During the Exam Period: Study Planning and Exam Wellness

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During the Exam Period Study Planning and Exam
Wellness
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Where are you at now?Where do you want to be
at the beginning of the exam period?
BEFORE STARTING TO PLAN
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WHY DO I NEED TO PLAN?

• So I dont forget to do things (eat, sleep, study
  for a specific course, etc)
• So I dont miss out on important activities
  because I have to catch-up on studying (review
  sessions, recreational activities, etc)
• So that I dont waste valuable study time trying
  to decide what to study
• To maximize my efficiency during a stressful time
  of year

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MAKING A STUDY PLAN

• How/where do I study best?
• What do I need to do/study during the exam
  period?
• What kind of exams am I studying for?
• Which exams are worth the most?
• Which courses do I need to study most?
• How much work is required for me to achieve my
  desired mark in this course?

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HOW/WHERE TO STUDY?

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KNOW YOURSELF! Do what suits YOU best!
Keep in mind that the way you study best during
the term may not be the best or most effective
way for you to study during the exam period.
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USING YOUR SCHEDULE

• Stick to your schedule (put up Do not disturb
  signs, turn off your cell phone, turn off your
  computer, etc) 
• Do NOT study non-stop for one subject
• Divide your time into 3-4 blocks to study for
  each subject - especially if your exams are close
  together
• Be flexible (if you planned an excess of time for
  one subject, use it to study something else)

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• REMEMBER TO TAKE BREAKS!!!

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No new material two days before the exam
A FEW CONSIDERATIONS

• During the last few days
• Practice old exam questions to familiarize
  yourself with the formatting and suitable answers
• Night before the exam
• No major cram session
• No energizer drinks 
• Get enough sleep!  It'll do you more good to
  sleep than to cram
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• PLANNING TO STUDY ? STUDYING!
• Dont get caught in the trap! Exam Period
  studying schedules can be planned out in the end
  of the term to maximize real study time in the
  exam period!
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What do you need to do/study during exam period?
LETS MAKE A PLAN

• Eat
• decide what meals you need to eat and when
• maximize study time by using meals as breaks
• Study
• list all courses with final exams
• summarize course details including exam date,
  exam weight, exam type, examinable material,
  amount of work required to achieve your course
  goals, relative difficulty of course material
  anything else?
• Sleep
• decide how much sleep you want/need each night
• plan your bedtime to maximize effective studying
• if possible, maintain the same sleep schedule
  throughout the exam period
• Work
• mark down shift times

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LETS MAKE A PLAN

• Courses with final exams
• Bioc 302, Scan 310, Biol 364, Biol 363, Biol 335,
  FNH 355, Anth 140

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COURSE SUMMARIES

• Biology 335 (Molecular Genetics)
• Saturday April 19th 830-1130 am (3 hours)
• Problem solving exam, worth 70, cumulative
• Current mark poor, study priority high,
  effort required lots!
• Anthropology 140 (Biological Anthropology)
• Monday April 21st 330-530 pm (2 hours)
• Short answer/essay question exam, worth 30, Ch.
  10-15, 6, 17, 18
• Current mark good, study priority moderate,
  effort required moderate
• Biochemistry 302
• Tuesday April 22nd 1200-230 pm (2.5 hours)
• Multiple choice/short answer exam, worth 50,
  post-midterm material only
• Current mark good, study priority moderately
  high, effort required moderate
• Scandinavian 310 (Elementary Swedish II)
• Tuesday April 22nd 330-600 pm (2.5 hours)
• Fill in the blanks, short answer worth 30,
  cumulative
• Current mark very good, study priority low,
  effort required minimal

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THE PLAN

• Biol 335
• Review course notes (3 sections)
• Review textbook problems (1st section)
• Re-attempt Problem Sets 1-4 (compare with
  original answers)
• Find and attempt textbook problems similar to PS
  1-4
• Anth 140
• Review text and ppt notes, Ch. 10-12
• Make flow chart on early hominids
• Read over summary sections and text summary
  questions
• Bioc 302
• Review nucleic acid and DNA replication notes,
  lecture summaries and posted questions
• Review tutorial problems weeks 7-9
• Scan 310
• Review notes, focus on adjectives, past tense
• Look over adjective handouts, learn words
• Look over quizzes

Monday April 14th
Wake-up, shower, breakfast
800am
900am
Biol 335
1000am
1100am
Lunch
1200pm
100pm
Anth 140
200pm
300pm
Bioc 302
400pm
500pm
Dinner
600pm
Bioc 302
700pm
800pm
Biol 335
900pm
Scan 310
1000pm
Bedtime!
1100pm
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THE PLAN

• Biol 335
• Review assigned textbook problems (2nd section)
• Find and attempt text problems similar to
  assigned problems
• Closely review the notes from the 2nd section
• Review midterm exam, redo poorly done questions
• Anth 140
• Review text and ppt notes, Ch. 13-14
• Read over summary sections and text summary
  questions
• Bioc 302
• Review notes from remaining sections, lecture
  summaries, and posted question documents
• Review remaining tutorial problems
• Skim over textbook readings, focusing on
  confusing/important info
• Scan 310
• 1. Review text readings and quizzes together

