2 languages and additional courses and extra curricular when i was homeschooled and in high school, obviously i got used to studying multiple subjects. It's fairly easy and interesting.

Here's the thing, multiple subjects is a blessing in disguise. It's easy to study many subjects because you have variety. Your brain loves variety. So, here's some tips...

Maintain Good Study Material

The mistake most students make is that they don't have the basic ground foundation. They don't know what's on the syllabus, how its structure is. Literally nothing. Many students i know, only search for their materials like two days before their exam and they panic. So, gather the following at the beginning of the school year/semester:

Textbooks (If you have any)

Practice papers

Previous year papers

Extra reading materials/ Reference books

If you don't have any textbooks. Go through the topics that you have and gather resources from different sources.

Different Notebooks For Every Subjects

I really don't understand the concept of using a single notebook for like 5-6 subjects. Like, you literally can't manage it. Even if you divide sections in the book, it will get confusing and sometimes the pages won't even be enough. So, just get a notebook for each subject. It will help you stay organized.

Divide Subjects.

Every subject is learnt and graded in a different way. You can’t use the same study techniques for every subject you have. You have mostly 3 types of subjects:

Memorization based

Practical/Question based

Theory/Essay based

You use different study techniques for different subjects. Memorization based subjects require more revision. Practical/Question based subjects require more practice. Theory based subjects require you to learn how to format your information.

Read up more: Division Of Subjects

Easy VS Difficult Subjects For You

Take a paper and write all your subjects. Now, draw a line and write your difficult subjects on one side and easy subjects on the other side. And then rate it from the most interesting to the most boring and categorize it. And then rank them on which ones take the same place. You'll get an idea of where you stand with your subjects and now you can study accordingly.

2 Subjects Per Day

This is the most important one i always recommend. If you're studying, then only 2 subjects per day should be taken up for it. Pair an interesting subject with a lighter one. If you hate accounts or find it difficult but you love English, then that's your combo. Make combinations and write them down. You can change them any day based on mood or you can keep them the same. It's up to you.

Standard Subject

I usually like to have at least one standard subject every day. That was accounts for me because i was so bad at it. The goal is not to ignore the subject until it is harder than usual. The goal is to study it every day. That subject must be your weakest one.

Breaks

Breaks are really necessary. I advise you to not allot a certain time limit for the break. Rather take a break when you actually feel tired. If you've worked for 2 hours straight, then you deserve an hour of rest. If you worked for just 30 mins and you feel tired, take 15 mins as your break. Divide your work time by half and that is your break time.

Subject Alignment With Energy

Your weakest subject must be done in your highest energy in order for you to grasp the actual concepts. That's the main aspect of it. Low energy = Easy subjects. High energy = Harder subjects. You have to identify your core energy grids and align your subjects accordingly.

Chunk Information

Group all your facts together. Instead of studying like everything is completely unrelated, study like it's all connected. If you want to learn something, chunk all your facts together. Create a visual chunk. Make everything related.

Use Mnemonics & Storytelling

Learn with these two. These help you to remember easily. Make stories and catchy phrases to remember points/facts. These are like the building blocks of studying anything. Stick small notes to your books writing the small stories and phrases beside the topic so the next time you want to revise it, it's easy.

Cheat Sheets

Create small cheat sheets. Write them down. No digital notes. Because you have physical copies. Make formulae sheets, theories, everything for every subject you are learning and keep them in different folders. Don't mix your sheets. You'll get overwhelmed. During revision, this will help a lot.

Fake Exams & Improvement Sheets

Create a fake exam environment. Sit on your desk with a timer, take a question paper and act as if you're actually writing the exam. Do this at least once and note everything. How much time you take to answer each question. What are your mistakes. Which section is your weakest. Note them down and most importantly, your overall improvements you should make.

For me, I did this for accounts, and it gave me so much clarity especially the improvements. I used to go through this improvement sheet before my actual exam and i did not repeat even a single mistake again. The trick is to keep updating the sheet by adding improvements from your actual exams too.

Testing At Random Times

I did this mostly during travel time. If i learnt a specific topic some time ago. And if i had nothing to do then I'd just mentally ask myself a question about that topic and answer it. Many times, even i am surprised the questions i ask, it gives a deep understanding of the topic. I used to even connect it to other concepts. Ask questions relating both. It's even better if you jump from one subject to the other.

Connect Similar Topic

Connect all your related subjects. Everything in school is somehow connected. I usually used to connect economics and business studies concepts. Sometimes even computers so... Connect them.

Practice Subjects Need More Time

Subjects like Accountancy, Physics, Chemistry, Economics, Maths need more time because they are in one way more practical. They require practice. Whether it be experiments o through sums. Invest more time in these subjects.

PYQ's

Use past year question papers because nothing shows important topics like pyq's. Note and mark the repeated questions and review them repeatedly. This really helps.

Read up more: How do you actually use previous year question papers

__________________

Hope this helps :))

128 days left

Personally today was not bad but i could have done better...

Today I:

Did almost 1 chapter in accounts

And completed the main topics in economics for 2 lessons

(I kinda lost track of time during breaks so i couldn't do business studies but I'm still happy with this progress.)

Tomorrow's to do list:

Study 8 lessons in Arabic for mid term

Study 2 lessons in business studies (part 1-3)

[I think I'll manage that]

heyyy just wanted to tell u that i live ur blog ! it’s so helpful !

I'm in exam period btw. 🩶

Hello! :D

Oh my gosh thank you, it really means alot! <33

All the best for the exams, make sure to take breaks and stay hydrated, sleep well too! I hope you complete them with flying colours! <3

114 days left (+ 4 days update)

It's awfully lazy of me to not do a daily update for 5 days straight but honestly I got sick from Thursday and not to mention it was damn hard to complete assignments when you have a fever and cold. It's like something is against me being productive everyday T-T

I thought maybe i could productively use the 4 days after the school event to study something but no, of course I had to get a fever :")

In the past 5 days I:

Assignments completed:

Computers

Business studies

Accountancy

Assignments Pending:

Economics

Studied 2 topics in economics today

and that's the only thing I could do in these days... But it's fine, I'll catch up eventually. Everything will be fine or so I keep telling myself that. T-T