Tips for Girls

Assessments and Exams

Ah, assessments, assignments, projects, exams, tests, quizzes, whatever you wanna call them.

The things that make teachers smile and students stress.

I'm going to be giving you some tips on how to tackle them, because I feel like the teachers just kinda hand them to you and expect you to figure them out.

1. Start

I know that watching Stranger Things edits or relatable booktok or zodiac tiktoks or YouTube Shorts are fun, but come on.

Do it.

Start that assessment and stop procrastinating.

And to all of those smug girlies who are going "I don't watch tiktok haha".

Bro, you're just as bad. Stop binge-watching new Netflix shows, or reading all the books and fanfics on your TBR list.

I know, that it is so, so, SO  fun to procrastinate. It's so easy too.

But even if you just create the Word doc, include all the headings and subheadings or make a scaffold.

Even if you just make a powerpoint with ten blank slides and save it as the name of your assessment, you're getting somewhere.

You're beginning to smash it.

2. Make room for it when it's convenient.

It is just so simple to dismiss an assessment when we don't have to time to do it because we're eating dinner, or video-calling a friend or *insert excuses*.

This is why it's important to plan out when you'll work on it.

We all have busy days, so it's understandable if some days you have less than half an hour free to work on it.

Just remember in that time to work on it, and not accidentally stumble across an angsty and addicting Wattpad fanfic.

Because the time drains away so easily.

3. Keep distractions away.

When I'm working on assessments, unless I need it, I keep my phone far, far away from me.

Phones are cool, helpful and interesting, don't get me wrong, (I'm not my Gen-X-Technology-is-stupid-and-always-a-distraction father, haha) but they are a distraction when it comes to assessments if you're not using them.

You can have the largest self-control in the world, believe me.

But then Kate sends you a reel, and ooh you'll quickly reply to it, you have done quite a bit of your assessment, and oh my gosh its been an hour and a half and you've been scrolling through Instagram.

Just put it away.

I'm not saying lock it up or do anything drastic, just have it in a distant room or just a different one to where you're working in.

4. Split it into chunks.

A lot of the time, to make it easier, assessments are split into chunks which makes it very helpful.

If you're one of the lucky ones with kind teachers who do do that, then absolutely just continue with what they said and outline the fact that it's in sections.

If you don't, just split it.

Make sure it's logical splitting, that it looks good and neat, and try to keep it under six parts. I say that because splitting is helpful, but even if there's smaller workload and more parts, three parts still sounds way more appealing to me than eight. Your brain doesn't really regard the size of them, just the amount. 

That way, you'll have motivation, because there's only two parts left, not seven.

5. Seek help

If stuff doesn't make sense, or you don't understand how you can study something or do something in your assessment, get assistance.

Yes, it means swallowing your pride and mortally injuring any superiority and god complexes that you might have, but it is worth it.

It takes bravery and strength to seek out help and admit defeat, and I promise you, it is worth it in the end, even if it is embarrassing and shameful at the start.

6. Take an intelligence test.

This sounds weird and like I'm obsessed with quizzes (which I am, but that's besides the point.)

But taking an intelligence test determines the way that you best learn and understand things.

For example, I have linguistic intelligence, which means I work best with writing and words.

The way I study is through trying to remember every last thing about a topic or subject I prompt myself on and writing it down either in dot points or a detailed paragraph. That and answering questions I guess they will have in the test works for me.

I have a friend, who is visually and artistically inclined. This means she prefers drawing diagrams, having pictures and flash cards which help her remember things.

Whatever intelligence type you are, you now know ways to study that you enjoy and that work for you.

Apart from that, if that doesn't work, I would recommend doing some research on study tips, trying to follow them and seeing if anything improves.

Just so you know, study skills definitely don't come naturally, and are acquired after a lot of practice.

Also, different people do different things well.

I, for example can sit down and study easily for three hours, given I have the materials and resources I need for it.

My bestie, a much more bubbly and active person, cannot, and has to take a lot of short break periods to keep her motivated.

And that is okay.

You should do what is easy and feels right to you, ultimately, not what some study guide says you can do.

Just, if you can start doing this now, you will refine the study skills you need for later life and exams in school.

Hi guys,

So, as promised, here's my tips one more.

I hope you guys enjoyed them, use them, or can agree to them. Or at least find them helpful.

Thank you guys,

QOTD: What is your MBTI, if you know?