Exam Strategies: A Practical System from Study Planning to Test Day

Most exam advice sounds sensible. The problem is that it rarely tells you exactly what to do.

For example:

• Make a reasonable study plan
• maintain a good attitude
• Do more simulation questions
• Pay attention to the balance between work and rest

None of this advice is wrong. But when you are actually preparing for a test, you need concrete answers:

What should you study each day? When should you retry missed questions? How often should you take a practice test? What should you do when you cannot answer a multiple-choice question? Should you keep drilling the day before the exam? What should you eat on test day? How long should you spend on a question before moving on?

This guide follows the real exam timeline, from the first day of preparation to the final minute before you turn in your paper.

1. Before preparing for any exam, do these 4 things first

Whether it is an entrance exam, a qualification exam, a civil service exam, a language exam, or a school final exam, the first step is not to start reading right away.

You should break down the exam clearly first.

Step one: Find out what the exam is about

At least sort out the following information:

Why do this?

Because exam review is not:

Learn all the knowledge.

Instead:

Get as many points as possible within the limited time.

For example, for an exam:

• Basic knowledge: 30 points
• Reading: 30 minutes
• Writing: 40 points

If you can already get 25 points for basic knowledge, but you can only get 15 points for essay, then continuing to spend a lot of time improving basic knowledge from 25 to 28 is often not as good as improving the essay from 15 to 25.

2. Start with a cold diagnostic test

Before you begin studying, find a complete past exam.

Don't study.

Don't look up information.

Don't pause.

Do it directly according to the official exam time.

Then record four data points:

For example:

Modules | Score Rate | Questions

---- | --: | ---------

Basic knowledge | 82% | Basically no problem

Reading | 58% | Too slow to do the questions

Listening | 63% | It is easy to lose information in long conversations

Composition | 45% | Don’t know how to organize the structure

This way your study plan is very clear:

Instead of learning four items on average, the focus is on reading and composition.

3. Sort missed questions into four types instead of merely copying them into an error log

An error log is not better simply because it contains more questions.

The most important thing about wrong questions is to figure out:

Why it’s wrong.

It is recommended to mark the reason for each wrong question.

Category A: You do not know the material

For example, mathematical formulas don't work at all.

deal with:

Return to the textbook → Learn knowledge points → Do 3 to 5 similar questions.

Category B: Yes, but can’t think of it

For example, after seeing the answer, say:

I obviously do this.

This is usually a result of insufficient knowledge extraction capabilities.

deal with:

Don't read any further.

Do it independently again every other day.

Category C: Carelessness

For example:

• Wrong number
• What is missing is incorrect?
• The unit has not been changed
• Wrong answer
• The plus and minus signs are reversed

This type of error cannot simply be written:

Be serious next time.

Instead, establish specific rules.

For example:

Circle any exceptions that are incorrect immediately.

Category D: Not enough time

The knowledge itself is good, but the exam cannot be completed.

The issue at this time is not knowledge, but exam strategy.

Must do:

Limited time training.

For example, it usually takes 25 minutes to do 10 questions, and then gradually train to:

22 minutes → 20 minutes → 18 minutes.

4. How to review wrong questions

A very practical schedule:

The same day → 3 days later → 7 days later → 14 days later → 30 days later

first:

Understand why it's wrong.

Second time:

Cover the answer and redo it.

The third time:

If you can still do it correctly, it means you have started to master it.

The fourth time:

Put it into mixed questions and test again.

If you can get it right independently two or three times in a row, this question can be gradually withdrawn from the wrong question bank.

What should really be retained for the long term is:

Repeatedly wrong knowledge points, not all wrong questions.

5. How to review quickly: Don’t read the book again from the first page

When time is tight, one of the worst things to do is:

Start reading again from the first page of the textbook.

Because reading creates an illusion:

I understand this, so I know how to do it.

But the exam requirements are:

Extract knowledge without any answer prompts.

So for a quick review it’s best to use:

1. Active recall

Look at a title:

photosynthesis

Don’t read the content right away.

Ask yourself first:

• What is the definition?
• What are the conditions?
• What is the process?
• What are the common test points?
• What are some areas of confusion?

Then open the book to check.

6. A very practical review ratio: 20% reading, 80% practicing

There will be differences in different subjects, but after entering the test preparation stage, you can generally use:

Learn new knowledge 20%~40%

Do questions, recall, and revise 60% to 80%

Especially as the exam gets closer and closer:

The proportion of reading books gradually decreased, and the proportion of answering questions gradually increased.

