How to prepare for exams? 7-step memo for schoolchildren and students

We are at school with a friend, and 15 minutes away Lithuanian language assessment - we had to learn the language by heart. I'm good, but my friend is not.

It took me about 10-15 minutes at home to learn my language. Girlfriend is panicking though she'd be sure to learn hers in the minutes left before kick-off. Only, unfortunately, not with the methods we were taught in school.

I think all people reading this article know very well what it means to sit all evening or even a week in front of textbooks, books or a computer screen, trying to do something, finish or learn...

...Crazy! What happens then?

Lots of work, the pressure is huge, you don't even know where to start, so you just sit there holding your head and blaming the world, calling your employers the nicest names and cursing that you went to law school.

I want to share 7 ways of effective learning, how by working extra just 2 hours a week, students can have an average >9, and everyone else can stop making excuses that you don't have time for anything.

Today we will learn to work more efficiently.

No. 1｜Create the right place for work.

The best way to start is to reorganize your workplace. If you feel that your productivity is too low, it is the arrangement of the work space can change everything. It is not difficult at all and very effective. Why?

Does it happen that you feel great when you get home, but as soon as you sit down at your desk you feel sleepy, lazy or just in a bad mood?

This happened because if you haven't changed much on the desk or in the study for a long time, you captured certain emotions in things. Or, in other words, you created it subliminal contextual memory.

(It's easier than it sounds.)

Let's say you got home, you were ready to start doing your homework, but then suddenly you thought "oh, I'll check Facebook quickly and then I'll start". Then you imperceptibly turned on the music, started texting and you were surprised to see that two hours had disappeared somewhere. That's how "I don't have time at all" appears. This is already information that you have captured in the work environment. As a result, the next time you sit down, the same thing is very likely to happen.

Fortunately, by changing even minor details, we can re-encode the desired and more useful information.

Rebuild desktop, and if you can't or don't want to - replace it what's on it, smile (this will capture the mood in the space), sit down and work. You'll find that next time it's easier to get things done and you'll be much more productive.

• Great article on workplace inertia was written by the architect of joy Linas Matulis. And I advise everyone not only to read, but also to use the tips described by him.
• This topic is also related to the Architecture of Choices. Daniel told about her in the article "How to start a healthier life".
• Finally, science shows: tidy people have more energy.

No. 2｜Study only what is most important.

Have you heard anything about Pareto principle? It is also known as the 80/20 rule. And there are many examples:

1. Often, achievements are determined by 20% talent and 80% work;
2. The exam will contain no more material from the 20% course;
3. 20% of people of the world control 80% of money;
4. Delphi has 80% of bad news and 20% of good news;
5. 20% will use the knowledge of those who read this text, and 80% will continue to struggle;
6. And so on...

My favorite - 20% work determines the result of 80%.

So if you are struggling after classes or lectures, studying for 6-10 hours extra, maybe you just need to review before work which tasks consume 80% of your time, and only give 20% result and put them aside; focusing on those that give the 80% result.

This will require some strictness and openness with yourself. Is everything you do really worth it? And is it really necessary to blame the book for memorization, if the point is not in memorization, but in the answers to the most important questions of the exam?

I can help you various time planning models, of which the ABC time planning method is probably the most suitable. He is the first to be mentioned in the article.

You can read more about the Pareto principle here:

• The Pareto rule (20/80) in practice
• What Is The 80/20 Rule And Why It Will Change Your Life
• Understanding the Pareto Principle (The 80/20 Rule)
• And in the book of Daniel "The Lazy Manifesto"

No. 3｜Questions and answers are educational.

The third step is to ask questions.

• Question: What is the most common reaction to a question asked by a teacher?
• Possible answer: The silence of the graves.
• Question: And what are all the lessons for?
• Possible answer: It is to learn more.

Asking anyone who cares and is at least somewhat on-topic (and sometimes off-topic) will certainly not get worse, and the answers can save you in the settlement or even change your outlook on life. Everything happens.

Questions and answers are the basis of stories. And stories stimulate the brain and we remember the most through stories.

You can make excuses: "hey, I don't have anything to ask, I'm afraid to speak, others will start laughing, what if I ask the wrong question?" or something like that...

