Next Wednesday I get my written questions for my retake of my prelim/qualifying exam. I retake the oral portion on September 24.
With school restarting for many, and my exam looming, what are your best tips and tricks for test taking and studying, my awesome readers? Thanks in advance!
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I don’t do well on oral examinations but I had 6 hour written exams and it really helped after preparing like mad to 1) have a massage the day before and 2) get enough sleep the night before. You’ve studied and know this material, you just have to make sure you are at your physical best so you can tell them what you already know. It’ll also really help with stress levels which can interfere with your performance. In fact, the whole week before, make sure you eat healthy meals, get some exercise in & get adequate amounts of sleep (6-8 hours) taken at a reasonable time during the evening. The more routine to your schedule the better.
I’m not in your field so I can’t help with the content of the exams but I just recommend not focusing so much on your mind that you neglect your body. Graduate school is like a marathon and you have to be physically fit to really give your optimum performance. Too much coffee, erratic meals and not enough sleep will really hurt you in the end, IMHO.
Bottom line? Take care of yourself. You couldn’t have gotten this far in the process if you weren’t capable of passing (or excelling) at this exam, you just have to be in the best frame of mind when you take it. Feeling better will really boost your confidence, I’ve found.