How to study for an exam: everything you need to know to use the best techniques for any subject or type of exam

The exam period is stressful for all students at any level of education. The main problem that presents itself is how to study for an exam.

These are the main study techniques to study quickly and properly for an exam: follow them and everything will be much better and easier

Each type of exam and each subject has its own characteristics, but there's something that all exams have in common: they require time and effort. For this reason, starting to study way ahead of the exam date is essential and, of course, planning the study sessions to get the most out of them. Keeping in mind how difficult each subject is for you is the most important thing to be able to know how many hours you need to dedicate to each subject to pass. The more difficult a subject is, the more time you need to dedicate to it. If you want to take full advantage of the hours you invest in studying you should develop some study habits that are effective, and most of all, useful for you:

• Spending a few hours every day studying is the key. For some people, setting a study schedule can be more practical, because they feel like they have better results. It's worth allocating the hours you can concentrate better in to prepare the more complex subjects and the rest of the time to the easier ones. Even if you started studying a lot of time in advance, but you haven't retained the terms quickly enough, maybe you need to study them in a more gradual way. The goal is to be consistent and focus on some objectives every day.
• It's fundamental that you don't put social relations to one side. You can organise group study sessions to explain to each other themes and terms that you don't quite understand. You can meet up in person or talk via Skype or Hangouts.
• Lastly, it's equally important to dedicate time to yourself. Don't forget to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Sleep enough, take breaks, keep yourself hydrated and doing a bit of exercise each day will help you to release endorphins and, as a consequence, reduce the stress and anxiety that the exam period causes. Also, you can set aside a rest day to relax at home, make use of it by binging your favourite series or spend the day outside (at the beach, the mountain, the countryside, etc. ).

If your problem isn't motivating yourself to study but rather how you should study for an exam and these questions arise ("How can I study for an exam?" or "How should I study for an exam?"), follow the tips that we explain below.

The highlighting technique is one of the most basic and important. Although it may seem easy, it poses more difficulty than you think. A good highlight starts with two readings, one general and the other where you pay attention to the principal and secondary ideas. When you begin, use different colours for the titles, key words and the two types of ideas. The type of words you highlight is vital, so try to highlight syntagms and nouns for the most part so you don't accumulate too much information. At the end, go through the text again to see if there is anything you don't understand or if you missed a key word.

Alongside highlighting, the summary technique is another more complicated technique. Some directions you should follow when you write a summary are: concentrate on the key words and the principal ideas, don't use the first person or the past tense because you aren't giving your opinion, narrating or describing; avoid subordinate clauses and copying quotes or literal parts of the test; don't include lists (uses hypernyms), don't start sentences with prepositions and make your text coherent and cohesive with connectors.

Different organisation methods and syllabus simplification

The information you find in text books can be chaotic and confusing. You need to organise the information for it to make sense to you. Various systems exist that allow for this coherence to make sense of and remember terms such as concept maps, study outlines, diagrams and infographics. You will draw on the information you have compiled with the highlighting technique to elaborate. They are all based on the same principle which is that you start with a key concept or central idea. From there, the principal ideas will be developed, and then the secondary ideas. The difference lies in the way of organising the information in each system. The concept maps or diagrams usually represent the central idea with a shape like a circle or a big square and then they link up with the rest of the ideas with lines or arrows. The number of relations should fluctuate between 15 and 25. Each idea or term should be short, usually consisting of one or two words. The organisation method can be a hierarchical list: the key idea will be at the top and then following one after the other should be the more general or important ideas first, and then the most specific or secondary.

Another common method is the spider diagram in which the most important idea or term is in the centre and the rest of the ideas are to the sides. On each line you write the linking words, which are usually verbs that define the relationship between two terms. When you finish putting it together, you should go over every element that has a specific space and make sure it is right and that the link words are accurate. Concept maps can also follow a colour system, with every element highlighted with one colour.

Example of a concept map

Study outlines are usually set out the same way, but are more synoptic. They can be set out in a system of columns or linked boxes. They usually simplify the information extracted from summaries and highlighting. Their types of organisation will depend on the number and type of titles, subtitles and headings present in the syllabus. It is recommended that you indicate the principal ideas to the left and the secondary ideas to the right. Infographics combine images, shapes and even illustrations. They don't just include texts, but also graphs, tables and maps. Each person will have their own way of depicting the information, so there are an infinite number of possible infographics. Its format is adapted to the nature of the text you want to memorise. These are grouped into three types: statistics, dynamics (video or gif format) and interactive.