But f*ck it. Show that you have a muscle (or two) and ask. Ignore others if there is fear. When buying cheese, do you also look around so that no one sees?

You should ask more:

• For Students, Why the Question is More Important Than the Answer
• Why do we ask questions? TEDxVienna

No. 4｜It will also require some subconsciousness.

A one-time action will not be enough for this exercise. It will require constant training, so the 95% reading this article may not be able to implement it. But everyone should know this.

What do we usually hear around us? There is probably a lot of negativity: complaints, words like "I didn't learn anything", "I won't be able to do that for sure", "what a piece of shit" and the like.

But there are good words from a wise man:

"Whether you believe you can do something or believe you can't, you'll be right."

How should I understand this?

We have such a mysterious and interesting thing - the subconscious mind, which we use unconsciously all the time. When we don't believe in ourselves, we send messages to the nervous system with the appropriate content, which unfortunately limits or even deprives us of the ability to create a specific result.

That's what most people do - does not believe in his own strength and unconsciously sets himself up for failure. I won't learn, I didn't learn, I won't answer...

Fortunately, you can use your subconscious mind to your advantage and get incredible results. If you keep sending messages to your nervous system that you will be able to perform a certain action, that possibility may actually become a reality. Yes, it is placebo and spontaneous effect together. 1

Articles about the subconscious mind:

• Affirmations - how to create magic words that heal and program for success
• The Power of Subconscious Learning
• Subconscious Mind - How it Works and How to Use It

No. 5｜Break the information down into parts.

Did you notice how I put the information in this article? I split it. Information - phrase - information. Why do I do this?

Scientists like George Miller (and dozens of others) discovered long ago that our short-term memory can be only 4-8 objects of thought at a time.

Look at your phone number. I learned mine as follows: 86-129-2361. 2

Simple - divided into three short parts. But if I were to dictate "861-29236-1", I would have to think for a few seconds if it is the same number.

In other words - decomposition helps memorization. And that's cool, because breaking up information helps you move it into long-term memory.

But before we get to the long-term, here's some more about partitioning:

• How to use your brain more effectively or how to study more effectively
• The Limits of Memory: We Can Remember Four Things at a Time
• How We Remember, and Why We Forget

No. 6｜Mmm... Association... I want you!

Creating neural associations is the most effective way of learning. Our mind works through connections - each thought causes another thought, which is related to the third. For example, we associate "A" with "B", practical people with Norfa, watermen with Russia... Then the Soviet Union, grandparents, war and a string of other thoughts are cool.

• Question: How to use it?
• One of the answers: Using anchoring.

Anchoring is learning by association.

You probably all know that feeling when a song you hear reminds you of one or another place, event or person. “She reminds me a lot of something,” you say. This is already an anchor. Once upon a time you felt a strong emotion, and maybe the song was playing in the background at that time, which cemented the emotion you felt.

This can also be used when learning. Here's the technique:

1. Break down the information into convenient amounts using the method mentioned above.
2. Review the information you have several times.
3. Get into the situation as if you've already learned everything.
4. Remember a moment when you felt amazing in the past.
5. Associate that moment with the knowledge you need (remember how you felt at that time, what you saw, what you heard, what you thought) and get involved.

Empathy is the most important part here, because that's what anchoring is all about. It is empathy that is always experienced by theater actors, orators, or once upon a time, in ancient Greece, oral story tellers used it.

Anchor the state using the most convenient method:

• Touch a certain part of your body with your hand (eg pat your shoulder, squeeze your ear);
• Smell some smell (incense, perfume, sweat);
• Listen to a song (preferably never heard before);
• Visualize clearly what kind of image.

Repeat all this 2-3 times, assigning a different association to each piece of information. For pupils and students, it's probably best to use anchors that you would use in class (like touching a part of the body or imagining) because the teacher won't let you listen to the song you want, I'm guessing.

Once you've captured the information, you'll be able to legally cheat in class... 😉

I recommend:

• How to make complex things simple: Neuroassociations - Tony Robbins' secret weapon
• The phenomenon of memory With coffee