As the exam season is in full swing some people may be wondering what has been successful for others.
so how did you prepare for your exams?
Generally studying seems to work for me :p
i was expecting a wanna-be time smart ass response from you.
I personally did nto have great exam prep habits and usually crammed like crazy a few days before teh finals. My sister on the other hand had a whole schedule prepared.. each day how many houes studying what, then she had a revision schedule... at exam time she was all set.
basically if she had to take her exam 24-36 hours before she would nto have an issue. In my case during underrgad there were classes i would surely have flunked. :)
Pir sahib, I’m just like you were. I can’t set a schedule for how many hours I’m going to study. Never works for me…I procrastinate till the end, and nothing ever works any other way. I’ve tried many a times to start studying earlier and i do, but at a much slower pace…and towards the end i still have a fair amount of stuff left to cover 
I can’t also study in libraries…or public places. It has to be my room, preferrably my bed. Familiar/comfortable surrounding i suppose.
My experience won't be the same as those in US, but anyway here it goes...
I personally believe that there is an inverse correlation between starting too early and getting good grades (atleast in my case). When you start your prep, you have motivation to get every thing done and prepare the best way possible. As we are making progress with our prep, our motivation and confidence is increasing. However, after a certain point the motivation starts to go down. You don't want to hit the actual exam date, when you are weary of studies and about to die of boredom.
Ideally I will want to be at the peak of my motivation when the exams are starting. So, I never started too early. Almost always started just before the panic button is to be pressed. Never much into cramming, but will try to hit every topic atleast once. Rarely had a chance to do more than 1 revision on any topic. I was not so organized in my preps either. Will hit different topics randomly to keep it interesting (you get bored from one topic, move to another. Come back to it later). Never took many notes or used high lighters or post-its or flash cards. Just plain reading of the book and solving questions, MCQ etc. It worked.
Never studied in groups either. If we ever get together, saara time guppein maarnay mein guzar jaata thaa. Favorite relaxation techniques included comedy re-runs, movies and video games.
I could never study in groups.
i liked some distractions going on, radio TV etc..
my fav place to study was outdoors..which was a problem in winters, the other place i liked was my room..
my approach was to fully go through the notes and syllabus and hit everythign that I was comfortable with just to make sure..and then tackle the remaining stuff one at a time.
some of teh stuff i needed to memorize..formulas and like, i would be reading then until the last minute..and then as soon as the test would start, write them all down..whether or not I got to use them..
note cards helped as well.
My study habits changed significantly in junior year in college and I was more organized, and then during the gard work, I had to be much more on the ball and aside from a few cases knew my subject well at anytime during the school year, what that did was that I had zero tension at exam time. I have prepared for exams in a matter of 2-3 hours, and it was just goign through the material..glancing to make sure there was nothing that I felt i needed to study a bit more.
sigh
agar imtehaanon k lyay parha hota…kaash…goes into deep melancholy introspection
sigh
Pir ji your post has hit my dukhti rug :-/
i just CANNOT every start studying early. i am a veryyyyy last minute person not just in studies but in everything…i always procrastinate till the veryyyy end and many times this does not work n affects the quality of what i have to do…even if by some miracle i do start early, it never ever works and i just leave everything till the end..i dont think there ever was an exam or big project during college days where i dint pull atleast a semi all nighter…
this last minute habit is actually a very very bad attitude which i have tried to change many times without luck…sigh…Allah miyan jeee 
Sehar i agree yaar i also can’t study in public places n libraries…in my room and on my bed is where i study too ever since i was a kid and in college too
Faisal bhai, I also can’t concentrate in group study and end up only maaring guppein there I need to review the material and understand it myself, can ask a friend or TA or prof to explain if I’m stuck though [but that never happenned coz I was always cramming last minutes n dint have time to consult anyone ]…like you i also never take notes or use high lighters or post-its or flash cards etc…for me too just reading the book and solving questions and sample exams works…
i have seen kids in college tho with such AMAZING study habits…like finishing a paper a week ahead in time, and studying for exams so early that they have a chance to actually revise the whole curriculum 
i mean DANG some of my own close friends were like that, i was always amazed at their superb work ethic!!! its all about time management, self control and being motivated.
that depends on the format of the exam now doesn't it?