Because exams are not essentially tests:

How many have you seen.

Instead test:

Can you come up with the answer within the stipulated time?

7. One-month preparation plan

If there are only 30 days left before the exam, you can arrange it like this.

Days 1 to 3: Get to know the bottom

Do:

• 1 complete set of simulation questions or real questions
• Analyze scores for each section
• Organize exam scope
• Find weak chapters
• Create error record

Finally, the knowledge points are divided into:

A: Basically not

B: I know a little bit

C: Basic mastery

Priority:

A → B → C

Days 4 to 14: Focus on strengthening weak areas

Every day you can follow:

first stage

Review a core knowledge point.

second stage

Do corresponding exercises.

The third stage

Revise immediately.

Stage 4

In the evening, quickly review the wrong questions of the day.

For example, study for 3 hours a day:

Days 15-23: Do a lot of questions

Start with:

Single chapter exercises

Enter:

Comprehensive exercises.

Do time-limited training at least once every 2 to 3 days.

Key observations:

• Correct rate
• Question speed
• Which type of questions are most likely to be wrong?
• What kind of questions waste time?

Days 24-27: Mock exam

Try to simulate the real exam as completely as possible:

• same start time
• Same exam duration
• Don't check cell phone
• Don't check information
• No pause midway
• Use tools permitted by the official exam

It must be analyzed after the simulation is completed.

50% of the value of mock exams comes from exams and 50% comes from review.

Days 28-29: Check for omissions and fill in the gaps

Stop learning new things on a large scale.

See only:

• Frequently wrong questions
• Must memorize formula
• high frequency vocabulary
• Easy to confuse knowledge points
• Composition template
• The weak points summarized by oneself

Day 30: Pre-exam adjustments

Don't go crazy with questions.

Key points:

• Maintain a normal routine
• Organize exam supplies
• look at few key points
• Keep it familiar

8. Three-month exam preparation plan

Three months is about 12 weeks and can be divided into four stages.

1st month

The point is not to pursue speed, but to lay a solid foundation.

every day:

Learn knowledge → do basic questions → revise on the same day.

month 2

Start doing a lot of special questions.

For example, English test:

Monday: Reading Tuesday: Listening Wednesday: Grammar Thursday: Reading Friday: Writing Saturday: Comprehensive exercises Sunday: Review of wrong questions

3rd month

Gradually enter exam mode.

weekly:

• 1 to 2 complete sets of mock exams
• 2 to 3 special time-limited training sessions
• Repeatedly review wrong questions
• Make up for the last few weak knowledge points

Try not to rush into learning a lot of new content in the last two weeks.

9. Half-year exam preparation plan

Half a year is plenty of time, so there is no need to rush through questions from the beginning.

Can be divided into:

1st to 2nd month

Lay the foundation.

Target:

Study the entire exam area completely.

3rd to 4th month

Special training.

Target:

Turn knowledge into problem-solving abilities.

5th month

Lots of real questions.

Target:

Become familiar with exam routines and time pressure.

6th month

Mock exam + fix loopholes.

Target:

Stabilize your grades.

There is a very important principle here:

The closer you get to the exam, the more you should shrink your study content.

Starting stage:

Learn 100 knowledge points.

Final stage:

Practice the 20 most important weak points repeatedly.

Instead of suddenly opening a new textbook a week before the exam.

10. Multiple-choice question skills: Don’t guess randomly if you don’t know how.

Multiple choice questions actually have a strong examination technique.

Method 1: Eliminate obvious wrong answers first

For example four answers:

A B C D

Even if you don’t know the correct answer, you can be sure:

B error D error

Then start with:

25% chance of guessing right

Improve to:

50%。

11. Pay attention to absolute expressions

If the answer appears:

• must
• forever
• completely
• all
• no way
• under any circumstances

Special caution is required.

Much knowledge itself has conditions.

But this does not mean:

There must be something wrong with absolute words.

Instead you should check:

Is there really no exception to this conclusion?

12. Don’t constantly change the answers to multiple-choice questions.

Many candidates will have:

Is it another one?

If you didn't find it:

• Wrong question
• Wrong calculation
• Misremembering knowledge points
• new logical evidence

Don’t do it just because:

Something feels wrong

Just change the answer.

Revised answers should be based on specific reasons.

