If you only do 5 things to get organised for assessments…
…then do these and you’ll feel more in control.
Written by Alliyah Aziz and Doan Thuy Linh Nguyen; final year interns in Programmes and Assessment
Assessment preparation does not have to be stressful and overwhelming. In this article, we will share practical tips to help you work smarter, reduce stress and make the most of your study time.
Find out about assessments at the University of Leeds
Put your exam dates in your calendar
It can become overwhelming quite quickly when multiple assessment/exam dates are thrown at you!
The first step of getting ahead of any assignment/exam is to be clear on when they are due and how much time you have to prepare for them.
The easiest way to do this is to write all your dates on a calendar. This can help as an important visual tool to see how many days you have left till the submission/exam date and plan accordingly.
If you’re working or have caring responsibilities, this will give you time to change your arrangements if you need to.
Schedule time for your reading tasks
Make sure to plan time for any recommended readings well in advance. You can create a reading list and organise the material based on categories to help prioritise the tasks. For example, you can group the readings based on topic, their length or difficulty.
Break down your readings into manageable sections to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Setting a clear goal on how many readings you do per day (e.g. two readings per day) and sticking to it will help keep you on track and ensure you are prepared for any assessment. Could you use your calendar?
Take regular breaks
The assessment period can be stressful, and it can be easy to ignore your mental and physical wellbeing when you just want to get all your work completed as soon as possible. But you would be surprised by how much more productive you can be when you look after yourself.
Take a walk in the park, watch that Netflix series everyone’s talking about, or simply take a nap. Whatever you do, make sure you are as far away from those books and screen as possible!
Lots of studies have shown actually planning your breaks mean they are much more likely to happen.
Plan ahead to maximise your support and resources
When you start on your assessment, make sure to jot down any questions for your lecturer or seminar lead and ask them well in advance. During busy periods, it can take time for academics to get back to you. Check university calendars and staff leave schedules, so you have time to ask your questions and avoid any last-minute confusion.
If you need a study space, early reservations guarantee a quiet place to focus and help you stay productive during critical study periods. You can either book a space in the library or find your new favourite study space on campus.
Extra support during exam/assessment season is available through the library’s one-to-one advising sessions. (Please make sure to check availability of appointments well in advance).
Skills@Library also provides extensive academic resources for all study levels.
Use an app to help you focus
Do you suffer from procrastination? There’s an app that can fix that!
The Pomodoro technique works by focussing on a task for 20 minutes and then having a 5-minute break this will be repeated 3 times. The 4th time will have a break for 25–30 minutes. This works with the idea that regular breaks help increase productivity. Many Pomodoro apps are available for both Android and iOS.
Another productivity app is Forest (get here, for iOS and Android). This app allows you to plant a tree in your virtual garden after a study period.
We also suggest Hold (get here, for iOS only). The more time you spend revising and not using your phone, the more points you can get and trade for amazing rewards, such as ASOS, Amazon and Cinema tickets!
Find more great productivity tips by clicking on this infographic from CloudHQ.net.
