Study And Organization Strategies For The EBAU Exams
Even if we thought we didn’t have to deal with them yet, when we turn the page of our agenda, there they are: the dates of the final exams that we had written down, getting closer and closer. It is at that moment where a somewhat overwhelming countdown settles in us.
Furthermore, in the case of preparing for the EBAU exams, or Baccalaureate Assessment for University Access (previously known as “selectivity exams”), it usually happens that the student has little experience studying for such decisive tests, something that makes this challenge even more intimidating. To help you, here we will give you several study strategies for the EBAU exams.
Although we cannot deny that taking an exam is a stressful situation—since we consider the possibility of failing or being evaluated by a teacher as threatening—to achieve our goals we need to show up anyway.
From this position, we could also argue that getting rid of our fears before an exam is an unrealistic illusion. Therefore, The best thing will be to take the exam even with anxiety and fear as your traveling companions ; which does not mean that we cannot attend the final exam being objectively prepared.
Be certain that we have studied enough—or, rather, sufficiently intelligent— could provide us with a certain degree of security when facing the blade; Or, failing that, it could mean a reduction in the incidence of nerves when we want to solve the task.
For these reasons, below we will develop the most effective study strategies, as well as propose some guidelines that may be useful to plan and organize the study prior to the final exams.
Before studying for the university entrance test: planning
We anticipated something about this key: more than the amount of time we invest in the study, what will really get us closer to obtaining good results is carrying out an intelligent study. Hasn’t it ever happened to you that you have a whole day to study, but after a few hours you end up dispersing? Well, although there is no consensus on the subject among scientists, some argue that forty hours is the maximum time in which one can take advantage of their study (including class time).
Establishing a limited time to study is a good strategy to optimize preparation for a final exam At the same time, you will not make the mistake of giving up other vitally important activities such as going to social events, resting, exercising and having leisure time. In fact, they are necessary for learning. For example, it has been shown that while we sleep the learned knowledge settles, or that taking short walks in nature as a break helps improve long-term memory of knowledge.
The importance of planning also lies in establishing when we will study. This will depend on your obligations and preferences, but the advantage of stipulating a specific time—if possible, in the same place, time of day or after doing a certain activity, for example, after taking the dog for a walk in the afternoon— is that you will have a better chance of making it a habit. Chain the task you want to do behind another one you are used to doing will increase the chances of it being fulfilled, a strategy called applying action triggers.
Study strategies for the EBAU exams
Having planned and organized the study, it is time to sit down at the desk. Most likely, each person has a particular study method deeply ingrained, for example, summarizing or underlining. However, it is also possible that the study technique preferred by that person is ineffective compared to other strategies that he has not yet explored. Let’s look at some of them.
This strategy is closely related to the organization. It has been proven that Distributing study time into several shorter sessions instead of doing it in a single block allows you to reflect on what you are studying, and thus better consolidate the information in long-term memory. To plan what we will study in each session, it may be useful to divide the study material, perhaps according to the units or axes that organize the subject program, so it is essential to have it on hand. In this, the agenda is your best friend (or some phone application that acts as a calendar).
2. Explain it to someone
It has been proven that peer tutoring, that is, explaining or sharing the knowledge we have about a certain topic with a partner. This is because in this process we test what we have understood, being able to detect possible errors or vacant spaces. Besides, This interpersonal and collaborative action is already enough for the brain reward circuits to intervene causing us to experience pleasure and tend to repeat that activity.
3. Rehearsal out loud
By rehearsing out loud, even if it is reading our notes, we will be increasing our ability to remember the information. The reason why this occurs is that our learning would involve both a motor act (speaking) and self-referential information (I am the one saying this). Although we have already mentioned the benefits of explaining what we have learned to another person, the fact of being alone is not an impediment to applying other strategies: it has also been proven that Recording ourselves and then listening to ourselves helps us memorize information more effectively than practicing or reading silently
People remember images better than words, so drawing the main concepts of the syllabus and the relationships they maintain between them is a task that can enhance our learning. However, by combining drawings with text that explains them (i.e. a visual element with one that points to the meaning), even better. This strategy is called dual coding. Another similar resource that we can rely on, especially in subjects such as biology, is to make models or figures with plasticine. They don’t have to be pretty: our brains like them anyway. This is because we will be using a multisensory approach (tactile and visual), which will cause us to activate neural connections in different brain areas.
5. Self-assessment
This strategy is very useful to break long periods of reading in which studying becomes a passive and boring activity. Self-assessment is a technique used to exercise the retrieval of information (that is, memory). In this exercise of bringing what we remember to the current moment, learning is reworked, since we generate new ideas that will be related to those we already had. In a way, it helps us to evaluate that what we remember is related semantically, that is, according to its meaning, and not by repetitive reading of the text To do this, a good idea is to practice with exam models for that subject, or create a list of questions based on the most important topics.