13. How long can you struggle with multiple-choice questions that you don’t know how to answer?

Depending on the exam time, the upper limit can be set in advance.

For example, the average multiple-choice question lasts only 60 seconds:

Simple questions:

20~40 seconds.

General questions:

40~70 seconds.

Obviously stuck:

Mark, skip first.

The most dangerous ones are:

Wasted 5 minutes on a 2-point question.

Because you may lose 10 points later.

14. If there is no penalty for multiple-choice questions, all must be filled in

This is a very simple but very important principle:

If exam:

No points will be deducted for incorrect answers.

Then the expected return of any blank answer is 0.

Even if you don’t know anything, you should still guess.

If there are 4 options:

The probability of random guessing is still:

25%。

If you can exclude one:

About 33%.

Exclude two:

50%。

So finally you have to check:

Are there any empty questions?

15. The truly effective method for reading comprehension

Many people's reading comprehension problems are not:

Can't understand the article.

Instead:

I understood the article, but got the questions wrong.

The reason is that reading comprehension tests:

Answer the questions based on evidence from the passage.

It's not a test of what you think about the topic.

16. Should you read the question or the article first?

For long reads, try:

Read the question quickly first, then read the article.

It is not required to remember all the questions.

Just need to know:

Wait what information you should be looking for.

For example, the question asks:

• Why does it happen?
• The author's attitude?
• What does a certain word mean?
• What is the main point of the third paragraph?

It is easier to locate when reading an article.

17. Reading comprehension: first locate, then understand

For example:

According to paragraph 3...

Then there is no need to re-read the entire article from the beginning.

should:

1. Find the third paragraph.
2. Find key words or synonyms in the question.
3. Read 2 to 3 sentences before and after.
4. Find article evidence.
5. Look at the options again.

18. Be wary. The article said it, but it is not the answer.

This is one of the most common pitfalls in reading comprehension.

An option may actually appear in the article.

but:

The article appeared ≠ answered the question.

When doing the questions, be sure to ask:

Does this option directly answer the question?

19. What to do when encountering new words while reading

Don’t stop at every word.

Judge first:

I wonder if this word will affect the understanding of the entire sentence?

For example:

The animal lives mainly in xxx forests.

Even if you don’t know a modifier, just know:

This animal lives mainly in some kind of forest.

It might be enough to do the questions.

Only words that affect the core logic are worthy of in-depth judgment.

Can take advantage of:

• Sentences before and after
• synonyms
• antonym
• Example
• causation

Speculate the meaning.

20. How to practice listening most effectively

One of the least efficient methods is:

English is played as background music every day.

If you don’t understand it at all, listening for hours may not be effective.

Really effective listening training should be:

Listen → Do the questions → Correct the answers → Find the part you didn’t understand → Listen again → Read the original text → Listen again.

21. The complete process of listening training

Choose an ingredient for 1 to 3 minutes.

first

Listen to the whole thing without reading the subtitles.

answer:

What did you probably say?

second time

Listen again.

Record:

• figure
• time
• Place
• number
• reason
• in conclusion

third time

Read the text.

Find out what you didn’t understand.

Judgment reason:

A. Not knowing the words B. Recognizing the words but not hearing them out C. Not understanding the continuous reading D. Speaking too fast E. Not understanding the sentence structure

fourth time

Listen again.

Until you can match sounds and words.

fifth time

Listen again the next day.

If you basically understand it this time, the material will be truly completed.

22. What should you focus on training before the listening test?

Pay special attention to:

number

• 13 / 30
• 15 / 50
• date
• years
• telephone number
• Amount

turning word

For example:

• but
• however
• actually
• although
• instead

Because the answer often comes after a twist.

For example:

I wanted to go Monday, but Tuesday is better.

The answer is probably:

Tuesday。

23. How to practice speaking

The biggest problems with speaking are usually not:

Not at all.

Instead:

I know it in my head, but I can't express it with my mouth.

The reason is that what many people practice is:

Read English.

The exam requirements:

Output English in real time.

So you have to really speak up.

24. Spoken English training method for 20 minutes every day

5 minutes: follow along

imitate:

• pronounce
• pause
• stress
• Rhythm

5 minutes: Retelling

After listening to a piece of material, close the original text.

Retell it in your own words.

It's not required to be exactly the same.

5 minutes: Random questions

For example:

Describe your hometown.

Answer immediately 1 minute.

Don’t write the manuscript first.

