{"id":1209,"date":"2021-04-29T09:27:43","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T09:27:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mgt.dept.shef.ac.uk\/undergraduate\/?p=1209"},"modified":"2021-04-29T09:27:56","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T09:27:56","slug":"ace-exam-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mgt.dept.shef.ac.uk\/undergraduate\/ace-exam-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Four tips to help you ace exam season"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>By Temi Karim, BA Business Management<\/p>\n

The dreaded time is upon us. Lockdown has eased and the sun is finally out, but we still have work to do. With time running out, we need to find ways to take advantage of the time we do have to put us one step closer to getting our degrees. Luckily for you, I\u2019ve spent my time at uni testing out different study methods so you don\u2019t have to. I\u2019m here to share with you the top four things that have made studying WAY easier for me. You may have already heard a couple of these tips, but I\u2019m hoping some of them can really help change studying for you.<\/p>\n

#1 \u2013 ‘They Say, I Say’ by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein<\/strong><\/p>\n

Studying a course with a lot of analytical writing? Have no idea WHAT\"\"<\/a> analytical writing even is? Well, this book has got your back. \u2018They Say, I Say\u2019 tackles the mysterious topic of analytical writing and teaches you how to approach different subjects without feeling like you\u2019re saying the same sentence over and over again.<\/p>\n

And the best part about it? It\u2019s got writing templates to practice with! It\u2019s one thing to understand what to do, but it\u2019s another to know how to do it, and this book teaches you both.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s definitely an investment, but it\u2019s one that I have not regretted.<\/p>\n

#2 \u2013 Plan Backwards<\/strong><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t tell you the number of times I think<\/em> I\u2019ve done about 80% of an essay, then had to do an all-nighter to finish what I thought was 20% left. That\u2019s why it\u2019s extremely important to not just create a plan, but to plan backwards <\/em>from the deadline. After breaking down the task into smaller sections and prioritising which ones are the most important, planning backwards from the deadline helps you identify when you need to finish each task, and you can set mini-deadlines for yourself. You can also build in some extra cushion and proof-reading time, so that all-nighters can finally become a thing of the past!<\/p>\n

#3 \u2013 No Library? Use Focusmate<\/p>\n

Chances are, going to the library isn\u2019t the best option right now. Spaces are hard to find, and not a lot of people want to wear a stuffy mask while studying all day long. But it can also be extremely hard to work alone without a study environment. That\u2019s where Focusmate comes in. Focusmate pairs you up with a random person around the world and the two of you study together for 50 minutes. I\u2019ve found this to be perfect for getting work done, because otherwise it\u2019s kind of embarrassing to say to your partner that you got nothing done the entire hour!<\/p>\n

You get 3 free sessions a week, but for about $5 (roughly \u00a33) a month, you can book as many sessions as you\u2019d like. I\u2019ll admit, at the start, I was a bit concerned about running into some creeps, but I haven\u2019t really met any. Probably the weirdest person I came across did yoga the entire session, which was definitely a bit uncomfortable, but I\u2019ve met way more people with cats than I\u2019ve met creeps.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve completed nearly 200 sessions since January, and I can definitely say that this helped me get through exam season at home.<\/p>\n

#4 \u2013 The Pomodoro technique<\/p>\n

If you struggle with focusing for long periods of time, or just don\u2019t want to work with a stranger online, the Pomodoro technique can be great for helping you work without feeling burnt out. It breaks down work time and break time into short intervals, usually 25 minutes of work to a 5-minute break, but how you break it up is entirely up to you. The best apps I\u2019ve found for this are Tide and Flora.<\/p>\n

Tide has an entire catalogue of calming music to \"\"<\/a>help you really zone into your work. On the other hand, a session on Flora grows a cute little plant which you can add to your garden for the week. Here\u2019s one of my gardens!<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve tried and tested all of these tips, and can say for sure that each one has helped me study better in more ways than I can imagine. I know that this exam season is going to be a tough one for all of us, but I hope that some of these tips make it a little bit easier to get through it. Good luck!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Temi Karim, BA Business Management The dreaded time is upon us. Lockdown has eased and the sun is finally out, but we still have work to do. With time running out, we need to find ways to take advantage of the time we do have to put us one step closer to getting our … Continue reading “Four tips to help you ace exam season”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[74],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/mgt.dept.shef.ac.uk\/undergraduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1209"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/mgt.dept.shef.ac.uk\/undergraduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/mgt.dept.shef.ac.uk\/undergraduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mgt.dept.shef.ac.uk\/undergraduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mgt.dept.shef.ac.uk\/undergraduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1209"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/mgt.dept.shef.ac.uk\/undergraduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1209\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1213,"href":"http:\/\/mgt.dept.shef.ac.uk\/undergraduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1209\/revisions\/1213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/mgt.dept.shef.ac.uk\/undergraduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mgt.dept.shef.ac.uk\/undergraduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mgt.dept.shef.ac.uk\/undergraduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}