EXAM PREPARATION STRATEGIES
Personally, I know I have some learning issues which make it harder for me to take on board new information.
It maybe one reasons I’m so into nootropics, natural ways to enhance brain effectiveness, avoid fatigue and boost learning.
Many folks are heading into exam season directly after Easter, so I thought I’d pop down a few helpful and science backed tips and tricks to assist optimal learning.
If I can make it easier to learn for you and your kids that’ll be a great feeling.
FUNDAMENTALS FOR THE BUSY READER
1. Keep hydrated.
2. Avoid sugar and fast release carbs as these can induce an ADD type response.
3. Manage Stress via the 1st two options and ensuring deep restful sleep.
4. Manage inflammation to reduce stress and increase brain performance – the main ways to do this are via brightly coloured foods, omega 3 and tons of polyphenol rich foods.
5. Work in Deep Focussed Blocks and disarm distractions.
6. Use movement and exercise to stimulate brain function ahead of learning blocks.
7. Siesta to lay down new pathways and consolidate memories.
8. Read, write, teach your subject, add your own flare test yourself and make connections via live questioning.
9. Quiz and recall.
10. Space out frequency of learning blocks, best way is to “water frequently’ rather than all at once.
11. This means a plan, so you don’t need to cram.
12. Keeping tasks open means your subconscious continues to work on things. Once you’ve completed an exam block on a certain subject, close this off and move onto the new subject.
13. If you have 2 exams on different subjects close together you have to keep both open as tasks leading into the exam day.
14. Vary your learning modalities, mind maps, listening, teaching, family quizzes.
15. The 3 days before an exam are important to keep these days focussed and intense.
16. Make time for exercise and other decompression activities after you’ve completed a block of work.
Tip energy Drinks are generally a bad idea for learning.
Oily fish like sardines contains tons of important nutrients for brain health. Vitamin D is required for optimal brain function alongside the b-vitamins, curcumin and additional omegas can help too.
Keeping your blood glucose steady with an equal mix of proteins, vegetables and slow release carbs is important.
A good example might be omega eggs, with smoked salmon and green beans.
A poor example might be a glass of orange juice, a bagel and jam……
Some good choices on the left and some poor choices on the right on this picture:
Keeping a set sleeping routine is critical. With a digital sunset and sleep making rituals towards sleepy time:
We sleep in roughly 90 minute cycles so if you can roughly work that back and aim for 7.5 hours most nights give or take. You need to be in bed more than that to allow time to get to sleep.
Seista then needs to be either around 90 minutes or a power nap. Nasa experiments suggest 17-18 minutes. Allow 5 minutes each side to settle into the sofa and get cosy.
LEARNING MODALITIES
Be careful to test yourself rather than read over things and think “I’m ok” active retrieval is key. Making 200 Note Cards is Hard Work, you've been busy. Testing and Recall is the key though. You can do both. But jump into test and recall from day 1.
you can have the fanciest card set, but if you don't learn the facts to be able to recall them and get them on paper pretty fast you won't show the examiners what you ate capable of.
When you do the recall. It's not necessary to get everything right in fact, just doing the real deal learning builds bridges in the brain, ready to help you learn more when you sit back down next.
It’s also important not to worry if you get anything wrong. Just asking the questions opens up the brains ability to make new connections = cool stuff.
The active recall and being tested if often the bit everyone puts off, myself included. It's a procrastinator. Jump in. Kill the pain.
FOCUSSED BURSTS WITH REST = HUMANS DO BEST WHEN WE OSSILATE.
I’ve used a 50-minute focus with 10 minutes rest and a total of 3 hours before a longer break to good advantage.
It’s good to replicate the amount of time you’ll need to be focussed in an exam, in your revision blocks.
Turn off all distractions, push notifications and social media updates. In fact, you might consider just coming off that for a significant part of your exam preparation.
Keeping a task open allows working memory to stay open, connections continue to be made.
Waiters will know who ordered what, until the bills been paid for example. One that task is closed retrieval is harder.
Tip this is fine once the exam is out of the way.
Some of the best brain nutrients are contained in my Focus Formula. www.aminoman.com
Here’s my 3 day exam preparation cycle. It's the last slide in this blog.
You need to have all the ground work covered before this is purely for laying down memories and practicing exam timing and technique.
The ground work will cover having the best essays in each likely area to arrive by viewing past papers and always revise one more area than you need to.
You can organise a revision group. Invite the best people in your class.
Exam Day Nerves.
Use deep breathing to stay centred. Nerves are normal they are there to help you.
Feel excited and use the excitement to drive your writing and get all the lovely things you’ve learned down onto paper.
Individuals who say “I’m excited” “Let’s Go” actually do better than those who try to “calm down” calming down is exactly not what the brain needs to do – use your breathing to get centred and channel the excitement into action. 