9 tips to prepare for competitive examinations with maximum efficiency

Several practical tips to prepare for competitive examinations in the best possible way.

Taking a competitive examination is, for many people, one of the main investments of time and effort that they will make throughout their lives. It is a journey that lasts months and years and that is precisely why those who opt for this try to dedicate themselves to study with all their strength, so that this sacrifice is not in vain.

However... to what extent can the student modify his or her habits in order to do the best possible exam on the day of the test? This question is often answered incorrectly, because it is assumed that one simply has to study or perform a series of exercises many times.

The mistake is that, in practice, that "just" does not exist: there are many things we can do to perform better, and many of them escape the traditional definition of what studying or practicing is supposed to be. If we understand that the process of preparing for competitive examinations is complex and that small changes in the way we study have a big effect over the weeks and months, we will have a great advantage.

In this article we will see a series of tips to prepare for the competitive examinations and to perform to the maximum taking advantage of the time, the resources and the capacities of the candidates.The following are some tips on how to prepare for the competitive examinations and make the most of the time, resources and skills you have as a student.

Tips to prepare for the oppositions

These are some keys that you can apply to your day to day to prepare for competitive examinations making the most of the time you have available.

1. Prepare mentally

When it comes to preparing for competitive examinations, not all our efforts should be focused on the content of the subject matter for which we are taking the exam; we should also invest attention and effort in managing our psychological state.We must also invest attention and effort in managing our psychological state.

It is useless to know that in theory studying consists of reading and memorizing, if we forget that in practice it is also necessary to regulate our anxiety, to know how to motivate ourselves, to organize ourselves, to know tricks to concentrate better... In short, to pay attention to everything we can change in ourselves to perform better both in the preparation and on the day of the test.

That is precisely why it is useful to have psychological assistance in the preparation of competitive examinations. It is one thing to study with the support and information of experts in what we are studying, and another to have the personalized attention of specialists in the field. to have the personalized attention of specialists in the study process and in the performance of the exams..

So the first piece of advice is to discard the old idea that to prepare for an exam you simply have to spend a lot of time working on the subject matter, and take a broader view of the challenge ahead. As we will see, many of the tips we will look at go in this direction.

2. Have predefined study places

Your study place is the place where you will spend a good part of the hours of the week, so it is worthwhile to check that it serves to it is worth checking that it is suitable for studying and that it does not expose you to distractions, noise or other discomfort.. Small details such as checking whether the chair is comfortable or not can make a difference in the medium and long term.

If the place where you will study does not belong to you, or if you need to have several places to alternate between, you should at least be very clear at all times what they are, to avoid improvisations that can rob you of time.

3. Start with a staggered time investment plan.

The best option is to start by studying a certain number of hours per week, and after two or three months, add more hours per week, and then add a few more after a month. For example, you can start with 5 hours a day, then increase it to 6, and then increase it to 8.

Why do it this way? Wouldn't it make more sense to use as much time as possible from the beginning? In practice, no; think of it as building your own study method by which you will avoid getting a very bad feeling at the beginning and becoming unmotivated or simply not being able to stand the fatigue. If you start little by little, it will be easier for you to "connect" with the study dynamics, start gaining inertia, and reach a point where you are prepared enough to take on heavy loads of responsibility.

4. Create even schedules

Try to dedicate as much time as possible to the same amount of time each day of study, without irregularities.without irregularities. In this way, you will avoid having "gaps" in your weekly plan, moments in which you do not have time to review (even if only mentally) the contents of the previous day and continue advancing at the same time. Doing this decreases the likelihood that you will forget many things from the previous day.

5. Dose your free time

If you focus on studying or practicing to the max and don't pay attention to how you should manage your free time, you will end up with no free time in which you can really do what you want to do, and wasting time in study sessions because of your fatigue and difficulty concentrating. Having a clear timetable and trying to follow it to the letter is fundamental, a necessary requirement not only for you to do well in the tests, but also so that you don't throw in the towel a few weeks after starting.

6. Sleep well and eat well

The simple fact of sleeping badly one day or eating unhealthy food for several days is very noticeable in the performance of those who are preparing for competitive examinations. There is no clear separation between physical health and mental health, so you will not be able to concentrate.So you will not be able to concentrate, memorize or remember well if you do not take care of the most basic aspects.

7. Review periodically

Reviewing is very important. Not only does it help us not to forget what we have seen in our notes and textbooks, but it also allows us to see new connections between ideas, allows us to see new connections between ideaslinks that we overlooked the first time but that on a second glance occur to us automatically, simply because we have been thinking about other things previously.

8. Create your plans to disconnect

Every week, you should be able to have at least one plan that allows you to completely disconnect and refresh yourself mentally. Nature walks are very useful for this, as they allow us to get away from everything that reminds us of our responsibilities and also allow us to relax in cozy environments. Moderate exercise also works wellIt offers us a very specific and relatively simple goal on which we can focus, forgetting about the rest for a moment.

9. Take a global view of the challenge

Beyond the specific tips we have seen so far for preparing for competitive examinations, it is advisable to adopt a global perspective on how the study is going, what aspects are failing the most and how we can correct or reinforce them as we go along.

Some teams of psychologists, including UPAD, offer services related to personalized accompaniment by expert psychologists in high performance processes.. Through these specialized services of psychological intervention we address all aspects of the preparation of oppositions that surround the subject to study itself, and give training guidelines to reach the day of the test in the best possible conditions, so that the months of effort pay off. If you are interested in receiving information about these services, contact us by clicking here.