Leigh Ann Newman
You have to take many exams in high school and college. You might also need to pass exams in your professional life. It’s not always easy to prepare for exams when you’ve got so much other stuff going on in your life. Also, some subjects like mathematics and calculus give a hard time. Here are some helpful tips on how to learn complex subjects easily:
The Night Before the Exam, Sleep Well
Why is this step so important? Because it helps you to reduce stress and release tension. Tension can make you lose concentration in class and makes it harder for you to absorb knowledge. When you’re tired or stressed, your body produces more cortisol, which makes learning difficult.
If instead of falling asleep at 9 pm, you stay awake until 1 am studying for an exam, then when it comes time to take the exam at 7:30 am the following day with only four hours of sleep under your belt, there’s a good chance that all those facts will go straight out of your brain like water through a sieve!
Leverage Online Tools and Resources
There are many learning tools out there that can help you learn more efficiently. You’ll want to find the ones that work for you, but here are some examples:
- Study-aids, such as flashcards and quizze,s can help you memorize material faster by breaking it down into digestible pieces. My favorite flashcard tool is Proprep since they make learning easy. Their bite-sized videos, practice questions, and valuable resources make learning difficult subjects easier for students. Proprep math resources and calculus guides considerably help students understand a complex topic easily and effectively.
- Apps that teach language skills through simple but effective exercises make excellent tools for students of any age or proficiency level. Whether you find difficulty in learning French, Spanish, German, or other languages, such tools make the learning process fun and easy.
Understand the Concept
The first step to learning any difficult subject is understanding the concept. The idea is that a person needs to understand the big picture before understanding the details and vice versa.
Understanding how everything fits together is critical because it helps you learn not just one thing at a time but also how each piece of information relates to other parts. This allows you to build on your knowledge and remember new concepts and facts more easily by seeing how they fit into what you already know.
For example, suppose you’re learning about DNA replication in biology class. In that case, understanding its role in cell division will help you understand why it’s essential for cells to replicate themselves to keep growing. Understanding this process also helps determine when and why DNA replication happens—for example: what happens during mitosis? And does this process happen differently depending on which type of cell is dividing?
Split the Chapters Into Small Chunks
If a chapter is too long, split it into smaller chunks. Taking information in small pieces will help you retain it better than trying to swallow the whole thing at once. It’s also best to focus on only the most critical sections of a chapter; if there’s something that doesn’t interest you, skip over it and come back later when your brain is fresh.
It may sound counterintuitive, but it’s best not to spend too much time on one section either—don’t try to memorize every detail of what you’re reading or listening to if other parts of the material are more important for understanding what’s going on overall.
Use Mnemonics and Acronyms
Mnemonics and acronyms are very effective memory aids. They both help you remember things, but in slightly different ways.
Mnemonics are an acronym that helps you remember something using a phrase or rhyme. For example, if you want to remember the names of all 50 states in alphabetical order, you could use this mnemonic: “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas.” It’s silly and weird but easy to remember because it rhymes and has structure.
This type of mnemonic works incredibly well when the information needs to be remembered in a specific order, e.g., Aesop’s fables. However, sometimes we don’t care about what order things come in; we just want them all there so we can check off each one once we know them, e.g., your state capitals. In this case, an acronym might work better than a mnemonic because there isn’t as much emphasis on making sure every letter/word is said out loud as there would be if they were part of an actual poem or song, which would make them easier.
Understand That Perfection Isn’t Possible
Just as Olympic athletes don’t worry about being perfect, you shouldn’t either. You can always do your best and be proud of it. The fact is that perfection is unattainable for all but the most expert musicians and mathematicians.
While other people might be faster than you or have more expertise in some area, their performance level doesn’t reflect your abilities or worth as a human being. As long as you continue to grow as an individual, so will everyone else around you—and they’ll likely benefit from your growth too!
The more we dwell on what we don’t know, the less able we are to focus on what matters most: doing our best right now at whatever task lies before us. This mindset keeps us from getting into a rut where we feel stuck because things seem “too hard” or “not worth my time.”
Conclusion
You can learn any subject and do well on an exam if you understand the material, care for yourself physically and mentally, and focus on the subject.
The first step is understanding the material. To do this, you should review your notes regularly before an exam or quiz to have a fresh mind about what has been taught in class.
If you are not doing well in school because of stress or other mental health issues such as depression or anxiety, then consider talking to someone about these feelings before they get out of control.
Likewise, if the material seems too difficult for your current level of understanding, it’s time to go back over it until it becomes easy enough for you. Stay patient and focused, and you’ll get through the difficult subjects.
