Hey Hello!!!

Friendly Advice

Decide your major early. And don't tell anyone about it. At least not your teachers or people who will change your mind. It's application week here, and I was close to banging my head against the wall. It's not supposed to be difficult until you make it difficult. So, do what you wanna do. You do know it. You just need to shut off the noise that keeps telling you what you "have" to do.

Study Trick That No One Told Me.

Division of subjects:

Every subject is learnt and graded in a different way. You can't use the same study techniques for every subject you have. You have mostly 3 types of subjects:

Memorization based

Practical/Question based

Theory/Essay based

Memorization based:

Mostly Biology, Sciences, Geography etc are fully based on memorization and so you'll use memory study techniques like flash cards and active recall.

Practical/Question based:

Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Accountancy etc are practice subjects. The more you do your questions and understand how a sum is done, the better you can score.

Theory/Essay based:

English, history, business studies etc are theory based. The more you write, the way you write and the keywords you use are the only things that will get you your grades. So learn the formats and the structure on how to write your answers

Note: Some subjects are a combination of the three. Like Economics etc

The reason we divide the subjects is because you can adopt the right study methods for the right subject. Like ex: business studies is mostly based on how you write your answer and the keywords, if you're gonna spend your time memorizing in this, it's a waste of time and energy.

Hope this helps :)

End Of School Life

I'm curious because i just completed my whole school life and i literally feel relieved but most of my classmates were hugging each other with teary eyes so...

Highschool tips that no one told me.

Explore. Clubs. Extra curriculars. Sports. Anything. When you get to freshman year, start exploring. Even if you're a sophomore, junior or senior. Start exploring because you need to be involved in something other than your school. (But don't overdo it!! Max of 2-3 extracurriculars)

Do your homework/assignments as soon as you can.

Get a planner/calender. Update it daily.

Exercise. Dance. Jog. Jump. Do whatever you want but exercise atleast 3 times a week.

Sleep earlier. Before 11 preferably.

Whatever you do, don't back answer a teacher.

Allow yourself to relax but don't overdo it.

Choose your friends carefully. Keep 2 or 3 close friends.

Don't just blabber everything about anything. Think before you speak

Don't involve yourself in any sorts of drama. Clear everything out before it even starts cause it's definitely gonna backfire if you don't

Choose your friends carefully. I mean, very carefully.

Time is investment, use it to your advantage.

For exams, solve past year question papers!!!

Have a doubt in something? Go ask your teacher (it will save you the trouble)

YouTube has a wide variety of videos for you to learn from

Study everyday. Just for an hour. It's more than enough.

Read. Read. Read. Write. Write. Write. Anything.

Honestly, get a study group. (I mean it. Don't study together in the same place. Just send important questions and ask doubts.)

Study things that were thought in previous classes. You will be behind the class but it definitely helps during exams/tests.

Most of all, try to enjoy. You won't get back your highschool years. I realise that now.

I did a similar post a few months ago. The mistakes that I made during my junior year. You can find it here.

Hope this helps! :D

Here's a reminder to fight the internalized sanism/ableism in your head.

If you have executive dysfunction, don't compare your productivity to people who don't.

If you have anhedonia, don't compare your struggling to keep up with hobbies to someone who doesn't.

If you have paranoia, don't think of your fears as any less valid than the fears of someone who doesn't.

If your meds make you tired constantly, don't compare your energy levels to someone who doesn't take those meds.

If you have issues with concentration, then you won't be able to pay attention as well as someone who doesn't.

If you're in the deep end of a pool, then you can't compare how well you keep your head above water to someone who is standing in a kiddie pool.

Please try to think of these things when you feel "lazy" or "childish" or "a failure" compared to other people that don't struggle with the same symptoms as you. If you have a mental illness that will affect how you act in everyday situations, then it will in fact affect you in everyday situations. It's not an excuse, it's just a reality. We need to try to be kinder to ourselves.