Example of an infographic

The fifth and final type of visualisation system is the mind map. In a mind map, a subject is summarised creatively using colours and images to increase retention. It represents the way ideas are connected in the same way as neural networks. It starts with a central idea, adding branches that correspond to the subheadings. You can colour each unit with one colour (it could be darker) and follow this colour shade for the subheadings (the same colour, but a lighter shade).

Do sketches that represent each unit or secondary concept to mentally visualise them better. Once finished, go over it to make sure all the information is linked together correctly and and you can get an idea of what is important and memorise it in the form of a "story" so you can learn and retain it. This is an activity that involves the student in every sense and requires all of your attention, it will trigger your creativity and develop your learning capacity.

Example of a mind map

If you're wondering how to study for an exam, you can choose between two types of study techniques: the "classic" (summaries, study outlines, etc. ) or using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Why not combine the two? You can create summaries, concept maps and study outlines with online applications like Mindomo, Cmaptools o Mindmeister. What's more, they let you create a self-evaluation test. If you want to make presentations, expositions or infographics, you can visit Genially o Canva. You can find lots of academic videos on Youtube and refer to other academic materials such as papers, theses and manuals for free at Google Scholar.

How to study according to the type of exam you're going to take

Not every student has an excellent predicted grate, there are others who, for one reason or another, have a pretty average or low grade. The latter often have in common that they either have difficulties in keeping up with the rest of the class or they convince themselves that this is the case and that they will never be able to do so. They sabotage themselves. If you belong to the first group and you're interested in how to study better for an exam, follow the following steps:

• Pre-reading: read all the subject to identify the general ideas and key words.
• Comprehension reading: more careful reading. Differentiate between the principal and secondary ideas. Make sure to understand all the words and all the contents of each paragraph. Look up the words or concepts that you don't understand. Everything should make sense.
• Highlight, summary and outline: they help to make sure that you have digested all the concepts. Many people choose to skip this step because they think that the task of drafting doesn't help them and they prefer to work with outlines or concept maps. You will have to find the method that works best for you.
• Memorisation: it's advisable to use the mnemonic techniques we mentioned earlier. It is essential to be patient and to not give up. It can be useful to do an explanation out-loud to another person to test if you have retained the information. Some people find that expressing themselves with hand gestures can help them to retain information better. Of course, the information that you memorise has to be correct. For example, in History learning facts serves for nothing if you don't know the dates, what happened or you confuse terms.

  If you don't have much time, in this phase you can invest more time memorising the principal ideas or what you think will probably come up in the exam in line with what your teacher has said, for example.

• Self-Assessment: this step is directly related to the last. If you have noticed you have mistakes or gaps, rectify them as soon as possible so later you can make a simulation of the exam, always keeping in mind the type of exam. Here you will also have to keep in mind how much time you will have in the exam, since you have to stick to the time limit that corresponds to your education level. You can carry out self-assessment tests and exams with GoConqr that has a website and application.
• Revise the course materials: when you have already memorised the information, read all the highlighted information and you will remember it by heart. In the last step, just read it without trying to recall it. If you have studied it correctly, just by glimpsing at it, you will remember practically all the course content.

If you notice that the results of your self-assessment weren't good, go on to see what problems you have. It may be due to mistakes you make when you study, like studying in places that aren't appropriate, dedicating too many hours to studying one subject or repeating the same information over and over again "boring" your brain. Searching for comfort, you start to study in places that aren't appropriate for that activity, like the bed or the couch. In detriment to your concentration, you distract yourself and lose interest in studying.

How to study for a geography exam: a great many definitions, theories, physical and political maps, graphs, etc. If you want to address it all, first you should create some definitions with your own words, learning the map of Spain or European countries can be fun if you think about the future trips you want to make, also you can turn to games and interactive maps or get blank maps and add the most important geographic points.

Studying a language shouldn't be torture. If you want to learn how to study French for an exam, try to figure out what use studying a language has for you to awaken a curiosity and interest for the culture and other countries' way of thinking. Read books; watch series and films subtitled in your language if you are a beginner and after, start removing them; take advantage of other audiovisual resources like the TV, podcasts, Youtube, etc. to prepare for your oral, written and listening exams. In French, knowing conjugations and the list of past participles is essential, since there are many exceptions to the rules and a large list of irregular verbs.

