Organising yourself for exam season can be a burden and without knowing where to start, having a list of advice to guide you is useful in ensuring effective studying. Here are my tips!

Focal brain activity

To avoid overworking and to work smarter, not harder, it is useful to figure out your best working conditions and create a routine around them. First, finding out when your brain is the most active/ awake is useful in order to form a study schedule. Deciding which atmosphere you best study in is key to getting work done in a concentrated manner.

Study spaces

Different people prefer different layouts. The library, personally, can be extremely overwhelming due to its enormity. Although the private cubicles and window seats on the 3^rd floor offer a more private comfort feel to the study space, there are other spaces you might like such as the second floor of the Centre Building. The SU building is often quiet late into the afternoon, as is the basement of the Old Building which holds the computer labs, distant from the bustle above. Cafés such as Café Kitsune can offer a more chill environment to study.

Wellbeing

It is important to regulate both our mental and physical health which are often neglected, whether it be through exercise, relaxing on our caffeine intake, or treating ourselves. One way is through on-campus yoga workshops or meetings with an LSE LIFE member.

Prioritisation

Before starting, I suggest setting out a day to just sit down and go through any gaps you have in your class notes. Not only will this save you from repetitive studying, but will also help you squeeze in further readings where you need them. Creating a plan based on this will also help alleviate any stress you might have going into exam season.

1. Practice runs

Whether this be creating a detailed plan of problem questions or timing yourself. The latter is good to ease your nerves to see if you can stay within the time limit. (This is particularly crucial for those sitting in-person exams).

1. Social events

We tend to erase our social life to prioritise our studies. However, this can feel extremely isolating and can often feel like a punishment. It is important to still socialise, whether that be at social events or going out with your friends on the weekend.

1. Workshops

LSE sends out emails before the end of the term, which contain information about workshops you can attend for essay writing, exam revision and managing your mental health. Departments also hold group revision seminars or Q&A sessions in preparation for the exam – I recommend attending these even if you aren’t a first-year undergraduate student.