March is just around the corner, and students know that when March is near, they need to start preparing for upcoming AP exams and important tests. For a lot of students at WCHS, reviewing all the materials in a timely manner can be very tedious and overwhelming. This stress is caused  when students are unprepared and unorganized throughout their studying. Here are some tips and techniques to make this process as stressless and fun as possible. 

Relieving stress in preparation for exams 

All the tension that builds up throughout the year from the workload culminates during this exam period, so it is very important to relieve all of it before taking an exam. Keeping that stress bottled can hold students back from being confident and believing that they are capable of success. Examples of ways to relieve this pressure would be asking for help or even just taking breaks. 

“Some tips on relieving stress for preparing for exams are to believe in yourself, ask for help, take breaks when needed and try to spend less time on social media,” WCHS freshman MingEn Li said.

Pick a clever place to study 

The places students chose for studying have a big effect on how well they remember the materials and how well prepared they are for their exams. The key to a good study spot is choosing a place that is quiet and free of distractions. According to Soforchan.com, studying in quiet places reduces distractions which helps students retain information better. 

“Whenever I have big tests coming up that I really want to try my best on, I tend to go to the library,” WCHS sophomore Michaela Levy said. “They have quiet rooms where you can spend time studying by yourself with barely any noise and the atmosphere makes it better for me [personally] to focus.”

Group study 

Sometimes, studying alone just does not work. Some students need a person or a group of people to study along with them, in order to get all the information they need for the exams. By studying with a group, students can talk through different ideas and help each other gain a better understanding. .

 “I think that it is good to study with a group of students to get different perspectives and different ways to study,” Li said.

Use study hacks 

Many students use hacks to use during the process of preparing for tests. These hacks or tips can make studying for tests more beneficial in the long run and can also be time saving. Instead of memorizing a whole paragraph, students can write key parts of the paragraph and post them around their  room so they could read them whenever they walk into their room. Another hack could be playing music while studying which is shown to help with remembering. Hacks like these save students time and stress. 

“A hack I recommend is going somewhere quiet like a library and putting on some music while studying,” Levy said. “Ways I usually like to go about studying that I find usually useful to me and to other people that ask for my notes is to write down everything, especially emphasizing on things I don’t remember.”

Maintain healthy habits 

There are many different aspects that can affect performance on exams. Factors like a student’s health and well being have huge effects on their ability to give it their all during the exam. If a student is not well-rested and is not eating healthy, this can stand in the way of them doing their best on the exam.  

“Students should be eating healthier because it can keep you healthy and you won’t be missing out on classes,” Li said. “If you miss classes you won’t be able to understand as much. Students should make sure that they have enough sleep so they don’t get tired during the exam.”

Do not study for too long

Many students believe that studying for longer hours will help them. This is not always true, as breaks from computer screens, phones and even books are necessary for students. According to Thesavvytutor.com, studying for too long without a break can cause headaches, stomach aches and digestive problems. “ I think anything over 6-7 hours is pushing it. Taking breaks, long or short, are important,” Levy said.

Studying and preparing for upcoming exams can be a challenge a lot of the time. As the years go on these tips on study for upcoming exams will continue to be useful and effective for students at WCHS and even all around the world.