5 minutes: Recording review

examine:

• Are there too many pauses?
• Are there any repeated words?
• Are there any obvious grammatical errors?
• Did you break off in the middle of speaking?

Solve one problem every day.

25. Don’t pursue complex sentences in speaking

During the exam:

Complex sentences with many errors

Usually not as good as:

Correct, clear and fluent ordinary sentences.

For example, instead of saying a long sentence that you can't control just to appear superior, you might as well:

I prefer living in a city for two reasons. First, public transportation is convenient. Second, there are more job opportunities.

The logic is very clear.

26. How to prepare a composition

Composition is not something you suddenly write based on inspiration on the day of the exam.

There are three things you can prepare in advance:

1. Structure

For example, argumentative essay:

first paragraph

Make a point.

Second paragraph

Reason 1 + Explanation + Example.

Paragraph 3

Reason 2 + Explanation + Example.

Paragraph 4

Summarize.

This way you only need to put the content in during the exam.

27. Establish your own composition material library

For example, common topics:

• educate
• science and technology
• environment
• Work
• healthy
• City
• family
• social media
• AI
• globalization

Prepare in advance for each topic:

3~5 ideas + 2~3 examples.

There is no need to start from scratch at the exam site.

28. The composition must be written within a time limit

Many people usually:

It takes 90 minutes to write an essay.

take an exam:

40 minutes.

This makes little training sense.

You should practice according to the official exam time.

For example, a 40-minute composition:

5 minutes to review questions and outline

Writing in 28 minutes

7 Minute Check

Over time, the brain develops a sense of time.

29. What should you check at the end of your essay?

Don’t read the composition from beginning to end.

Scan by error type.

first:

Are there any missing questions?

Second time:

Are there any obvious grammatical errors?

The third time:

Singular and plural, tense, spelling.

The fourth time:

Punctuation and formatting.

This is more effective than re-reading aimlessly.

30. How to take a mock exam

Practice exams are not:

Take any set of test papers.

A true simulation should replicate the formal environment as closely as possible.

include:

• Same exam time
• same total duration
• Same rest rules
• No pause
• Don't check cell phone
• Don't check the answer
• Use official examination-approved stationery
• Best done sitting at a desk

If the exam starts at 9am, you can occasionally take practice exams at 9am.

The body and brain will also adapt:

Enter exam status at 9 am.

31. The most important thing after a mock exam is review

It is recommended to make a table:

Question number | Is it correct | Reason for error | Knowledge points | Whether to redo

-- | ---- | ---- | --- | ----

12 | × | Concept does not | Probability | Yes

18 | × | Wrong question | Reading | Yes

31 | × | Not enough time | Math | Yes

After doing 3 to 5 sets in a row, you may find:

80% of my score losses actually come from 20% of the problems.

For example always:

• I can’t finish reading the last article
• Can’t do certain types of probability questions
• It’s easy to make mistakes when listening to numbers
• I can’t think of any essay examples

This is the real value of mock exams.

32. How to allocate exam time

Never decide after you arrive at the examination room.

Make a schedule ahead of time.

Hypothetical exam:

120 minutes 100 points

Can be designed:

Be sure to leave yourself:

Buffering for 5 to 10 minutes.

33. Use time checkpoint

For example:

The exam is 120 minutes in total.

Specify in advance:

30 minutes: You should complete question 20

60 minutes: You should complete question 40

90 minutes: You should complete question 60

You only need to check the time occasionally during the exam.

If it takes 60 minutes to complete question 30, you will know immediately:

Must speed up.

Instead of only finding out in the last 10 minutes:

There are still 20 questions left to do.

34. Do the meeting questions first

The exam is not based on:

Question 1 → Question 2 → Question 3

Mechanically finished.

If skipping questions is allowed, you can use:

first round

Just do:

Questions that you can understand at a glance.

second round

Do:

Questions that require calculation and thinking.

third round

challenge:

Really difficult questions.

This avoids a very bad situation:

The first difficult question was a waste of 10 minutes, and there was no time to do the next ten simple questions.

35. What to do if you are nervous about exams

Being slightly nervous is actually normal.

What really needs to be solved is:

Nervousness causes the mind to go blank.

The most effective way is not to keep telling yourself:

Don't be nervous.

It’s about reducing the unknown.

For example:

• Know where the exam room is in advance
• Prepare stationery in advance
• Take a complete mock exam in advance
• Design a schedule in advance
• Know the composition structure in advance
• What to do if you know the questions in advance

The less uncertainty there is about an exam, the less psychological stress it usually is.

