18 Tips to Prepare for Competitive Exams

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Tips to Prepare for Competitive Exams
Competitive exams can seem daunting, but if you
employ smart strategies to prepare for the exam,
the process can be much more manageable.
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Enroll in a Test Preparation Program Online
To prepare for competitive exams, buy or find
online test preparation materials for the
specific test you are taking, take a diagnostic
practice test to see what you need to practice,
and then make a timeline and outline of your
study plan. Learning general tips for studying,
relaxation, and keeping healthy will also help
you prepare for your test holistically.
There are many online websites, some of them free
and others at a cost, you can sign up with that
will prepare you for the test you are taking.
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Buy study materials
Purchase your materials from book stores, online,
or check them out from a library. Research the
best study guides for the specific test you are
preparing for and your needs.
There are different kinds of study guides you
can buy depending on your need.
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Get Good Rest The Night Before You Test And On
Studying Days
Ensure that you get a full 8 hours of sleep
before your exam. Getting a bad night's sleep can
have a marked negative impact on your test score.
Regularly not getting good sleep can create
stress and cause you to get sick more often.
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Backward Plan To Figure Out When You Need To Go
To Bed or Get Up
One technique that can help you get to bed on
time is backward planning. Start from the time
you want to be at your test site or studying the
next day, and mentally go through all the things
you need to do leading up to that time. Plan
backward to figure out when you need to
realistically be in bed by to get enough sleep.
Consider how long it takes you to fall asleep,
typically, and make sure you account for that
time. Add some cushion time in your backward
planning for your test day in case something
unexpected happens, like you get lost trying to
get to a test site.
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Eat Brain Foods and Complex Carbs
Eat complex carbs for brain power. If you are
distracted by your hunger during your test or
while you study, you wont be able to focus as
well. To combat this, on the day of the test and
before you study, eat food high in protein, like
eggs, and/or whole grains that will stick with
you for several hours, like oatmeal. If you have
a break during your test, pack a light snack,
like an apple, that will keep you alert.
On the day of the test, eat complex
carbohydrates like oatmeal rather than candy made
up of simple carbohydrates and sugar. Eat dark
veggies and fruits for antioxidants that help
your cognitive abilities.
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Start an Exercise Routine
To help with your mental well being as well as
your physical health, try to incorporate about 2
½ hours of moderately intense (power walking,
cycling) exercise into your schedule per week.
This will help you relax and concentrate on your
test and studies. If you are interested in
sports, often times there are intramural teams
that meet at parks that you can play on for free
or little cost. Inquire at your school or local
parks department.5Consider renting a workout
DVD from the library or doing a video workout
online with friends or family every day or every
other day.
Go on jogs first thing in the morning to give
you energy.
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Take A Diagnostic Practice Test
Take a diagnostic practice test. Most competitive
exams are composed of different parts. For
example, the GRE is comprised of math, verbal,
and essay components. In order to do targeted
studying and practice you need to best prepare
for the test, you will need to take a practice
test to determine which areas of the test you
need to focus on the most. In your test prep
books, you can typically find diagnostic practice
tests.
There are also many websites, like
collegeboard.org for the SAT, which provide
practice tests for competitive exams. These
online tests will score your tests for you.
Take the practice test under test like
conditions. This means time your test, put away
electronics, refrain from listening to music, and
sit in a desk/space that will be similar to the
environment of the test.
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Practice The Essay Portion of The Test
If your test includes a writing portion, be sure
to practice writing your essay in the time that
will be allotted. Make sure you practice writing
an outline and planning what you will write about
during your practice as well.
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Make An Outline To Structure Your Study Plan
Make an outline to structure your study plan. You
will need to make a realistic study plan based on
what test you are taking, and the amount of time
experts say you will need to do to prepare. Some
competitive tests like the GRE take months to
prepare for, for example. Sit down with your
study materials, and make an outline of the big
topics/areas you need to study for the test.
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Backward Plan Which Areas Of The Test You Will
Study And For How Long.
According to your outline, break down how much
material you will need to study per session,
approximately. Start with the most important
material and work toward the less important
material to make sure the important content gets
covered before the test.
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Use a Calendar App Like Google Calendar To Make a
Schedule
You can sign up for a Gmail account if you do not
have one and want the app. Go to your Calendar
app located in the apps directory in the upper
right corner of your Gmail account. Go to
"Create" and schedule an "Event" to put the study
schedule on your Calendar app. Check and update
your calendar regularly to remind yourself of
your study schedule.
Google Calendar has an email reminders option
that you can use to remind yourself of your
schedule.
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Clear Your Plate Of Obligations
In order to gear up for taking a competitive
test, you should carve out room in your schedule
for you to study regularly. Explain to your
friends and family that you will be concentrating
on preparing for a test. Take whatever steps you
need to give yourself the time and space you need
to focus regularly on studying.
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Keep Track Of Your Progress By Taking Practice
Tests.
Every couple of weeks, or as often as
recommended, take a practice test, and then go
back through and look at the questions you
missed. If your answer sheet tells you what kind
of question it was, take note. If not, do your
best to determine what kind of problems you are
missing, and look for patterns in the mistakes
you are making so that you know what to focus on
in your studying
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Study The Areas You Are Weak In
Take more time studying the concepts that you
are having trouble with.
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Stay Focused On Your Outline
The stress that comes from studying for
competitive tests can be overwhelming at times
because of the amount that you have to study.
Make sure to combat that stress by concentrating
on studying one lesson at a time. Remind yourself
that you have to go through this test prep one
step at a time, and dont let yourself worry
about mastering the whole test in a short period
of time
Do not try to learn everything at once,
cramming will not help you deeply understand the
content you are learning.
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Remove Distractions While You Study
One way to make the practice of studying more
manageable is if you set up a routine of removing
all distractions from your study space. Looking
at your phone or computer will break your focus
and ability to study well. Make sure that you put
all of your electronics away and that you are
working in a space that will help you focus. For
example, there should be no televisions or
distractions in the background
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Study In Different Spaces
New research is showing that people retain more
information if they study in different locations.
You will be able to focus better when you change
your scenery because it keeps your alert. For
example, you can move from one room in your house
to another when you find yourself losing momentum.
Try to go to spaces that have a different feel.
For example, you might want to switch between
rooms painted different colors and/or with
different lighting.
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Reframe Your Mindset When You Feel Bored
Consider the things you could learn from studying
this material, and focus on the positive rather
than dwelling on your feelings of boredom. Think
about the potential ways you could apply this
information to your life or find it useful.
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Get Books for All Competitive Exam
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