05.08.2024

Today was surprisingly not that tiring though I am pretty sleepy... And this week is just too packed, actually the whole month is packed. But anyways, today i just did accounts and mentally made a study plan for the week cause when I write it down i never really end up completing it :")

Today I:

Completed 1 full lesson in accounts

Topics covered:

Goodwill

Calculation of goodwill

Average profit method (Simple and Weighted)

Super profit method (Capitalisation and Annuity)

Capitalisation method

And I'm done for the day T-T

How to not feel bad about bad grades!

1. Remember you are not your notes or grades, It doesn't define you.

2. You can always do better the next time, learn from your mistakes and get better from your failure

3.You are allowed to feel bad but don't let get into your head and ruin your day. Do things to clear your head (watch a movie, write, hang out with friends, anything that makes you feel good)

4. Rest!! take time for yourself

5. Implement a new method for studying, Spent more time practicing or reading about the subjects.

6.Learn how to deal with frustration,( and Im sorry to tell you this but to have a resistance to failure you have to fail ,and learn from that.)

7. Don't compare yourself to other people.

And remember its not a big deal, a note or grade its not who you are, It doesnt matter if you fail because you can always try again and if someone makes you feel bad about failing, don't listen to them! I spent too much time feeling bad about failing a test so, I wanted to give advice that has helped me overcome that feeling!

Love ya!

-Ben

Tips for before, during and after exams

Before (Night before and in the morning)

Pack your bag. Materials, supplies, everything etc.

Always take extra pens. If it's only an MCQ type, just take one extra pen but if it's a written theory exam. Take 2. (I always keep 4 pens with me and two in my bag just in case)

Sleep before 10:30 or max 12

I always recommend not to wake up too early during exams. Get a good 8-9 hours sleep.

Eat breakfast.

Don't drink/eat anything that will cause you have stomach upset or something. Cause you're already anxious, you need to be mindful of what you eat. I especially avoid coffee and tea.

Try to reach school an hour before the exam.

Revise things that you already know very well. DO NOT LEARN ANYTHING NEW.

Before (I'm talking about like 1 hour)

Take your water bottle. If your examiner doesn't allow it take 3 short sips before entering. If you are taking it, don't keep it on the table because there's a chance of spilling it.

Personally, I never ever revise before 30 mins of the exam. I just calm myself down repeating affirmations and duas.

Go to the bathroom and as much as possible try to avoid it during the exam.

Before entering, again make sure you have the supplies needed. Pencils, rulers, pens, erasers etc.

After taking your seat, just close your eyes and calm your breathing until you get the question papers.

Pray. I always pray. We need to be in our halls before 20-30 mins itself, so I just sit in my place for 30 mins and just pray and recite some duas. During this time, I also retain some important keywords and other things in my head

5 mins before, I take all my materials out and place it beside me with my watch.

During exam:

At the start, when I receive my question paper. I just look through the questions, I don't start writing immediately. I give a solid 5-7 mins for recalling the answers in short.

Then, start writing! Just write. Whatever you know. Puke it all out!

Always follow the question sequence.

If you don't know the question. Go to the next one and start from there. Otherwise you'll waste time. Come back to the question after you complete the paper.

Try your best to complete the paper before 20 mins till the exam ends. For 2 main things, presentation and cross checking.

I always underline my headings, subheadings, keywords etc etc and underline between each question so it looks neat. It looks good and it kinda covers for bad handwriting.

Cross check your answer sheet with the question paper. Are all the questions there? Have I accidentally written the wrong question number for the answer? Spelling mistakes? Grammar mistakes? Wrong answer? Just cross check and count the questions and see if you've written everything.

When you don't remember something or don't know something. Do not panic. Don't. Just take a breath and go to the next. After completing everything, write anything related to the word. Just anything. Try to remember if it is familiar and if it is, write the thing related to that topic. You will get a point for attending the question.

NEVER LEAVE A QUESTION. Just write something, it must be relevant but you'll get a point.

Set a time limit for each sections. Example: I have 4 sections in my exams, I always complete the first three in 1 hour 15-30 mins so I can have time for the last one which carries the highest points.

Stick to the time limit. Keep checking your watch in between and see if you're going according to plan. (It helps if you know how much time you take for each question.)