How to study literature for an exam: literature is based in theory and critical analysis of the literary genres, which include the definition and characteristics of every literary movement, as well as authors and important works of each. To study literature, you can apply the technique SQ4R, that we will explain further on.

It is often thought that Law subjects should be learnt by heart, but this is because people often don't understand how to study for a Law exam. Laws, articles, statutes, etc. have to be known, but you can learn the key words of each and apply them to case studies or read about them in booklets. In the notes, you will add your own comments and signal to the most important content.

The subject of Philosophy usually causes headaches to students because they limit themselves to what their teacher says, they don't try to understand. So, how do you study Philosophy for an exam? Create a study of the context of each author (historical, social, economic, ideological) that will help you to understand the philosophy of each author as you like (outlines, concept maps, etc.) Make a list of the relevant terms of each author. If something isn't clear, you can consult your teacher, a textbook, webpage or even a Youtube video.

You can prepare for an exam focusing on: what the text is about, what key concepts the text includes (implicit and explicitly), identify the structure, differentiate between the principal and secondary ideas (supporting or arguing the main idea), what the conclusion of the test is, what reasoning lead to it, if it's understandable and if you agree with it.

Have you ever asked yourself how to quickly and easily study for an exam or how to study for a difficult exam in a short amount of time?

We are used to studying passively, just reading and re-reading. However, as soon as we have finished reading a topic, we've forgotten a large part of the information. The brain recognises that information as repetitive and confusing or an action that requires a lot of concentration (studying), so it tries to get around it and look for something else more interesting. Learning or studying shouldn't mean just collecting information because we aren't capable of retaining it.

Instead, if you see learning or studying as something more gripping, you involve yourself and actively participate in the process, you will be able to remember the information for a much longer time. Consider the meaning of each subject, its application and use in real life, etc. Relate the new information with something you already know, associations and analogies promote learning. You can think about the process like a game, challenge yourself to see how much you are able to remember or challenge others.

If you apply the techniques to improve memory that we explain below, it will be more easy for you to study more content in less time, which will be useful when studying last-minute. The following two techniques are aimed to speed up comprehension and, with this, facilitate long-term retention. Consequently, they may also interest you if you don't know how to study for a resit exam.

Feynmann Technique

Created by scientist Richard Feynmann, it is based on the illusion of knowledge, this is the false belief that you have already learnt something that you have studied, but you aren't able to explain it. It consists of 4 steps:

1. Pick the subject you want to learn.
2. Explain: learning involves reading, understanding lies in writing and mastering a subject involves teaching. Developing the subject in written or spoken form. You can start writing about the subject as if you were explaining it to someone and then explain it out-loud to a person that has no idea about, or understands very little of the subject, with the aim of being fully understood, whether it is a real or fictitious person. You will try and make the language simple, including metaphors, analogies to make it more entertaining and bring you closer to your audience.
3. Identify: if you aren't able to explain it, it's because there is something you haven't entirely understood. Identify what is in the subject (notes, outlines, etc. ) and go over that part.
4. Simplify your explanation: you can divide the subject matter into sections. The explanation should be as entertaining as possible so that it is not boring and you can add analogies and metaphors.

SQ4R Technique

Comes in handy when studying heavy going subjects like history and literature.

1. Survey: read in detail titles, subtitles, summaries, images, graphs, etc. It will give you a general overview of all the subject or section.
2. Question: formulate all the possible questions that may possibly come up in the exam from what you have read in the first step.
3. Read: read each paragraph twice. The first a quick reading and the second carefully. Retain the maximum amount of information possible.
4. Recite: you have to be able to recite out-lout the questions and answer them without looking at the theory. If at any point you get stuck and can't remember the answer, you should go over it.
5. Rewrite: answer the questions again, but this time write the answers down as simply and concise as possible, using key words and citing the principal ideas. Use lists, outlines, drawings, etc.
6. Review: review all the titles, questions and answers without looking at the original material. Solve any questions you have by consulting handbooks, textbooks, journals, etc. Further on you could go over it quicker and without as much effort because you will already know it all.

How to study for a multiple choice exams, do you think memorising is the secret?

Multiple choice exams don't work the same way like discussion/essay style exams. Recognition memory should take precedence, in other words, recognising small details that make the difference between various choices of answers. That doesn't mean that you don't have to study, but rather that you should do it another way. You shouldn't memorise all the subject, just dates, laws, proper names or technical words. In line with this approach, the most important thing is the repetition of the repetition of tests.