Thirty-six. What should I do if my mind suddenly goes blank?

Don't sit around and force yourself to think.

Can use:

Pause for a few seconds → read the question → write down the known information → do the simplest step.

For example, math problems.

Don't think about:

How to calculate the whole question?

First write:

What is known?

What do you want?

Which formula can be used?

Once you take the first step, your brain often re-enters problem-solving mode.

37. What should you do the day before the exam?

The most important goal the day before an exam is not:

Improve it by another 20 points.

Instead:

Guaranteed to function normally tomorrow.

It is recommended to only review:

• formula
• Frequently wrong questions
• high frequency vocabulary
• composition framework
• Easy to confuse knowledge points
• The last few pages of notes I compiled

Not recommended:

• New textbook suddenly opened
• Learn tons of new chapters
• Do particularly difficult questions
• I feel very anxious because I don’t know a question
• Stay up late to study questions

38. Be sure to prepare the exam package the day before the exam

Pack your stuff ahead of time.

include:

• Admission ticket
• ID document
• Pen
• pencil
• eraser
• Calculator allowed
• Watch (if allowed)
• Glasses
• water
• tissue
• Necessary medicines
• transportation routes

If it is a computer-based test, you should also confirm in advance:

• Login account
• password
• Examination room address
• Arrival time

Don’t look for it the next morning.

39. What time do you sleep the day before the exam?

The most important thing is not:

You must sleep for 8 hours.

Instead:

Try to maintain your usual sleep routine.

If you usually go to bed at 11:30 pm and suddenly go to bed at 8 pm before the exam, you may not be able to sleep.

A better approach is:

Gradually adjust your sleep a week or two before the exam.

If the exam is held in the morning, gradually get used to:

Go to bed early, get up early, and think focused in the morning.

40. What should I do if I have insomnia before the exam?

The biggest question that many people have before the exam is:

If you don't sleep well tonight, it will definitely be over tomorrow.

This thought only adds to the stress.

In fact, an occasional night of poor sleep does not necessarily mean that you will perform poorly on the exam.

If you can't fall asleep after lying down:

Don't keep looking at the time.

Don't count over and over again:

Now there are only 5 hours left.

Don’t start re-doing the questions in the early morning.

Just stay quiet and rest.

41. How important is sleep during exam preparation?

When preparing for long-term exams, it is not recommended to continuously reduce sleep in exchange for study time.

Because learning actually involves two processes:

Input knowledge + consolidate memory.

Lack of sleep can easily affect:

• attention
• working memory
• reaction speed
• Emotionally stable
• learning efficiency

Assumptions:

I studied for 6 hours a day, but I was so sleepy that I couldn't get into it for the next 3 hours.

Not necessarily better than:

Study in good spirits for 4 hours

More efficient.

42. When is the most efficient time to study during the exam?

You can observe your own status.

Generally speaking, assign the most difficult tasks to:

When you are most alert.

For example:

Feeling the best in the morning:

Mathematics, logic, reading.

Feeling more tired at night:

Memorize vocabulary, sort out wrong questions, and review notes.

Don’t schedule all tasks according to time length.

You should also follow:

Brain requirements

arrange.

43. Spend 50 minutes studying the Fa instead of forcing yourself to sit for 4 hours

You can use:

50 minutes of study + 10 minutes of rest

or:

25 minutes study + 5 minutes rest

The point is not that you have to stick to a fixed number.

Instead:

Just study during the study period and really rest during the breaks.

During breaks you can:

• Go to the toilet
• drink water
• stand up
• walk for a few minutes
• look far away

It is not recommended to open short videos every time you take a break.

Because a 5-minute break can easily turn into a 30-minute break.

44. Diet: Do not take supplements suddenly before the exam

Many people will suddenly:

• drink energy drinks
• drink lots of coffee
• take supplements
• Eat something very greasy

This is unnecessary.

The biggest principles for eating before exams:

Familiar, normal, stable.

It’s best to eat what you’re used to.

45. How to eat breakfast on the day of the exam?

If you have the habit of eating breakfast, you can choose:

Carbs + Protein + Moderate Fat.

For example:

Option 1

Eggs + Bread + Milk/Yoghurt + Banana

Option 2

Rice + eggs + a few vegetables

Option 3

Oats + milk/yoghurt + fruit

No need to call:

Superfoods for exams.

