9 tips to prepare for competitive examinations with maximum efficiency

Taking a competitive examination is, for many people, one of the main investments of time and effort they will make throughout their lives. It is a journey that lasts months and years and that is precisely why those who choose this try to dedicate themselves to study with all their might, so that this sacrifice is not in vain.

However… to what extent can the student modify her habits to get to take the best possible exam on the day of the test? Many times you fail to answer this question, because it is assumed that you simply have to study or perform a series of exercises many times.

The mistake is that, in practice, that "simply" does not exist: there are many things we can do to perform better, and many of them escape the traditional definition of what study or study is supposed to be practice. If we understand that the opposition preparation process is complex and that small changes to the time to study have a great effect after weeks and months, we will have a great advantage.

In this article

We will see a series of tips to prepare for the oppositions and perform at the best possible time, the resources and capabilities that you have as a student.

• Related article: "How to memorize fast? 13 effective tips"

Tips to prepare for the oppositions

These are some keys that you can apply to your day to day to prepare for public exams, making the most of the time you have.

1. Mentally prepare

When preparing for a competitive examination, not all our efforts should focus on the content of the subject for which we are examined; We must also invest attention and efforts in managing our psychological state.

It is useless to know that in theory studying consists of reading and memorizing, if we forget that practice also requires regulating our anxiety, knowing how to motivate ourselves, organize ourselves, learn tricks to concentrate better... In short, take care of everything that we can change about ourselves to perform better both in preparation and on the day of the proof.

This is precisely why it is useful to have psychological assistance in the preparation of the competitive examinations. It is one thing to study with the support and information of the experts in what we study, and another have the personalized attention of specialists in the study process and in performance.

So the first tip is to discard the old idea that to prepare for an exam you simply have to spend a lot of time working on the subject, and we must adopt a broader perspective of the challenge we have in front of. As we will see, many of the advice that we will see goes in this direction.

2. Have pre-defined study locations

Your place of study is the place where they will spend a good part of the hours of the week, so it is worth having to check that it is useful for studying and that it does not expose you to distractions or noise or other discomfort. Small details such as noting whether the chair is comfortable or not can make a difference in the medium and long term.

If the place where you will study does not belong to you, or if you need to have several places to switch between, at least you should be very clear at all times what they are, to avoid improvisations that could steal time

3. Start with a tiered time investment plan

The best option is to start studying a certain number of hours a week, and after two or three months, add more hours a week, to add a few more hours after a month. For example, you can start with 5 hours a day, then move to 6, and then move to 8.

Why do it this way? Wouldn't it be more logical to take advantage of as much time as possible from the beginning? In practice, no; Think of it as building your own study method whereby you will avoid getting a very bad feeling at first and becoming demotivated or simply not being able to bear the fatigue. If you start small, it will be easier for you to "connect" with the study dynamics, start to gain inertia, and reach a point where you are prepared enough to take on heavy loads of responsibility.

4. Create even schedules

Make sure that as much as possible you dedicate the same amount of time each study day, without irregularities. In this way, you will avoid having "gaps" in your weekly plan, moments when you do not have time to review (even if only mentally) the contents of the previous day and continue advancing to the time. Doing this reduces the chances that you will forget many things from the day before.

5. Dose your free time

If you focus on studying or practicing to the fullest and don't pay attention to how you should manage your free time, you will end up with no free time in the one that you can really do what you want, and wasting time in study sessions because of your fatigue and your difficulties to concentrate. Having a clear schedule and trying to follow it strictly is essential, a necessary requirement has not so that you do well in the tests, but so that you do not throw in the towel after a few weeks of start.

6. Sleep well and eat well

The simple fact of sleeping badly for a day or having been eating things that are not healthy for several days is very noticeable in the performance of those who are preparing for an exam. There is no clear separation between physical health and mental health, so you will not be able to concentrate, memorize or remember well if you do not take care of the most basic aspects.

7. Review periodically

Review is very important. Not only does it help not to forget what has been seen in notes and textbooks; what's more, allows us to see new connections between ideasLinks that we missed the first time but that come to us automatically at a second glance, for the simple fact of having previously been thinking about other things.

8. Create your plans to disconnect

Each week, you should be able to have at least one plan in place that allows you to completely disconnect and refresh yourself. Nature walks are very useful for this, since they allow us to get away from everything that reminds us of our responsibilities and also allows us to relax in cozy environments. Moderate exercise also works well, because it offers us a very specific and relatively simple goal that we can focus on, forgetting about the rest for a moment.

• You may be interested: "The 10 psychological benefits of practicing physical exercise"

9. Take a global vision of the challenge

Beyond the specific advice that we have seen so far to prepare for oppositions, it is convenient to adopt a perspective overview about how the study is going, what aspects are failing the most and in what way we can correct or reinforce them on the March.

Some teams of psychologists, including UPAD, offer services related to personalized support by psychologists who are experts in high-performance processes. Through these specialized psychological intervention services we address all aspects of the preparation of oppositions that surround the subject to study itself, and we give training guidelines to get to the day of the test in the best possible conditions, so that the months of effort give their fruits. If you are interested in receiving information about these services, contact us by click here.