On the basis of past exams, we can determine which questions are repeated more and, therefore, which terms or information are more important. Here self-assessment and correction of mistakes come into play. Identify the areas in which you make mistakes and try to correct them by finding the answer in your notes or textbooks. That way, you revise and improve comprehension at the same time. If you've made lots of mistakes, it's most likely because you haven't solidified the subject, so you should go back to the memorisation phase and go deeper. After, repeat the same procedure until you commit hardly any or no mistakes at all.

Answer sheet from a multiple choice exam

How do you study for a competitive examination?

There are many websites in which you can make a mock test and even receive the results with feedback such as Opositatest. You can understand why you were right or wrong on a question. It's really important to monitor response time of an entire exam or of a section of questions. In a competitive exam you can't waste time unnecessarily.

Tips when dealing with a multiple-choice exam:

Analyse the question carefully and the possible answers until you understand it all. Some of the answers are usually very similar, so you have to examine all the words carefully and choose the answer that contains the appropriate words. If you're not sure which is the correct answer, rule out those that you know with certainty aren't right and if you're stuck between two choices, flag them, because you may remember later on which is the right one.

Don't stay stuck on one question. If you're stuck between two answers, go onto the next question and go back later. If you find an answer that is much longer than the others, it is usually the right one. If there is an option that says "All the above are correct/true" or also "None of the above are correct" it is usually the right one. On the other hand, those that say "All the above are incorrect/false" are usually incorrect. The options with adverbs "always" or "never" are usually false.

How to study for a University admission exam: one of the most important of your life

We wrongly believe that the more time you spend studying the better you will do, that you are more productive. However, when preparing for an exam, you need to keep in mind study time, the effectiveness of studying (study techniques) and the quality of learning (information that you are able to remember) in each study session (block of time that you study a subject). Your objective is to increase the efficiency and quality of learning to reduce the time invested. For this, you need to eliminate where possible the distracting factors that make you procrastinate. For really important exams like Selection exams, we have to organise our time so that we don't forget to prepare any section, syllabus or subject.

This being so, organise the number of topics in a list of activities (divided by subjects) a calendar, where you write down the exam dates and assignment submission deadlines so you always have them in mind, and a diary where you write the activities you have to complete each day. You can use a paper calendar, your mobile's/desktop (Google Calendar, for example, or an application like Todoist) with which you can plan your activities by activity groups related to a context.

If you split big activities into smaller and shorter ones, indicating start and end times, you will achieve more fluidity and less procrastination, given that you won't get bored as easily. Generally, you should do activities that require more energy when you are more active.

On the other hand, many techniques for memorisation are based on mnemonics, that is to say, they are techniques to memorise new information easier and over more time. A good option is the Memory Palace or the Method of Loci. This consists of associating a term with a place, a fixed location. For example, when you think about your wardrobe, you remember the space that you physically find it in your room. Really it's a "storage" in your memory where you locate a term; it corresponds to spatial memory.

Firstly, you have to be able to remember a known space (your house, your office, etc. ) with your rooms or large spaces taking a mental tour; then, divide the big spaces into other smaller ones, in other words, divide each room into different parts. From amongst these parts, you will chose those that catches your eye the most (microspaces). In each room, choose between 3 - 5 microspaces.

The next step is to remember all those microspaces or microlocations and go over them mentally until you memorise them. In total, they will amount to 10 microspaces that will make up your Memory Palace. You can apply this technique to studies choosing 10 points of the syllabus to remember mentally visualising them and relating them with one of the microspaces you have in your palace. Follow the same procedure as before: visualise them mentally, try to remember them and go over them until you memorise them in full.

Some people turn to the mnemonics to learn terms or names by heart. There are different techniques or methods like learning them based on the initials of the names. The names of the planets would be MVEMJSUN. You can create a chain, for example, to learn the names of important cities of a region, for example, like Andalusia, it could be Cordoba-Jaen-Seville-Huelva-Cadiz-Malaga. Equally, you could follow the storytelling technique relating terms with others through a story: Mountain-Mulhacen-3479 m-Sierra Nevada.