If you are writing an answer and you're kinda remembering another answer, write keywords in pencil on the margin so you won't forget it but don't forget to erase it before submitting the paper.

When you've completed. Just take a breath.

After:

Don't discuss answers with your friends. It's a waste of time, energy and causes panic.

Hydrate yourself. Drink water.

Get a small reward. Chocolate or any snack.

Be glad that you finished the exam.

If the exam didn't go well, just take some rest. Try not to think about it. Rant to someone because you'll feel better. No body is going to be asking you from years down the line about why you scored less in your highschool exams.

Watch your favourite tv show or something funny.

Take a walk.

Enjoy that it's over.

Hope it helps :)

how to cram study for AP exams? 🥲

Hey dear Anon!

Thanks for the ask :)

How To Cram For Exams

Sleep. Hydration. Meals = Must

Snacking and hydration are a must. I recommend light snacking like nuts or fruits or some chocolates. I wouldn't go for heavy meals because they always make me feel sleepy.

Sleep is a must. Don't sacrifice your sleep for studying. During exams, 7–8 hours of sleep is a must. Don't stay awake after 12, you'll regret it. And sleep is different from breaks. You should not consider them the same.

Division Of Subjects

Every subject is learnt and graded differently. You can’t use the same study techniques for every subject you have. You have mostly 3 types of subjects:

Memorization based

Practical/Question based

Theory/Essay based

You use different study techniques for different subjects. Memorization based subjects require more revision. Practical/Question based subjects require more practice. Theory based subjects require you to learn how to format your information.

Read up more: Division Of Subjects

Note Skimming

First, take a topic. Try to remember 5 points, if you can't then just glance through it once. And then keep repeating the process until you know everything relevant for it. It works really well if you haven't picked up your textbooks in a while.

Practice Papers + Improvement Sheets

Create a fake exam environment. Sit on your desk with a timer, take a question paper and act as if you're actually writing the exam. Do this at least once and note everything. How much time you take to answer each question. What are your mistakes. Which section is your weakest. Note them down and most importantly, your overall improvements you should make.

For me, I did this for accounts, and it gave me so much clarity, especially the improvements. I used to go through this improvement sheet before my actual exam and I did not repeat even a single mistake again. The trick is to keep updating the sheet by adding improvements from your actual exams too.

Question Method

No matter how well you know your content, if you can't put it in words appropriately, then you won't get your grades.

Now, it's hard to remember every single thing, so here's a technique...

What? When? Who? Why? How? What's the use?

The basic information for any topic would be the answer to these questions. If you remember this and ca answer to it then you've prepared well enough.

If you want to read up more about it, check out: Question Method

Break It Down

Not your chapter. I mean the topic itself. Line by line if you have to. I did this exact thing for accounts whenever i had to do ratios. It was a pain. An unwanted pain. I couldn't understand anything. But i sat down one day and read every single line of the textbook for that topic. I made what i call "Line Visuals". This is simple.

You read a paragraph => You don't understand anything.

Read every line => Draw it

Understand the key terms used there

And then draw a single visual representation for that entire topic.

I'll guarantee you, you will understand it. Review it once a day for a week and then once a week.

Mnemonics + Story Method

Learn with these. It helps you to remember easily. Make catchy phrases and stories to remember points/facts. These are like the building blocks of studying anything. Stick small notes to your books writing the phrases beside the topic so the next time you want to revise it, it's easy.

If you want to read more about it, check out: How To Study Using The "Story Method"

Teach What You Learn

You learn the most when you teach. I had taken my friends for this. Study and teach it to them. This helps because you have to have a clear understanding of the material first rather to teach them and you may end up with some important feedback. Your friends might ask a specific question you didn't know the answer to and now all of you are trying to perfect yourself with the material.

Random Testing + Book Testing

Random testing is what you do as the final blow. You randomly answer questions that you're thinking about the topic. Book testing is basically when you open any page of the textbook, see the topic and literally say everything relevant to it. You can even write it down.

__________________

Hope This Helps :)

16.03.24

Today was kinda productive to be honest, i finished:

Four lessons in accounts

Completed a previous year question paper

Reviewed notes