Writing a good summary is a high art. If you compress the material from a whole semester to a few pages, important information is often lost. And that can end badly in the exam.
Therefore, do not confine yourself to your summary during your
exam preparation. Look at the complete learning materials several times and use your summary more as a help and orientation.
Mistake # 4: You work too detailed
But it's the other way round too: If you focus on every detail while learning and get involved with every little detail, that does not really help you much for your exam.
Do not work too superficially, but not too detailed!
It is not necessary that you read each original source or derive all the formulas. You have to concentrate on the essential points and set wise priorities.
Speaking of priorities: Here comes error number 5:
Mistake # 5: You set the wrong priorities
On average, students in Germany write 4-7 exams per semester. There are also internships, chores and other university stuff.
In order for you to do it all, you have to set priorities and set the right priorities!
So you need to find out which content is important in your modules and which areas you tend to neglect.
Check out the best old exams and talk to your classmates or directly with your teachers. (Maybe you can dust off one or the other tip and find out which contents are relevant for the clause and which are not.) Over time, you also get a sense of what the lecture is all about, what is important to your examiners.
By the way: The focus has nothing to do with laziness, but is a sign of intelligence and organizational talent.
Conclusion
Your exam phase is stressful and will demand a lot from you.
But if you want to complete all the exams and be the best you can, you must prepare yourself wisely.
That's why I've shown you 5 mistakes in this article, which you absolutely must avoid when learning:
- You only learn by heart
- You do not have the big picture in view
- You only learn your summary
- You work too detailed
- You set the wrong priorities
If you know these pitfalls and brainstorm your next exam preparation, you'll never slow yourself down and get the most out of your exams.
Good luck with your exams!