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In the academic years, the one thing that the majority of students fear the most is exams. This fear occurs from the thinking that exam results will play a major role in deciding their future and career. Consequently, they spend most of their time trying to crack how to get good marks in exams.
In today’s competitive world, extensive study is not important, but smart study is. Students need to learn several life skills, such as time management, concentration, note-making, and revising, etc., apart from studying, to ensure their success. While getting good marks is not everything, it helps you gain unbeatable confidence and showcases your expertise in your field of study.
A wrong approach to examinations and preparation can prevent students from getting the desired results or marks. Therefore, to help students achieve their desired scores and get good marks in exams, we have curated a list of the 10 most effective and proven ways to score well.
10 Smart Hacks to Get Good Marks in Exams
There are some proven techniques that educators and experts have been using and imparting for years to help students learn better and how to get good marks in exams. However, with time, we forget the most basic tips, and thus our preparation and exam-giving skills are not as effective as anticipated. Below are 10 helpful tips and tricks that will help you conduct wholesome preparation and score well in your exams.
Hack #1: Using Mnemonics
If you wonder how to learn fast for exams, mnemonics is the answer. Remember, when you were a child, your teachers and parents used to help you memorize via rhymes and songs? Do you still remember all those rhymes? This suggests how powerful mnemonics are for memorizing something.
- Mnemonics make studying easy and fun and help you plant knowledge in your mind. Using mnemonics, you can remember the name of a person, a place, a date, or any such vital information. All you need to do is create a story, a rhyme, or a sentence with all the elements you aim to cram.
- One common mnemonic used to learn the name and order of planets is “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos” (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune).
- Some common mnemonics techniques include the following-
- Memory palace
- Imagery
- Keyword usage
- Rhymes
- Acronyms
- Music, etc.
Hack #2: Paying attention in class
If you read or listen to the success stories of toppers, one important study tip for exams is to pay attention in class. This is why front-benchers are known to get higher marks than back-benchers! What you study in class often finds a place in your brain and stays with you for a long time.
Your teachers are well-versed with the best teaching techniques, and if you are 100% involved in your class, you may not even need self-study at home. Therefore, paying complete attention in class to everything your mentor or tutor explains is vital to getting good marks in exams.
Hack #3: Making notes
When attending a lecture and understanding everything, we think that all the information will stay with us forever. However, when we leave the classroom often, most of the facts we heard or learned about also leave our minds instantly. Therefore, it is better to make notes.
- Make notes in the easiest way, which is completely understandable to you.
- You can also make infographics and images within the notes.
- You can also highlight the important parts and make tables and pointers to make revising more interesting. This will help you in bettering your results.
Hack #4: Revising regularly
Cramming is not the solution, but revising is. Whenever you are studying an important concept, you don’t need to grasp it when you read it for the first time. The answer to how to study effectively for exams lies in continuous revision.
Revising your syllabus 3-5 hours per day is enough to permanently ensure the concepts and knowledge are vested in your mind. The more you revise, the more clarity you gain on each aspect of your syllabus, and the need for cramming is eliminated!
Hack #5: Practicing problems
Apart from theoretical subjects or topics, several elements, such as equations, problems, etc., need regular practice. Depending upon your strong and weak points, you must create a practice plan for such problems.
- The best exam tip for students is to focus on the problems/equations which you find the most daunting.
- Try to practice them as many times as possible. However, do not leave the easy ones behind, and allot some time to solve them as well.
Hack #6: Taking Breaks and proper rest
How to get good marks in exams? To rejuvenate your mind and start preparation afresh every time, you must take breaks between your study schedule.
- A good night’s sleep is vital, and your mind must be at rest always to ensure maximum efficiency.
- Studies show that students who get 6-10 hours of sleep before the exam get higher scores than those who do not.
- Stay away from distractions and negativity, and do what makes you happy and relaxed between your study sessions- listening to music, playing a spot, or just strolling in the park.
Hack #7: Giving mock tests
No matter what level of education you are at or what exam you are preparing for, giving mock tests and previous year question papers is a must. It helps you practice in real-time in an intuitive environment to understand what giving a real exam would feel like. Also, this will help you acquire skills such as time management and ensure that you attempt the question paper in the best possible way.
While giving mock tests, do not forget to use a timer or stopwatch. Based on your experience of giving the mock tests, create an exam plan which you will use to give the actual exam.
Hack #8: Less cramming and more understanding of concepts
Again, we are focusing on the fact that cramming never solves any problem. Most students try to find shortcuts on how to learn quickly for exams. When you cram, you tend to remember an answer for a day or, at maximum, a week. But when you understand a concept, you can write an answer explaining the same for the next few years.
