There is no simple advice. In short, the most important thing is to study all the set material. And that takes time. Still, there are certain support activities that can make the whole learning process an easier and more pleasant experience.
1. It's great to have a plan as long as it's realistic
If you've always managed a maximum of twenty pages and have now set yourself three times that amount, you're well on the way to ruining your plan on the very first day: you'll find yourself on a downward spiral of unmet targets, procrastination, depression and last-minute cramming.
When making your plan don't forget to keep a day free for revision – in case of a time lag you'll still have time to go over the most important things again. Also allow for breaks – you won't manage without them, so be realistic and save yourself from the self-reproach that can attach to taking a walk to clear your head or chatting with a friend. “What's more, if I give my brain a rest I learn more in less time," says student of German Eva Nakládalová.
2. Rewards motivate
It doesn't have to be a designer handbag or high-end snowboard boots. After a small oral test, why not allow yourself the dessert that calls to you from the window of a local café or a beer in bar? After getting through a demanding exam, you could treat yourself to a day off, including a massage and sauna or a walk in the woods. Apart from its function as a motivator, a reward serves to clear your head for the study to come.
3. Cut down on your job
Many students have jobs, as part of their mandatory practice or to earn a living. In semester-time it's easy to arrange to work in the hours between classes, but in the exam period students have a tendency to take on more work because their diaries look emptier without all the obligatory seminars.
Good exam-period management means turning this regimen on its head, however. Agree to work less or keep to your existing regimen but supplement it systematically with planned study, sport and recreation.
4. Pay attention to your diet
Most of us realize that six coffees a day or two energy drinks in an hour do no one any good, but we have them just the same. So give some prior thought to the unpleasant state an unhealthy lifestyle in the exam period puts you in, and how you curse yourself for it. Instead of sugary soft drinks, drink water or herbal tea; have coffee only exceptionally rather than attempting to break the world coffee-drinking record.
Eat the kind of food you're used to (cutting out heavy meals where possible). By forcing yourself to do something extraordinary, you'll unsettle yourself unnecessarily and deny yourself the pleasure of a free moment with a tasty snack, and if you give yourself indigestion you'll be unable to concentrate on your studies.
Incidentally, if you're studying at home, don't have your mother fuss over you. A short trip to the kitchen to make a cup of tea can be a perfect refresher for the brain, giving it the break it needs before the next study session.
5. Keep fit
Movement is also part of the study regimen. “I swim, I walk or I run – whatever I feel like doing," says Aneta Štefánková, a student of journalism. So make sure your schedule provides for short intervals for sport.
6. Block out interference
Set time boundaries for when you see friends and when you use social networks or e-mail: you don't have to be on call 24 hours a day. Use applications that block access to the Internet or distracting websites at certain hours of the day.
7. Create associations
It is good to associate drilled subject matter with different impulses, such as colours, your own sketches (even if you don't think you can draw), leaves, scents or the jokes of the classmate you are going through the material with.
Although different things help different people and there is a great deal of advice out there, you should adapt the tips that suit you to meet your needs. To manage the exam period successfully and survive it in good mental and physical health, you should then follow this personalized advice as closely as you can.