How do study for a final exam of any subject

James Van der Lust, secondary school teacher explains that to learn a syllabus you must read it in its entirety and, above all, understand it. For that, he proposes the following techniques:

1. Arachnoid Technique: study the subject (information ball) with a partner in such a way that you learn and memorise it, without mistakes. And, again, that person will do the same with you. If one of you gets it wrong, you lose (you lose the information ball) and the other wins a point as in the Arcade game.
2. Arachnoid Technique vs Grandparent: you'll play the same game as before with an older person, they could be one of your grandparents or someone you know. Your objective is to get them to understand everything that you explain to them and then for them to explain with their own words what they have understood. If they make a mistake or leave out any part of the information, you lose.
3. American Circuit: this consists of placing a card with the material you have to study (information) in places you frequently visit during the day like the fridge, the door to your wardrobe or the front door. Each time you're close to those places, you have to read the cards and this forces you to memorise the information bit by bit.
4. Instagram Live: making use of this social network is popular, invite your friends to a live stream in which you explain the subject. This challenge forces you to read and memorise the subject since you won't be able to look at your notes while you explain the theory to the audience. Also, they will ask you questions that you will answer as you go along.
5. The "cheat sheet" DIN A 4: on a piece of paper, write down everything that you need to study. You can use symbols, drawings, diagrams etc. to help you.., but all the information should be contained in one page.

If you need tips to get through the exam period during your Erasmus stay, you can find some through this link.

How do you study for an English exam? The way to study languages can be unique

An English or language exam consists of 4 different parts or tests: reading, listening, writing and speaking. Don't look at learning as an obligation, make it proactive. First of all, be sure and confident in yourself. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, you learn by practising and getting things wrong.

Knowing different accents will be useful for the oral comprehension test (listening), you will sharpen your hearing and be able to understand any speaker of the language, whatever country they're from. You can focus on one accent that you like or that interests you and learn it step by step. Follow Youtube channels that talk about your interests to learn about reoccurring themes of language exams like life style, trips, sports, etc. Listen to music in the target language and try to write the lyrics. When you hear a word you don't know, take note of the phonetic pronunciation exactly as it sounds to you in your native language and then look up the translation.

Imitating sounds helps you to internalise them. You can associate words with their translation and record them. Listen to it passively anytime. Listen to how your voice sounds in that language, if you make a mistake, etc. Visual dictionaries that associate words with images are really worthwhile, facilitating your learning and memorisation. Associate the vocabulary with the image, don't look up the translation directly. Create an American circuit: place cards with the names of daily objects and related adjectives or adverbs.

If you know any native speaker of the language, try to meet for a drink; you will practice listening and speaking. If you have any questions about any grammatical rule or expression, ask them. On the other hand, try to think in that language. It will help you to understand the structures of sentences and the use of each word in its context. Preparing the writing is equally important.

Search for writing exercises and practice every day, it can be useful to write about what you've learnt that day. Try to dedicate half an hour for each part of the exam, search for sample exams to familiarise yourself with the structure and try to complete them as practice. Many people use applications like Babbel or Duolingo to practice their skills and some of them even let you send writing or audio files to native speakers who will point out your mistakes and how to correct them.

If you're going on Erasmus and you want to improve your level of English, you can register in one of the Linguago academies.

Do you know how to study for a maths exam? Here's how

If you want to properly prepare for a maths exam, you shouldn't limit yourself to just memorising the formulas. Start by understanding them: what they are based on and what each one achieves, so you will understand the process better. You can make cards to note them all down and have them to hand when applying them to specific exercises.

Practice makes perfect, so you have to practice and practice until you achieve the desired outcome. In maths, you need to know where you've made a mistake, since the smallest mistake in a calculation can end up in an incorrect exercise, even if you've used the correct formula, for example. To make it more enjoyable, you could listen to music that motivates you. Use a specific workbook for maths exercises divided into the separate sections that you have to learn. So, when you study, everything will be set out in a much more organised way. The order will follow a logic, in other words, it goes from the simplest and most basic to the most complex. Use a calculator when necessary and practice solving calculations as quickly as possible on the day of the exam. In the case of geometry, practice it with your own drawings.

Maths is present in everyday actions and objects. For example, you can use day to day objects or even food to study fractions. If you take a pizza and divide it into different equal parts, it puts into practice working with fractions. Create diagrams from the process you have carried out to solve a problem or apply a theory. If you want to improve your reasoning and logic skills, you can strengthen them through brain teasers or games of wit like chess.

