Studying Tips - Blog Posts

To those of you writing your papers right now, I hope you realise how important it is to mark and acknowledge your progress no matter the amount, and that your academic caliber is not necessarily going to be the same as others and that’s no reason for you to beat yourself up over, because you’ve done what you can by the end of the day. You need to realise the strength, time and effort it took for you to do it because it was YOU who sat down those hours completing your tasks for and all by yourself, not anybody else, so I beg of you to give yourself the credit you so incredibly deserve. <3

Thursday, May 4, 2k17: EXAM TIPS

4. May is AP Exam season! What are your tips for studying for tests?

May Study challenge by nkbstudies

So here in Canada, we don’t have AP at every school and our exams are at the end of June. BUT, I have picked up a few tips. 

1. Make review sheets at the end of each unit. By the end of the semester, these will pile up and you can look back @ summaries of the entire year. Here’s a quick way to create one, s/o to my Math teacher. 

2. Flash cards. Ofc this one is obvious, BUT instead of just defining the term, try to get the term by the definition, work backwards! 

3. Clean/organize/create a new layout for your study. This’ll help to not only distract you but motivate you bc everything will look nice now. It’ll also give your brain a new place to work at. 

4. Practice Worksheets. A lot of you like to rewrite your notes (and so do I!) but another thing that is similar and works well is creating mini worksheets and working on them whenever you can. Whenever I know that I’m going to get these say like four questions wrong, I would make worksheets of about 10 questions and add these ones in them, sometimes worded differently. I do them whenever I have a spare moment, such as on the way home, during lunch break, at homeroom. This forces me to think and eventually causes me to remember them. Try to pick problems that you know for SURE are on the test!

19. 05. 2021

A super productive day. I studied for 5 hours on forensics report and completed it :)

I prefer listening to podcast or using animedoro method for long hour work. Have a happy week ahead 😊

12/11 day of productiveness. I'm in my 2nd semester of Masters of biotech and I got 10 out of 30 marks in analytical exam. :( I studied so much. It will be 15% of my grade. I was very sad about this. That's why I determined to study 1 hour of analytical everyday. Hope I'll improve a lot before my final assessment test. I'm currently reading Funny Stories chosen by Michael Rosen

The COVID situation is getting worse day by day here. :(

A study with me video 😌 with Korean music in the background.

Tips & Tricks:

Now days I study with background musics and they really helped me with concentration. ❤

Study tips for growing

Try pomodoro method if you have concentration problem or cannot study for longer hours. This will break your work into small doable portions.

Highlighter is an important part if you are reading research papers, I personally prefer pink highlighter in my PDFs.

Creating a to-do list but put only 3 things to do everyday. I use in built to- do app in my laptop, there's some great apps out for mobile phones.

If you want your notes to look to aesthetic then make it as original as possible, don't run for aesthetics, run for content.

This are some of the tips I came up with on my own that works wonderful for me. Hope this will help you too :)

https://www.instagram.com/reel/COUaZBHADxk/?igshid=1li1mgwm96wpe

12.12.20 winter study🍁: it's hot chocolate time. My final exams for Masters are starting from 28th December To 13 th January. I should study as much as possible but my body isn't cooperating right now. So I'm busy but not panicking.

Yesterday and today was all about listening to Evermore album.🎧 I'll tried to study more in the upcoming days ! Here's a song recommendation for you guys. Wishing you Merry Christmas weeks ahead ✨

Before/After

Happiness is crossing out your works Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ in your to-do list ..

I tried many ways to be productive but writing down your works with a time limit period works like magic. Believe me. When you cross down each works that's a marvelous feeling.

Instead of wasting paper I prefer the in build sticky note app in my laptop to jot down things and in this online days posting sticky notes on your screen works better than writing it down on paper.

Day 1/10 of being productive.