The key is:

Not hungry, not feeling full, and feeling comfortable in the stomach.

46. ​​Don’t drink too much water before the exam

Lack of water is not good, but drinking a lot of water at once may also lead to frequent bathroom breaks during the exam.

Better way:

Drink water normally.

Before the exam:

Hydrate lightly.

If you take a long examination, you can bring water according to the examination room regulations.

Forty-seven. Can I drink coffee?

If you usually drink coffee every day:

You can keep your usual habits.

But don’t suddenly:

To stay in good spirits, drink three times the usual amount.

This can result in:

• rapid heartbeat
• Hands shaking
• more nervous
• Want to go to the toilet
• upset stomach

Especially for people who don’t usually drink coffee, it is not recommended to consume a large amount of caffeine for the first time on the day of the exam.

48. Is it useful to exercise during exam preparation?

No need to perform high-intensity exercise specifically.

every day:

20 to 40 minutes of walking, jogging or other moderate exercise

It's already good.

If you sit for long periods of time while studying:

Stand up and move around for a few minutes every 50 to 60 minutes.

Especially for people who study for several hours a day, maintaining a stable mental state is more important than sitting rigidly.

49. Mobile phones are one of the biggest invisible time killers when preparing for exams.

The learning process of many people is:

Study for 10 minutes, watch your phone for 2 minutes, study for 15 minutes, reply to messages for 5 minutes, study for 20 minutes, watch short videos for 15 minutes

Looks like:

Sit in the library for 4 hours.

Actually really learn:

Probably less than 2 hours.

So when studying you can:

• Put your phone out of reach
• Turn on do not disturb mode
• Turn off social software notifications
• Use website blocking tools
• Set a rest period before checking for messages

The core is not:

Endure by willpower.

Instead:

Reduce the chance of temptation.

50. Don’t just rely on reading things over and over again.

For example:

100 words.

don't want:

Watch it again → watch it again → watch it again.

should:

Look at the word → cover the meaning → answer it yourself.

That is:

Active recall.

For example:

apple

Don't just look at:

apple.

But after seeing Apple, I asked myself:

What's the meaning?

Check it later after you figure it out.

51. What do you do on the morning of the exam?

Don’t take large practice exams.

Can:

get up

Follow your usual pace.

breakfast

Eat familiar foods.

Before departure

look:

• formula
• word
• Easy to make mistakes
• one page summary

Arrive at the examination room

Don't improvise on new, particularly difficult questions.

Keep your brain:

I know these things.

52. The first 3 minutes after the exam starts are very important.

Don't write in a panic immediately after getting the test paper.

If allowed by the rules, you can quickly confirm:

• Total pages
• Total number of questions
• Is there a composition?
• Points
• Is there any missing print?
• Answer sheet requirements

Then look at the time.

Tell yourself:

By what time should the first part be completed.

In this way, the entire exam rhythm will be much more stable.

53. What to do if you don’t know the questions: Establish fixed rules

It is recommended to stipulate in advance:

Once the estimated time is exceeded and there is still no obvious progress, jump.

For example:

A common multiple-choice question lasts 1 minute.

If you still have no idea after 90 seconds:

Mark → Next question.

Don't get caught up in:

I should think about it for another minute and it should come out.

Because one minute can easily turn into five.

54. Don’t do anything in the last 10 minutes

Don't start another super hard problem that requires a lot of calculations.

Priority checks:

First

Are there any missing questions?

second

Is there any misalignment of the answer sheet?

third

Are there any corresponding errors in the question numbers?

fourth

Unit, plus or minus sign, name, admission ticket number, etc.

fifth

If you still have time, go back to the marking questions.

The most unjust loss of points in some exams is not due to lack of knowledge, but:

Starting from question 21, the entire answer sheet is wrong by one square.

55. Don’t go crazy over the answers immediately after the exam.

If there is another exam on the same day:

Don’t discuss the previous subject right away.

Especially don’t listen to others:

Definitely choose C for question 15!

Even if you can no longer modify your answer, this information can only:

• increase anxiety
• Consume attention
• Affect the next exam

If there is another subject:

Eat → Rest → Briefly look at the key points of the next subject.

The previous subject has ended, so I’ll put it down for now.

56. The five most noteworthy indicators in exam preparation

If you are preparing for the exam for a long time, you can make a very simple table.

Weekly records:

What you really should watch is not one day:

I got 68 on the test today, which is really bad.

But a trend.