Trust in modern technology, like the educative webpage Khan Academy, that has explanatory videos with lots of examples and different colour codes to distinguish everything very easily. At Visual Mathematics, you can access explanations of different theorems. Lastly, it's worth noting that, in a maths exam, many mistakes are due to not understanding the questions posed. Read them twice analytically. From a problem, you can create a small diagram to understand it better.

Sticking with maths, we will carry on with some tips for those of you who have doubts about how to study for an algebra exam. Algebra expresses mathematical rules or principles (algebraic formulas). Consequently, when studying you have to understand and master all the basic mathematic calculations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division).

Solve problems following the stablished order: first, the parenthesis, then the exponents and then the multiplication calculations, division, addition and subtraction. Everything has to be very clear and organised. Finally, keep in mind the basic rules of algebraic equations which are based on finding the variable. It could be that the variable appears more than once, so you will replace it with numbers and simplify it by basic operations on both sides of the equation.

How do you study for a physics exam? It is essential to have a basic knowledge of maths to understand the "language" of physics. Also, keep in mind that physics theories are based on certain fundamental laws. The more you know about maths, the better you will understand physics. The ideal way to study for an exam is to simplify theories or statements. Transcribe theories in your own words and apply them to every day situations. If you don't understand a problem, drawing it or creating a diagram will make your life easier. To memorise laws, units and technical terms, you can use flashcards. Put the same guidelines in practice if you want to know how to study chemistry for an exam.

How to study economics for an exam: economics is the study of goods, consumers, services, etc. Studying economics is similar to studying physics in that they're both based on formulas, equations and their applications. Don't learn it by heart; try to apply it to real life to understand it. And how do you study for a biology exam? You already know how to prepare the maths part. Statistics are studied by groups corresponding to those studied in class. Subjects like anatomy work visually with images or diagrams to remember parts of the cell or a muscle, or the layers of the skin, for example. You can print images or drawings without names to name them after you have studied and colour different parts in different colours.

Diagram of a nephron

How do you study for a history exam? When memorising isn't easy for everyone

Everyone knows that history can by really tedious with the amount of names, dates and facts you have to remember. However, changing the focus of this subject, you can discover that it is actually fun. It has been widely proven that we memorise better visually and what is more entertaining to study than audiovisual resources? Well then, combine history and fun by watching a film or documentary that talks about the fact that interest you or that you haven't been able to remember. You will put a face to the people who were involved and you will put yourself in their shoes, you will identify with them. You will see what their clothes were like, their customs, etc. After watching it, recreate the script with the events in an orderly manner.

Also you can record a podcast presenting your notes out-loud and listen to it until you know it by heart. You should make two copies of the audio with the facts always in chronological order, the first without dates so you just remember the facts and the second with the specific dates. Moreover, create diagrams or outlines with lots of detail on paper or using online tools for creating diagrams.

The webpage Sutori, initially created for presentations to show in class, also includes the option of creating multiple choice tests ('quiz') or audio files. It lets you share the document with various users to edit and add information when you work in a group. The tool GoConar provides digital learning from its webpage or app. It lets you create flashcards with images or terms on one side and the explanation on the other to study anywhere that you can also share with your classmates when you do group study.

Are you a foreigner and want to know how to study for a Spanish exam? You're in luck

Many foreign students come to Spain with a good level of language but when the day comes they ask themselves: "how do I study for a Spanish exam?". Of course, the same tips apply for studying any language. However, if you want to pass your exams with flying colours, you can use other options. As you are in a Spanish speaking environment, take advantage of that and do a student exchange with students of your age or similar with whom you share interests. You will see how in a short amount of time you are able to get by in Spanish.

Language exchanges are also a good idea: you teach someone your native language and the other person teaches you their own. Both win. If you have problems with writing (spelling rules, grammar, syntax, etc. ) you can pay a private tutor or sign up to a course with a small group of people.

Another free option to improve your writing and fluency can be podcasts like Coffee Break Spanish (beginners) and Notes in Spanish (Intermediate and advanced level). Read books in Spanish with images to reinforce vocabulary and get writing. Get a notebook in which you express your thoughts and describe what you have done that day, a kind of diary. Listen to Spanish music, you can take the opportunity any time during the day, even while you shower to go to class!

If you have a child and want to know how to help them to study for an exam

When it comes to studying, children should follow the same guidelines as teenagers and adults (study techniques, concentration techniques, relaxation techniques, etc.) However, the most important thing is to encourage study habits from the very beginning so that they are independent throughout their academic development.

