Survive the exams with our helpful tips

Exams, a stressful period for every student. Discover below our study guide with the most practical tips to increase your focus and study better. Optimise your concentration and get your brain in top shape to pass this period with flying colours.

You can learn to really learn: 6 tips for the right study method

• Get yourself organised. Draw up a schedule, find the appropriate learning environment and any study partners. Make sure you have all the material at your disposal in time in order to avoid unnecessary stress and plan sufficient repeating moments.
• Find out which method suits you best. Do you have a visual memory or rather an auditory one? If you have an auditory memory, you can recite your material out loud or make a rhyme. If you have a visual memory, you can use graphs, mind maps and so on.
• Lean on your fellow students. Some find it useful to study together. Seeing how you learn makes you learn… This is useful to strengthen the motivation of each other. For instance, make exercises together or ask each other questions. Is that intensive working together not for you? Just check what your fellow students think is the most important thing, then you are already one step ahead.
• Be creative… Treat the subject matter in different ways. The more diverse insights you use, the better. Explain it to others, make a song about it, create a mind map or figure, act as a teacher yourself, say it out loud,…
• Have a look at old exams. You can get so much information from them! Sometimes questions come back literally. But above all, this way you can see where the emphasis lies and what is important. Also pay attention to the phrasing of the questions, because you learn differently for multiple choice questions than for open questions or exercises.
• Look up the things that you don’t understand in the lesson or course. Did you know that there are a lot of videos on youtube where subjects are sometimes explained in a very clear way? A different approach can sometimes make it easier for you to process the subject matter

Boost your concentration: Tips to increase your focus!

• Learn at your own pace. Do you tend to be more attentive in the evening or in the morning? Then divide your day according to this rhythm. At less alert moments, you can do something else such as make exercises, relax, eat, sport …

Get your brain in top condition! This does wonders.

• • Sleep is extremely important during this period. It is tempting to study through the night before an exam, but this is definitely not a good idea. Your brain processes the study material during certain phases of sleep. After all, this is necessary for remembering information. In addition, the lack of sleep will also have an impact on your ability to concentrate in the days that follow.
  • Movement as relaxation. Exercise or sport has positive effects on the brain. The saying goes: a healthy mind in a healthy body.
  • Choose healthy food! The importance of healthy food is highly underestimated by the average student. Healthy and balanced food has so much influence on your whole body and energy.

But did you know that certain nutrients can even help you more during this period?

• • • Omega-3 fatty acids are perhaps the best known substances that have a good influence on your brain. DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid from fish or krill oil that supports normal brain function.
    • B vitamins are very important for a good energy metabolism and help with fatigue.
    • Some special plants that provide good support for the brain:
      • Panax ginseng has a positive influence on your physical and mental stamina. This pearl from oriental health care helps strengthen the natural resistance and supports your vitality, concentration and memory.
      • Bacopa monnieri supports mental performance and is good for memory and concentration.
      • Ginkgo biloba contributes to the brain circulation system and can thus help maintain good brain performance.

What to do when you are stressed by the (oral) exam, thesis defence or overwhelming time pressure and deadlines? Read more about it in our stress blog!