Singapore is known for many things: tight security, clean environment, awesome shopping bargains, and a rigorous education instruction. That’s right, students are expected to excel in their subjects and pass the required exams to get into university.
As scary as that sounds, they do balance it out with fun activities like sports events and cultural shows. They get exposure trips around the country and enjoy school events that allow them to collaborate with kids not in their grade level.
Students also cope by adjusting their lifestyle to their study habits. In Singapore private schools like the Global Indian International School, students are taught to learn about their own thought processes as well. Called metacognition, this is an understanding of one’s own learning curve and coming up with solutions to improve it.
In this article, we will explore the various techniques straight-A students have used, that hopefully you can use as well.
Always plot important dates
What you do not want to happen is cram lessons when you have an exam. Once announcements of important dates are made, make sure you plot them immediately in your planner. This will help you manage your study time plus still have room to finish reports and projects.
Study every day
Another way to combat cramming is to study notes every day. Do not just study the lessons discussed that day, but go back to the very first chapter, or at least, the earliest lesson pertinent to the next exam. By doing this, you do not have to study the night before the exam, you can just relax.
Organize your notes and papers
Chaotic harmony does not apply to anyone, even the messy students have a system in their mess. Remember that the environment plays a role in your motivation to learn and study. Put all important files in a folder, separated by subject. You can buy an organizer for your desk at home, or you can also buy accordion folders if you need to bring them in school.
Take care of your health
While stress and tension is unavoidable, it is not an excuse to suffer through it when you can help yourself get better.
Make sure you are well-hydrate by keeping a thermos near you every time you study. You can also prepare snacks like nuts, sandwiches, or fruits. What you do not want is to binge on unhealthy food when you are under a lot of stress. So make sure that you are relaxed before a study session. Do not put a lot of pressure on yourself, you can always ask for help if you need it.
Lastly, get as much as 8 hours of sleep, and only as little as 6 hours if it cannot be helped. Sleep is important as it replenishes and heals the body form being used the whole day. You will also need it if you want to retain information and understand it better. Remember that staying up late to study is moot if your brain is tired.
Start a study group
Bouncing off ideas and reviewing with other people may help store your lessons as long-term memories. By talking about the lessons every week with other people, you are given a chance to explain your own understanding of the lesson and allow other people to correct you if it is veering away from the right answer.
This is also a good chance to get people who are good at specific subjects and ask them for their help.
As a last note, make sure you are studying in an environment where you are your most productive. Some people prefer the quietness of libraries, but some prefer the noise in a cafe. Find out what yours is and set up shop there. Good luck!
