Authentic, personal strategies to stay motivated, learn more productively and deal with exam stress in a healthy way in the long term.
Listen to your body – sleep when you are tired:
Instead of studying unproductively, it is better to sleep for a short or longer time when you are very tired so that you can continue with more concentration afterwards.
Be honest with yourself – Don’t just learn what you already know:
Many people tend to favour repeating topics that come easily to them. Better: tackle unpleasant or difficult topics first.
No exam is more important than your health:
Exams are not the most important thing in life. Excessive pressure does more harm than good. Even failing is not the end of the world.
Simulate exam situations realistically:
For big exams in particular, it helps to practise under real conditions – with a timer, without a mobile phone, with questions that are true to the original.
Analyse mistakes – It’s not always ‘the questions’ fault”:
After a failure, you should honestly reflect on whether it was really the exam or rather your learning behaviour.
Repetition is crucial:
Learning just once is not enough. Frequent repetition consolidates the material and makes it memorisable, even if similar questions are asked.
Self-documentation can motivate:
Filming yourself learning or preparing (e.g. as a video diary) helps you to recognise progress and stick with it – even without social media.