Small steps matter.

surviving uni tips

so I recently started my uni and it’s online classes and they are putting too much  pressure on us.  I made some new plans to ace through uni grades and I thought i should share them even though they are not much.  1.  read and make notes on the topic the day you learn and if you think you will wait for the weekend then you are doing it wrong.  Let’s go back to elementary days and finish your studying and homework day to day. It helps a lot in lessening the burden before the exams.  2. watch YouTube videos and understand the concepts better because it’s all about applying the concepts.   3.  Make questions while you read and wrote them down on a piece of paper or in a word document.  4. Create questions or ask a friend to create them and schedule a time in each week and take the exam with limited time. It will help with the speed.  5. create minimum 3 goals for the coming day and achieve them by creating a reward.  6. try pomodoro  technique but use 60 min as study time and 15 min as a break.  7. use white noises.  This is my plan for the coming exam which is on 8th October. Hopefully this will work. 

I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.' - Muhammad Ali

28.06.2024

Did the English test, it was alright, not too bad i guess... Arabic test was cancelled, more like forgotten by the teacher, yes, we didn't remind xD

Today was uneventful but I guess it's good...

Did some accountancy sums

Studied economics lesson 2 (Part 2)

Yeah, that's it.

27.06.2024

I'm tired. Gosh. I've been waking up at 6:45 am and then returning home at 5:00 in the evening, it's so exhausting... Anyway, today I:

Completed one lesson in economics

Did some accounts sums and revised concepts

Did my computer homework (50%)

Got an English and Arabic test tomorrow. Yay T-T

I'm in my "I don't know how but i will" era

26.06.2024

Well, no idea how to describe today. Kinda boring and tiring... I'm struggling with English alittle, no it's not the stories or poetry or prose or assignments... It's freaking grammar. I mean, I'm fluent in English, I don't have that many mistakes in it either thankfully but if our teacher teaches us grammar using tabular columns and grammar rule formulae type stuff, I'll obviously struggle because I can't freaking comprehend how you use that in this T-T

Anyways, today I:

Completed English assignment

Did some accounts

Completed 1 lesson in Business Studies

Completed Computer homework

I guess that's it...

25.06.2024

Today was alright, I guess. My project finally got accepted by our computer teacher, like after suffering for a week or two we finally completed.

Nothing much to update here so....

Did some accounts sums

Completed 40% of English assignment

Completed 20% of Arabic assignment

I've been meaning to wake up at 5:30 from tomorrow to start studying. Let's see... O-O

24.06.2024

Well, I'm freaking exhausted! Like, i literally woke up at 6:30 in the morning and it's now 11:30 at night, I didn't even rest even for 10 mins. Gosh, it's starting frustrate me so damn much...

Anyway, the seminar went better than expected, some how i managed the computer test and the business studies teacher believes so much in me that she never picks me to answer a question xD and the economics test is postponed to tomorrow, I'm gonna study that in the morning. And we submitted our computer project today and the teacher liked it and she said that she was impressed with our team's report and even used it as a reference to show the others, I was jumping inside xD

And today i:

Practiced 10 Accountancy sums

Did some computer writing assignment

Reviewed some concepts in business studies

Not alot but still something...

23.06.2024

So i kinda missed a day yesterday, I was busy with my project and i got a cold... i literally didn't study anything, i have no idea what I'll write in tomorrow's 3 tests. Praying they'll get cancelled T-T

Anyways, today I:

Finished off the computer project

Completed 20% of the English assignment

Practiced for tomorrow's English seminar

Okay, i hope I'll do good tomorrow but I have faith. So yeah.

If I had to give one advice, and only one advice, to everyone going through highschool (although it also works for uni), it would be this:

Do as much past papers as you can. Lessons are not enough, practice is the key. There is generally a pattern in the exercises. That's what you should learn to identify. Learn to see, from the first glance, what they ask you in a question, even if you don't know the answer to it yet. That is more than helpful. That makes you learn your lessons better and you'll be confident in front of any exercise even if you don't really know the answers, you know the steps. You know what is asked from you. You know what to do. So practice, practice, practice.

Based on experience.