- You must be attentive in class and listen to what your mentor/teacher says.
- You can ask them questions if you have any doubts, and get complete clarity, especially on the most prominent subjects/concepts.
- When you know and understand something, writing it down on paper is easy.
- What you cram, however, may be distorted or not be able to shape up into the form of the best answer.
Also Read: How To Study for Long Hours: Smart Study Habits and Tips
Hack #9: Managing time effectively
Managing time is an art you need to excel at during the preparation period and exam. Keeping a balanced lifestyle, including optimum study time and time for a proper diet, rest, and physical activity, is vital to ensure that your preparation is robust.
Suppose you pursue other activities along with your studies, such as a part-time job. In that case, you can utilize the most proven and effective time-management strategies to ensure you maximize your preparation time. Some of the strategies on how to prepare for exams include-
- Creating a “to-do” list
- Prioritizing important work
- Forming a schedule
- Budgeting your time
- Focusing on long-term goals
- Saying “no” to all distractions and unimportant activities, etc.
Hack #10: Maintaining proper nutrition
A healthy body and a sound mind play a major role in helping you grasp the most knowledge during your exam preparation. You must take your meals at the right time and keep yourself hydrated. Being famished will only distract you and make you feel exhausted during the preparation and the exams.
Eating healthy is one of the most vital exam tips by experts, as it boosts the performance of your brain and your logical and cognitive skills. Especially just before the exam, you must eat lean protein. Ignore caffeine, as it has negative effects in the long run. The foods you must consume the most during your exam preparation include-
- Green leafy vegetables
- Berries
- Almonds and nuts
- Tea
- Fatty fish
These food items filled with energy and protein enhance brain power, improve concentration and let you prepare better for your exams so that you can score well.
Points to Remember
Acing every exam is a skill that not everyone can master. The skill is a blend of several techniques the toppers have been utilizing for ages. We gave you an insight into how to study for exams and what excellent students do to ensure they always get good marks. Below are important points to remember regarding effective preparation and great exam marks.
- Manage your time effectively
- Create a beneficial study plan
- Follow a proper diet
- Take adequate rest
- Add yoga, meditation, or some physical activity to your routine
- Practice mock tests and previous year’s question papers
- Focus more on your weak points
- Understand the concept and do not just memorize
- Create notes and revise them repeatedly
- Engage in group studies and group discussions
- Avoid distractions
- Memorize using images, songs, rhymes, and more.
Your Way Forward to Get Good Marks
Getting good marks in exams is important, as it helps you gain self-confidence and portrays that you have adequately learned all the course concepts. If you have doubts about how to get good marks in exams, try inculcating these hacks into your life and study routine, and witness the difference for yourself.
However, getting good marks in exams is not everything, and receiving a poor result is not the end of the world. Good marks help you complete a course successfully, but they are not mandatory to build a successful career. Ultimately, what matters is the knowledge and education you have acquired.
Your marks do not define the level of success you can achieve in life. Therefore, you must focus on your studies and understand the concepts fully, rather than cramming the answers just for good marks. Do not allow your zeal to get good marks to distract you from your main motive- acquiring good and fruitful education.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
You can get full marks in an exam if you study with full concentration and stay attentive in your class. You must try to grasp as much knowledge as possible in your classroom and clarify all the important concepts. Also, you must make a good study plan which involves resting, relaxing, and doing activities that rejuvenate your mind. You can get good marks easily by practicing mock tests and difficult problems.
The first step is to identify the most scoring questions and attempt them as a priority. Spend more time on the difficult questions with the most score- during your preparation and examination. Time management is the key, and you must know how to manage your time while preparing and giving the exam. Prepare notes, revise repeatedly, practice mock tests, and get your concepts clear to achieve a 90% score.
Many students study very hard and diligently but cannot get the desired score. This may be a reason for bad test preparation strategies or poor test-taking techniques. Also, some students rely on cramming more than understanding the concepts and do not pay attention in the classroom. However, even after following the best techniques, if you cannot get the best score, you must understand that getting good marks is not everything, and your main focus must be gaining knowledge.
Smart study is a planned study that involves creating a study plan for time management and adhering to it. Your timetable must include resting, proper diet, and exercising. Also, you must concentrate diligently while studying. Even if you study for 3 hours daily, it should be genuine and with complete concentration. Also, remove all obstacles and distractions from your life to ensure you study smartly.
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