If your most common worry is "how do I help my child to study for an exam?", have these indications in mind. Firstly, you have to succeed in motivating them to study and, for that, they have to understand the importance of setting goals and objectives. Commitment and curiosity in learning are essential. Teach them that studies are a priority and that homework is the first thing they have to do when they get home. Establish the base for a proper emotional education, that they know how to be self-confident and to cope with frustrations.

Once they start studying, you should remove technologies, in that way limiting the weekly usage of tablets, mobiles or the computer. The study techniques are identical (summaries, diagrams, learning or explaining the lesson to another person, etc.) but you have to fully involve yourself: explain to them how to do each of the parts, ask them questions to make sure that they have understood the information, etc. Of course, the mind of a child is not like that of an adult. Their method of studying has to be more fun and entertaining.

Learning is based on understanding, so you should understand what each thing is and what it is for. You have to promote comprehensive and daily reading as soon as they learn to read so that they develop a written and oral fluency. They should understand the overall meaning of a text and, if there are some words they don't understand, explain them with synonyms that are familiar to them. Mathematic skills can be worked on with games of logic like crosswords and linguistic skills with interactive vocabulary games.

To help them to memorise words or terms, you can create songs or poems and also work on visual memory through blackboards or interactive resources. Repeating words out-loud contributes to their consolidation in the memory. The amount of study time a day should not exceed half an hour so as to not overwhelm them. And, if they don't pass a test, don't discourage them, motivate them to continue learning and appreciate their effort. When they reach their goals, reward them with praise and/or prizes.

Do you struggle keeping focused? Here's how to concentrate to study for an exam

Concentration nowadays is a skill that few have mastered, since we're continuously receiving new information through the media and social networks. For this reason, we have to learn to develop our ability to concentrate. If we don't concentrate, we don't pay attention and, if we don't pay attention to something or someone, we won't remember. However, even though we are able to focus our attention on more than one task or action, we can't concentrate on more than one because concentration requires more energy, more effort.

There are three types of causes that result in lack of concentration: physical (tiredness), mental (lack of or wrong technique) and those related to environment (distractions). The first can be solved with relaxation exercises or a bit of physical exercise; the second through proper technique and the last through the control of distracting factors.

Put habits into practice that give you energy like physical exercise (10 minutes is enough) to activate neural connections, meditation and a healthy and balanced diet. You can't get rid of all distractions, but you can temporarily control them. Distractors reduce your productivity and concentration, since they limit the time that you're focused on your priorities. There are three groups: technological, social (friends and family that don't let you concentrate) or external distractions (shrill or really loud noises).

Technological distractions include social network notifications, messages and emails either on your phone or computer. You can activate the default desktop or browser focus wizard such as StayFocusd; it's a Google Chrome extension that blocks notifications and entry to certain web pages for a specific period of time. You can block intervals for set hours or days. If possible, leave your phone in another room.

In terms of social distractors, restrict visits and interruptions informing people that you won't be available during these hours. To avoid external distractions, use earplugs or study in a more calm, quiet place. If you are someone who can't study in silence, you can listen to classical or instrumental music, it's recommendable that you don't listen to music with lyrics.

Next, focus on the space where you will study. Try to avoid your bedroom or the living room. Preferably it should be a well-lit place, with a comfortable chair, without any technology. Once chosen, the table or desk should be cleared, remove all the items and objects you don't need. Always have materials you need to hand before starting (notes, folders, pages, pens, etc. ) to avoid getting up and interrupting the study process.

The next step is setting priorities, follow the planning and organisation system explained earlier. Do the tasks one by one avoiding multitasking. In this sense, doing the same task over and over again is monotonous and decreases your attention and thus your ability to concentrate. Change the difficulty, go from a task that requires more attention to one less demanding.

Have a go at trying the Pomodoro Technique, created by Francesco Cirillo. It owes its name to the classic Italian kitchen timer not the tomato. It's a complicated technique but if you manage to apply it to your studies you will achieve higher productivity and efficiency, along with mental agility because it advocates that you focus on a study session for 25 minutes maximum and after have a 5 minute break.

