Let’s take a deep breath in and exhale. March exams are over! I hope that the exams went well and you were able just to relax this weekend after all that revision and stress. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the gap between the March and May exams is one of the shortest, with 6 or 7 weeks in between depending on the type of exam you are sitting.
It’s at this time of the year that for the last 14 years now I have seen students who began their studies at the start of the academic year start to burn out, lose focus and feel like it will never end.
I do have some good news though, it will end, and you are almost at the summer break now with just July’s exam series to go. I find that the most effective thing to do to overcome that burnout feeling is to take it slowly, in small chunks only and not push yourself too hard.
A really effective method for studying, which can be used for time management in your professional care also, is known as the Pomodoro technique. Essentially this technique means studying in timed intervals.
We can get overwhelmed if we set aside 5 hours for revision – it seems a daunting task. Instead, break up your study into 25-minute periods, with a five-minute break after each. So your revision would go as follows:
- Pick a learning outcome from your module
- Set a timer for 25 minutes
- Work on your learning outcome until the time is up
- Take a 5-minute comfort break
- You can repeat four times, after which take a longer 30-minute break
Whenever I need to concentrate on a task, I use this technique, and you can also download free and paid Pomodoro timer apps which will automatically do the timing for you to make it even more straightforward.
So as you start to get into the content of your May exams, take it little and often in small chunks using this technique. Should you need further support with your studies then why not sign up to be a student of ours, all of the information can be requested by using the form on our website. Simply select the level that you need and fill in the form for costs and further info. Click here to join
Thanks for reading, and let me know how the Pomodoro technique works for you