For example:

58 → 63 → 67 → 71 → 74

Explain that the method is effective.

if:

70 → 69 → 71 → 68 → 70

If there is no improvement at all for several consecutive weeks, you should examine your study methods instead of simply increasing your study time.

Fifty-seven. A truly efficient daily test preparation template

If you can study for 3 hours a day, I would recommend:

first 50 minutes

The most difficult content of the day.

For example:

Math puzzles/reading/new knowledge.

Rest for 10 minutes

Second 50 minutes

Special questions.

Don't read.

Really test yourself.

Rest for 10 minutes

The third 40 minutes

Analyze wrong questions.

Don’t just look at the answers.

Write clearly:

Why is it wrong?

last 20 minutes

review:

• Today's content
• Wrong question 3 days ago
• Wrong question 7 days ago

This actually forms every day:

Study → Test → Correction → Remember again

Complete closed loop.

58. The 10 most common mistakes in exam review

If you only remember this part, it is valuable.

1. Keep reading and don’t answer questions

Problem:Having the illusion that I know it.

Change to:

After reading it, I immediately closed the book and took a test.

2. Crazy questions but no analysis

Doing 1,000 questions does not mean it is more effective than carefully analyzing 300 questions.

Change to:

Every time you make a wrong question, you must find the cause of the error.

3. Average time for all subjects

Continue to study a lot of subjects with 90 points, but dare not touch subjects with 50 points.

Change to:

Prioritize the areas that are easiest to improve your overall score.

4. Only do the questions you are good at

Because it feels good to do the questions in the meeting.

But performance improvements come from:

Turn the no-no into the yes.

5. There is never a time limit

Normally, it’s okay to do a question slowly for 10 minutes.

The formal exam is only 2 minutes long.

Change to:

A lot of time-limited training must be added in the middle and later stages.

6. Completion of mock exams in a cheating manner

Make it halfway:

Look up words, drink water, look at your phone, and pause the timer.

The results obtained in this way have no reference value.

7. Sudden changes in lifestyle habits before exams

Sudden:

• stay up
• lots of coffee
• Take unfamiliar supplements
• Exchange for breakfast
• high intensity exercise

Neither is necessary.

8. The wrong question paper is very beautifully done

Spend 30 minutes copying a question.

This is not the point.

All the wrong question book really needs is:

Question/knowledge point + why it was wrong + correct method + whether the redo was successful.

9. Fight a difficult problem to the end

The exam is ranked or passed based on overall score.

Not a reward:

The most determined person.

10. The scope of review is still being expanded before the exam.

The closer you get to the exam:

The scope should get smaller and smaller and the proficiency should get higher and higher.

Rather than getting bigger and bigger.

59. An examination system that can be directly followed

The entire method can be condensed into the following process:

How many months until the exam

Step 1:

Study the exam structure.

↓

Step 2:

Do a set of real test questions.

↓

Step Three:

Find the high scores + weak areas.

↓

Step 4:

Learn knowledge systematically.

↓

Step 5:

Do the questions immediately after studying.

↓

Step 6:

Analyze the reasons for wrong questions.

↓

Step 7:

Repeat the test after 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, and 14 days.

↓

Step 8:

Gradually add time-limited exercises.

↓

Step 9:

Take a full mock exam.

↓

Step 10:

Record:

Correct rate + time + error type.

↓

Step 11:

Narrow your learning scope in the last two weeks.

↓

the day before the exam

See only:

High-frequency knowledge + wrong questions + formulas + templates.

Get ready:

Documents + stationery + directions.

normal:

Eat + sleep.

↓

exam day

Arrive early.

After starting the exam determine:

Time checkpoint.

First round:

Get them all.

Second round:

Medium question.

Round 3:

problem.

Won't:

Jump when timeout occurs.

The last 5 to 10 minutes:

Check for missing questions + answer sheet + question number + basic errors.

The core principle

Many people prepare for the exam by:

The more you learn, the better you feel.

But truly effective exam preparation should be:

Find what you can’t do → Solve it specifically → Test yourself → Find the error → Test again → Finally, put this ability into a time limit.

Therefore, an efficient exam preparation process actually only has six words:

Learn → practice → make mistakes → correct → test → repeat.

As long as each review can answer three questions:

Where am I most likely to lose points now?

Why is it lost?

What exactly can you do next to get these points back?

Your preparation for the exam will not simply become a matter of sitting for a long time and watching a lot, but will actually translate into exam results.