Hey dear Anon! :)

I know what you're saying because I literally passed sophomore and junior year with this method. I agree it's very beneficial and it definitely gives you more confidence in the actual exam!

Thanks for sharing :)

21.06.2024

Well, today was uneventful and boring as always. The English period ended before i could present my seminar so now I have to wait till Monday (kinda bad if you ask me). Completely did something else on the economics test today, boring old accounts got me crying like always and don't get me started on computers... T-T

Completed 65% of the computer project (Took me 3 hours)

I did absolutely nothing else... gosh...

20.06.2024

Today was tiring. And I'm pretty sure tomorrow is gonna be exhausting as well. Wrote 2 class tests today, no idea what I wrote xD I have a seminar, a test and an assignment submission tomorrow... A project submission on Monday and another test on Saturday, in simple words, I'm gonna have a busy weekend T-T

Learnt a new accounts concept and wrote some notes

Learnt lesson 1 in business studies

Prepared for English seminar

Worked on the computer project (10% done)

Did I study for tomorrow's test? Nope, just have to wing it I guess T-T

19.06.2024

First day of school after Eid holidays and gosh, I'm tired but it was an overall alright day. Postponed the tests they were supposed to keep today (about 3 tests) and kept 2 other suprise tests... I don't think teachers know the meaning of "informing in advance" and "actually following their schedule" T-T

No one even asked for the assignments, I was annoyed because i literally wasted my time doing them and they didn't even ask ://

Anyways, I got done atleast somethings...

Did half of the new economics assignment

Completed Arabic homework

Completed English homework

Economics lecture (YouTube) 50 mins

Discussed computer assignment (we've barely started and we have so much to do)

Tomorrow, we have tests in economics, business studies, a seminar in English and probably my computer teacher's wrath... For some reason, despite starting so early this year, i feel way less confident than last year when i only touched my books during exams... life is so weird... And mid terms start in July (don't ask me how it's mid term already when it's only like the 2nd week of school and they haven't even completed half the portions for it T-T)

16.06.2024

Did absolutely nothing today because one, I was fasting and two, I'm a lazy ass potato. So, nothing to update though I did do some Computer project with my classmates. So... Kinda did something? And tomorrow is Eid so I guess i wouldn't do anything tomorrow either so... :")

15.06.24

I slept till 9 today and wow that helped but I'm still sleepy xD Nevertheless, I did alot...

Assignments:

Economics (another one, yes T-T)

Computer (40% done)

Arabic (90% done)

English seminar

Tests:

Economics 2 lessons

English 1 lesson

Homework:

Accounts

Islamic studies (memorizing 1 Ayn of Dhukhan- 5% done)

Still have a lot to do. It doesn't help that my computer group isn't really helping that much, like a few girls are participating but the other two, like she's missing :")

Besides that, tomorrow i'm gonna start studying so... T-T

14.06.2024

Today was exhausting but atleast we get a 4 day break till Tuesday because of Eid-ul-adha and gosh am i dreading the coming Wednesday, we have so much due then.

I didn't do much today, just completed my business studies assignment. Now, I'm gonna make a list of my assignments and tests due on Wednesday...

Assignments:

Economics (another one, yes T-T)

Computer (the hardest one)

Arabic (kinda easy)

English seminar

Tests:

Economics 2 lessons

English 1 lesson

Homework:

Accounts

Islamic studies (memorizing 1 Ayn of Dhukhan)

Right and I have to do my own studying... looks like it's gonna be toooo productive and my plans of reading a novel just went out the window T-T

13.06.2024

4th day of school and I'm more exhausted, for some reason I feel like senior year is going more slowly than junior year. Like, last year, I blinked and bamn, end of the week and right now I feel like I'm processing every minute T-T

Write some Accounts notes

Read an English lesson

Completed eco assignment

12.06.2024

Today was... Alright , I guess? I'm not sure how to feel, it's literally the 3rd day of school and we have a test tomorrow :/ not like I'm gonna study for that test, I'm gonna wing it and follow my own schedule this year because last time our teachers just messed everything up by giving unimportant topics as tests :///

Anyways...