The technique comprises of five stages:

1. Planning: make a list of tasks that you need to finish in a set period of time, usually a day. First of all, choose one and focus on it.
2. Annotation: set the "pomodoro" (timer) for 25 minutes with a stopwatch or smartphone app like TimeWise.
3. Record: study intensively without getting distracted until the alarm rings. Each time it rings mark an X in the "pomodoros" register. You've just completed the first one.
4. Process: rest for 5 minutes without taking in any information. For example, get some fresh air or simply close your eyes and relax. Start the process again until you've completed 4 "pomodoros" and have a bigger break, either 20 or 30 minutes.
5. Visualisation: when you've already finished the process, analyse the register and, if necessary, apply the necessary measures to improve your performance. If you're not used to studying for so long in a row, start with 10 minute sessions and keep adding 5 minutes to each session until you get used to it.

   You can try different breaks or different study periods in line with your needs. Rests of 10 minutes minimum have a great effect on long term memory because they help to reinforce terms.

Finally, it's worth noting that regulation of learning is given by dopamine, which has the function of providing us with pleasure and desire for repeated behaviours, which regulates motivation. When you present the brain with an unexpected reward, it reacts by releasing dopamine. When you set a goal, just as much taking the first steps to achieving it as being successful in its realisation releases this chemical. Setting short term objectives and dividing an objective into smaller actions in the long term increases your dopamine levels. This being so, you can reward yourself after a large study session: "if by this afternoon I've finished studying this, I'll go to the cinema tonight".

Are you someone who leaves studying to the day before? Here are some tips on how to study for an exam in one day and in little time

Whether because of the large amount of work, readings or extracurricular activities, in the end, lack of time, lack of motivation or bad planning can lead you to put off exam prep. That being said, you notice on the calendar that the date's not far off or that it's even tomorrow. If you've ever been in this situation and want to know how to study for an exam the day before, read on.

To strengthen the memorisation of dates or terms, active participation in the assimilation process is necessary. Reading out-loud or writing by hand can be very useful. First of all, reading out-loud uses your senses of sight and hearing, two great resources when retaining information. Secondly, writing by hand requires more effort and attention than typing on the computer, meaning your brain works more actively on the action. By following your own writing style, you remember the letters and symbols more, as well as the interrelation and organisation of ideas. These techniques can also help you to learn how to study for an exam in a short amount of time.

On the other hand, stimulate your senses watching films or documentaries or going over educational material like videos, infografics, maps or graphs. This way, you have a overall vision of the topic or the subject in question, which can contribute to quicker comprehension and more effective memorisation. If you are someone that works better with visual memorisation, you can also make use of use flashcards, which can combine various methods of memorisation such as handwriting and colour-coding as you write them down and reading them aloud as you go through the syllabus. In addition, you reinforce your ability to summarise, which requires a full understanding of the subject.

Finally, another technique that activates your retention of information is recording yourself explaining the topics. Listening to the same sounds over and over again encourages memorisation, since you can focus all your attention without having to put in a lot of effort. So, why not learn the terms like you would a song?

Videos on how to study for an exam

The first video we recommend is on the four drawers study technique, created by James Van der Lust. It's based on preparing four different tasks that follow the exam type you are going to do (multiple choice, discussion questions, etc. ) Once you believe you've mastered the subject, put each test in a draw, with four drawers in total. Choose one of the tests randomly and complete it to correct it later with your notes. Follow the same procedure until you've done the four drills various times. With this technique, you'll find yourself much more prepared for the exam.

The second video talks about some tips to follow if you want to memorise quickly for an exam in a short amount of time:

• 3 questions trick: simply ask the teacher three key questions. These could be "what's the most important topic", "will this section be on the exam?" and "could you tell me the key points of this topic?". Your teacher will probably give you the information necessary to pass and, above all, get a good grade.
• Spirit of time: helps to memorise a large amount of information. Study each section in a place in the room, in the office, in the place where you are at the moment. It can be very useful to say it out loud as you walk around.
• Italian technique: learn the subject as if it was a story and you had to tell it to someone.
• Winning drawings: do some drawings in the margins of your notes or in your book that you can relate to that part of the subject. That way, in the exam the drawings will come to mind and then the information associated with them.
• Study mate: meet up to study with someone that motivates you or with whom you can have a healthy competition.

Are you going on Erasmus and looking for accommodation is stressing you out? Do not fear, we can help you! Erasmusu lets you choose from among hundreds of rooms, studies, university accommodation and apartments among which you are sure to find your ideal home before getting to the city.

If you liked this article, don't forget to also follow us on Facebook, Twitter e Instagram!

Photo gallery