I'd rather fail an exam than 'prepare' for it to pass it. :p
so u were one of THOSE :o
i hate that kind with a passion 
the ones that appear so confident and relaxed before the exam 
not that i’m not relaxed but in my case its coz i know i’m gona do bad anyway so whats the point of stressing
elementary dear watson :halo:
i like to study about a week before the actual exam...the day of the exam..i'll do nething BUT study..keep my mind occupied...it tends to help me relax...I'm one of those ppl who can avoid thinking about it...for example I have a bio final in about a half an hour...and here I am on GS...:D...
Oh and another thing is that I CANNOT study unless its in front of the TV or next to the radio..i'm weird like that...
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by who---me: *
I'd rather fail an exam than 'prepare' for it to pass it. :p
[/QUOTE]
O yaaar, there are exams you have to pass, art ecploration, biology, physics..subjects that as a freshman or sophomore u have little interest in but have to take and pass cuz its part of the core curriculum.
Irem
I became "one of those" during grad school, partially because we had to be on our toes at all times because the pace of the course was just too much, a large chunk of the grade was decided throughot the semester and I was too busy to take huge chunks of time out around finalds to dedicate to studying.
I'm goign to quote two ppl in this thread:
[quote]
I procrastinate till the end, and nothing ever works any other way. I've tried many a times to start studying earlier and i do, but at a much slower pace...and towards the end i still have a fair amount of stuff left to cover
I can't also study in libraries...or public places. It has to be my room, preferrably my bed
[/quote]
and
[quote]
I could never study in groups.
i liked some distractions going on, radio TV etc..
[/quote]
That's how I study
Prepare?? Study?? Hmmmmm . . . now there is an interesting thought
Just kidding - - - it really depends on the course. If I am preparing for my finals in Shakespeare or 18th Century Lit, then I simply have to review all the material we read. If it is for courses like GeoChemistry or Plant Taxonomy, then I make tons of flashcards to quiz myself. However, it does seem as though my friends become more scarce when I break out the flashcards?!hehe I am sooo anal about my grades, they get afraid they might have to quiz me!hehe:p
depends on what the subject is...
science - read ahead of time before each class, make notes of what I wish to remember. Then about 3 or 4 days before the final, read over the notes a couple times to get the concept down. The night before - memorize all the details like the complicated names...and explain the concepts again to myself. A lot of science classes - its like understanding how a system works and being able to describe how the system works and its flaws and its strengths - so that is what I focus on ahead of time.
humanities stuff - if its english - read way ahead of time - go over stuff the night before - but general concepts.
philosophy - good God - I do not have good study habits for it. I've been writing papers last minute - and mostly at nights - that is when the creative juices flow.
Languages - put stuff on flashcards and memorize while walking between classes or while at lunch - and listen to tapes while in the car during long rides going back home on the weekends.
:D
I've been really bad this semester though.
Yes study hard,that’s always important.But whe u have an early exam always set the friggin alarm right so u can at least wakeup!
I bombed my math exam that way,ended up half an hr late,in my pyjamas panting like a friggin dog.
God’s picking on me
I thrive on pressure, if its a few days away meh, who cares, i can catch up. A few hours away? ah well i can study the last chapter on the subway. last minute? makin new ‘friends’ in class askin them what they know cuz its so much easier when you have someone tell you than reading it yourself. Plus it helps them revise too
I don’t really follow a specific format. Just pick up the book start reading in the middle of the night or day or in the car. Flash cards? no way. Notes, sure … chicken scratches and only I can make out what they read. I like walking around when studying and eating munchies (seeds, gummies, chips, coke), keeps the blood flowing and doesn’t put me to sleep.
I even attended those classes that teach you how to study 
that didn’t help even though I followed it to the bone. Funny, I got better marks the way I studied as opposed to the “studious” ways.
Pressure and constant moving/eating while studying, heh thats the way for me.
Ooh and at the end before leavin’ the house or study hall, I always make sure either I pray nafils before the exam or after it.
I have an exam tomorrow, and here I am studying... not the course material, but how to prepare for an exam!
hehe... so typical of me to come on GS durint eh exam period.
I've never been prepared for exams in advance - pressure does indeed motivate me, but I gotta change my habits. InshaAllah I'm going to be writing my Ph.D. Comprehensive exams next year, and for that, I gotta think of a plan and stick to it.