Exams are coming up in a few weeks and although you may be tempted to panic, this article is geared at making sure that your next exam session is as stress-free as possible. We want to help you prioritize work, life, family, children, sleep, exercise, friends, school, and all the other things that are important to you.

Create a Study Timetable

Create a list of the exams you will be writing and work backward: list the dates of the exams, their level of difficulty, and how much time you need to spend preparing for each exam, this may be based on how much work you have or have not already put in up until this point. In doing so you will get an idea of how much work you need to cover and how you need to prioritize your time for each subject, the more prepared you are, the less nervous you will be on exam day. Allocate more time to the most difficult subjects and ones that you are not particularly good at, go as far as counting the chapters that you need to cover for each subject. You should already have notes written out for each chapter (your personal summary of the textbook). If not, now is a good time to start or add to them to help you when revising. Work out how much time you have available to dedicate to your studies each day of the week, but be realistic and remember to make time for your family, friends, exercise, a massage, manicure or pedicure, religious or cultural services, and sleep.

Do Not Overdo It

Your study session should not be longer than 2-3 hours each, these should then be further broken down into blocks of 45-50 minutes with 10-15 minute breaks. Move away from your books – preferably outside into some fresh air or listen to music to help maintain your concentration levels. Snack on nuts, vegetables, fruit, and drink loads of water to stay refreshed. Go over your notes, reading through them so that you understand and the various sections make sense to you, avoid cramming the info into your head like a parrot. Prepare mock questions of getting previous exams and assignment papers to go over and practice with. Reward yourself with something you like, once you complete a certain section of your work or at the end of a study session, your reward can be something as simple as time on social media.

Get Enough Sleep and Nutrition

This is not a time during which you can afford to compromise on sleep; make sure you get 7.5 to 9 hours each night. Of equal importance is your diet; you need to maintain well-balanced and nutritious eating habits. Study in an environment that is conducive to achieving max concentration levels and free from distractions. Timetables help you to stay focussed, manage time as per your convenience, and based on your goals. They’re aimed at improving results; that’s why it’s best to follow it strictly, but be realistic. Here is a great example that you can download and personalize, put it in a visible place, and add colour to it. Now go and slay those exams!