Completed writing notes for lesson 1 in Economics

Read all the poetry in our English syllabus

Wrote short notes for Computer lesson 1

Revised some Arabic

11.06.2024

Second day of school and gosh was it exhausting, i somehow seemed to have forgotten how tiring school really is :")

Today was a full on Computers and Accounts day T-T

Completed Accounts homework and reviewed some concepts we learnt today

Prepared computer notes for lesson 1 (only half)

Economics assignment 90% done

10.06.2024

It was the first day of school, just got my textbooks and the whole class spent the day talking and doing nothing. Classes start tomorrow but I'm starting sooner this year. I'm keeping this as a tracker for progress so... Yeah

Read 1 chapter of Business studies and English

Completed 50% of the assignment in Economics

Revised last year's accountancy notes

How to do group projects? (If you're selected as the leader of the group)

I hate group projects, it's not necessarily the project rather, the people are not cooperative enough so here's some tips I use when I was chosen to do a PPT and a damn play with 13 members.

(Pictures aren't mine!)

Take phone numbers

Even though my teacher discouraged the idea of it, I still took the numbers of all the members and saved it on the same day the project was given even though the deadline was a month later. You should make sure that you have the necessary means of communication to every member.

Plan and outline within 3 days!

Make an outline of what needs to be done, plan out who's going to do what, how they'll do it, when will they complete it etc etc. The reason i do it within 3 days is because you'll get the base of how you'll do it because generally in group projects, by the time everyone completes the work and gives it to you, it would take atleast a week or two, if you start early, you'll complete earlier than everyone else

No group chats!

I personally don't prefer this because one i realised everyone just didn't reply expecting others to reply, especially when your group is big! So... Dms!! Just send the instructions personally, yes, it takes alot of time but it makes up for the energy wasted in group chats that involve unnecessary talks and questions.

Both face to face and text reminders!

When you've assigned work to every member, make sure they actually do it because you'll be the one responsible. Not gonna lie but reminders help especially when the deadlines are closer. Just a message like "Hey, friendly reminder about the XYZ project."

Save your own name!

This is something I'm really careful about. The accusation that you're being biased and assigning easier work to friends and people I'm close with. So, i figured that the best way to avoid it is to write all the work and the names of members in alphabetical order and assign accordingly. If the member can't do it, then I'll discuss and swap. It saves a hell lot of drama and actually results to better outcomes.

Back up

Make sure that there's always a second in command. This was a mistake I did, on the day of the 2nd project (the play), I was in one of the competitions and our teacher had started with our group first... I didn't exactly tell anyone that everything about the characters assigned to members and the narrations were in my bag so they had to scramble alittle but in the end, our group did the best play despite the situation so that's what you're aiming at. Your group needs to manage without you.

Flexibility

Do not, under any circumstances, expect everything to go well! You need to expect hindrances, like gurl, come on. A mistake I made in the PPT project, i made the PPT and told 4-5 people to explain it because that's how it was supposed to be done but in the end, ALL THE 4-5 PEOPLE HAD TO BE IN SPORTS PRACTICE so we ended up changing plans last minute. But nevertheless, we got an A-. Tell everyone to prepare accordingly.

Be a little lenient

Personally, when the teacher asked me to give the list of work everyone had done, i did'nt just write nothing for the members who didn't, i have even the smallest contribution because in the end, even one person's scores matters. It affects the whole damn group so be careful when you take out anger and frustration on the members when giving the list of contributions or even while doing the project. The last thing you need is drama.

Contact!

Make sure your members are comfortable enough to clear any questions or misunderstandings with you. If you don't know what's going in the group, you can't maintain the group. Be very clear that they can reach you any time.

Demo!!!

This is really important! Decide on a day and keep a demonstration of how your project is going to be presented. Do exactly as how you're going to do it infront of the teacher. Exchange some points on how to do better during the demo and discuss! It helps you to correct your mistakes.

Hope this helps! :)