How I Study

Hey loves!

After showing my reaction to my final results, many of you guys messaged me to ask about my study method. I really wanted to share my method with you guys but I left all my notes in Hong Kong. I went through my archive of videos and pictures and found this video I filmed shortly after my finals regarding my study method. I hope that you guys will enjoy this video that I filmed in my old dorm room at LPC!

The key aspect of my study method is to keep everything organised. I kept all my notes in boxes that belonged to particular subjects. That way, I never had to look for my notes when I wanted to study and I never lost any of them. When you have everything in one place, it is easy to get an overview of how much you have already done and what still needs to get done. It also allows you to see how much work studying for the subject will be because you can see all the material at once.

I studied the International Baccalaureate for the past two years and its final exams are designed to cover the content of the full two years. Therefore, I worked on my flashcards for the entire two years. It is important to know what the expectation for your finals will be: Are you expected to know the content of the past two years? Of the past year? Of the past semester? This expectation should determine when you start working on your study notes. It is unrealistic to write all your study notes for content of the past two years in your two weeks of study leave, so you have to start earlier.

It is also important that you treat making flashcards as something that requires your full attention. Do not watch TV shows or listen to audiobooks while making them - this might make you miss important details which would make your flashcards much more effective. Also ensure that your handwriting on your study notes and flashcards is clean so that you can look back at them and it will not be like looking at hieroglyphs.

When you have your notes ready, it is important that you make a game plan to slay your exams. I made a study schedule from February until May to prepare for my exams. Having a schedule ensures that you have an overview of all the tasks that have to be completed in order to ace your exam. A schedule can also be a motivation to study because it is super satisfying to tick off completed tasks. When making your schedule, make sure to be realistic about how much you can accomplish in one day. If you study schedule is unrealistic, it will not be of great help.

But most importantly, take care of yourself while preparing for your exams: Go out with friends every once in a while, treat yourself with some chocolate, or enjoy an episode of your favourite TV show. Put these things into your schedule and stick to the times you allocated to them. Personally, I like to keep a little motivational jar on my desk to keep me happy while studying.

I hope that these tips help you guys. Enjoy your summer!

Lots of Love,

Elena