Tuesday April 15th
Wake-up, shower, breakfast
800am
Biol 335
900am
1000am
1100am
Lunch
1200pm
Bioc 302
100pm
200pm
300pm
400pm
Dinner
500pm
600pm
Anth 140
700pm
Biol 335
800pm
900pm
Scan 310
1000pm
Bedtime!
1100pm
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THE PLAN

• Biol 335
• General review, look over all notes, all problem
  sets, all assigned textbook problems, all
  personally chosen attempted problems, and any
  additional notes made during studying
• 2. Review midterm exam
• 3. Re-attempt any confusing/difficult problems
  for practice
• Anth 140
• Review all text and ppt notes, focus on Ch.
  15-end
• Review hominid origins, fossil discoveries, and
  homo evolution
• Review notes from video for essay question
• Bioc 302
• Review all tutorial problems
• Review all Think about this questions
• Quickly review ppt notes for all sections

Friday April 18th
Wake-up, shower, breakfast
800am
Bioc 302/Anth 140
900am
1000am
1100am
Lunch
1200pm
Biol 335
100pm
200pm
300pm
400pm
Dinner
500pm
600pm
Anth 140
700pm
Biol 335
800pm
900pm
Bedtime!
1000pm
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YOUR PLAN
What are you thinking about now? How are you
going to structure your exam period studying?

• Take some time now to discuss your exam period
  study schedule with your coaches and your groups.

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STRESSFUL EXAM SCHEDULES 

• PLAN PLAN PLAN
• Try to do as much studying as possible as early
  as possible
• Do not complain/feel sorry for yourself, instead
  be proactive in preparing yourself as well as
  possible for each exam
• Dont fixate on a bad exam experience
• Reward yourself after your stressful exam time is
  over

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ITS TIME FOR A BREAK

• How many breaks do you normally take when
  studying?
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• How do you balance breaks with your study time?
•  
• What do you normally do in your study breaks? 

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PRODUCTIVE STUDY BREAKS?

• make a small, healthy snack
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• Ideas
• carrots/celery/cucumber with hummus
• cereal (such as Life or Cheerios) with cinnamon
• sliced apple with peanut butter
• chocolate chips (with or without walnuts/raisins)
• hot chocolate/chocolate milk
• fruit and yoghurt
• grapes
• whole-wheat toast (with peanut butter)
• whole-wheat pretzels/crackers
• dried fruit (great option if you tend to crave
  candy)

Do you know that the brain is the only organ in
your body that exclusively uses glucose for
energy?
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GETTING BACK TO STUDYING 

• set a timer at the beginning of your break. 
  FOLLOW IT!
• Tell yourself that you are just going to study
  for 10 minutes (after the first 10 minutes it is
  much easier to continue)
• Try to time your breaks appropriately with your
  studying so that it is easy for you to resume
  studying
• Plan to study the material that you enjoy more
  after your breaks

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EATING WELL DURING EXAMS 

• Brain Food
• Proteins
• neurotransmitters for mental performance (good
  for lunch)
• Carbs
• enhance absorption of tryptophan for relaxing the
  mind
• steady glucose levels to prevent dizziness (good
  for rest)
• Complex carbohydrates break down slowly and
  provide a steady flow of energy for longer
  lasting mental energy
• Fats
• brain60fat
• need Omega 36 fats (fish and nuts) for memory
  and learning ability
• Vitamins and Minerals
• brain growth and function
• 1.5-2L water a day to keep brain hydrated

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SLEEPING WELL DURING EXAMS 

• Sleep Deprivation
• "To deprive someone of sleep is to tamper with
  their equilibrium and their sanity" --- John
  Schlapobersky, consultant psychotherapist to the
  Medical Foundation for Victims of Torture
• Signs Symptoms
• frequent yawning
• difficulty waking up
• slowed reaction
• attention deficit
• moodiness
• lack of motivation
• day naps
• hyperactivity
• lower immunity

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GETTING GOOD SLEEP

• Avoid alertness aids like sugar and caffeine that
  disrupt sleep patterns
• Substitute with natural foods (walnuts and
  cherries have melatonin to regulate the bodys
  circadian rhythm)
• Tryptophan and high carb foods 2-4hrs before
  sleep aid sleep hormone release for restful
  sleep
• Exercise during the day helps you fall asleep and
  have deep sleep by regulating the daily body
  temperature rhythm

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SLEEPING TIPS

• Sleeping Tips
• Dont use your bed as a study space
• Stop working some time before you sleep and put
  your work out of sight from your bed
• Develop a routine prior to going to bed
• Once in bed, get as comfortable as possible make
  the environment conducive
• Maintain a regular bed and wake time schedule
  including weekends