If you have an exam due soon, learn about these simple tricks that you can follow to study smartly and improve your concentration levels

Exams can be a stressful ordeal for students. We live in a time where children are enrolled in training classes even before they join school. Therefore, there’s fierce competition today; a child’s caliber is judged primarily on how much he/she scores in exams. It’s a sad trend that kids unfortunately must deal with. The pressure of performing well can create immense stress and anxiety. Further, this hampers with a child’s concentration levels during study time. Your kid may be sitting with books the entire day but is he/she able to learn at an optimum level is the real question.

Students reading this, we understand your struggle and empathize with it. However, you can always try simple techniques to study better and improve your performance. Here are 10 ways:

1. Plan your study schedule

It’s easy to get exasperated when there’s a lot on your plate. However, if you get organized, it helps bring down the anxiety and stress levels. All you need is a plan. Create a schedule for your study time; dedicate a specific amount of time to each subject daily. Don’t keep studying one subject everyday and switch to the other, the next day. Mix and match as it can help keep the study time exciting and full of variety.

2. Make your study space a pleasant one

Studying in a cluttered space can affect the vibe and energy of your body and mind. If your study table is a mess, the first step is to clean it. Then, make your study area pleasant by decorating it with things you love. It can be a plant, a picture of your friends or family, a picture of the trip you wish to take soon etc. Doing this will keep you motivated.

3. Use lots of colours for your notes

When you make notes, use markers of various colours to highlight important points. The more vibrant you make your content, the more appealing it will be for you. You can also use coloured post its for your notes.

4. Use Mind Maps

You can go a step further and make mind maps. It is a diagram that connects bits of a topic to form a hierarchical representation that is easy to remember and recollect. This in turn helps in effectively memorizing any study subject. Suggested reading- Use your head by Tony Buzan.

5. Change your scene

Being with books in one place can become monotonous. Hence, a change of scene can help refresh your brain and improve your concentration levels. For example, you can opt to study in a public library or a park. Be creative!

6. Pretend to be a teacher

The best way to judge if you have understood concepts is if you can explain it to others. Therefore, get creative and pretend to be a teacher, explaining a subject to students. It will help to get a simple black or white board and write down the points on it, as if addressing a class. Trust us, this works.

7. Take practice tests

There are several practice tests available online or study books that you should keep taking to judge how much you have learnt and need to learn.

8. Keep taking short breaks

Did you know that your brain has the capacity of concentrating only for 30 minutes? After this it gets tired and needs to be rejuvenated. As a result, if you’ve been studying for hours at a stretch, thinking that you are covering a lot of syllabus, get a reality check. You are in fact, over tiring your brain. Hence, after every 30 minutes, you need to take a 5-10-minute break.

9. Listen to music

Yes, this point may seem surprising, but it’s been proven scientifically that listening to music while studying helps in improving focus. Of course, the music you pick needs to be instrumental and soothing instead of a loud track with lyrics.

10. Add your own meaning to what you learn

You can always get inventive with the way you learn.It’s not necessary to make your study time so serious just because it involves academics. One can add visual images, puns, acronyms etc. to whatever they are learning. For example, can you guess what the phrase, ‘My Very Enthusiastic Mother Just Served Us Noodles’ hints at? It’s the order of the planets in our solar system! Mercury (My), Venus (Very), Earth (Enthusiastic), Mars (Mother), Jupiter (Just), Saturn (Served), Uranus (Us), Neptune (Noodles). That’s how much fun you can have with your studies!

If you wish to learn about more tips and tricks, read this blog here.

Here’s a long-lasting solution to effectively manage your concentration levels

Neurofeedback: With this treatment, you focus better and improve your concentration levels for optimum learning. To learn more, watch this video.

In addition to these tips, Brain & Co. offers med-free treatment that could help you overcome some of the challenges that come with depression/anxiety/sleep issues etc. Visit our website or give us a call to learn more.