While summer vacation is seen as a time to relax and unwind, the work never stops for others. It is never too early to adequately prepare for a big exam like the patent bar exam, and summer vacation presents an opportunity for you to take advantage of the time you have and commit to studying. Here are five essential tips to take to heart when you are preparing for your exam.
Make a Personal Schedule
To maximize your chances of success in your studies, the best thing you can do is to be organized. An effective way to go about doing this is to remain organized in all of your actions. Making a personal schedule can prove to be a great start. Many people find it valuable to use a personal planner and prioritize what you want to study on a specific day.
Doing this also entails that you know what your schedule and availability are. Consider your responsibilities, jobs, or other things that you have to do daily and devise a time that works best for you. Being unorganized in this case can result in you not having enough time to study.
Eat Well
Many people often overlook their diet when they are studying, but this is essential to give your brain the adequate fuel it needs. When you are in school, your diet can become erratic because of the studying you have to do. However, on summer vacation, you will have more time for yourself. This means you will have more time to organize your meals.
One crucial fact to understand about the human body is that carbs turn into sugar, and sugar in abundance can have devastating effects on the mind and body. To give your body the adequate fuel that it needs, you should focus on healthy brain food. One such source is protein. Protein helps your brain send messages throughout your body. In addition, it can improve your mood tremendously. Potent sources of protein include eggs, meat, fish, nuts, dried beans, and poultry.
You will also want to fill your diet with omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Antioxidants are found in vegetables and fruit, and these will help delay specific effects of your brain aging. As for omega-3 fatty acids, these will improve your mental health while making your brain work harder. Find these in flax seeds, eggs, chicken, and beef.
Lastly, you need to hydrate yourself with water adequately. You should understand that your brain is over 70% water, and is vital in keeping your mind in optimal shape.
Sleep Well
You may be tempted to stay up very late and cram information gradually, but the more you deprive your body of sleep, the more damage you are doing to yourself. While this should be an obvious tip, getting enough sleep tends to be a difficult task for many to accomplish. Do not sacrifice sleep for what you perceive to be extra studying time.
Your brain works extremely hard and controls a variety of autonomic functions in your body. However, when it comes to studying, it has to work even harder to ensure that you retain the information you just learned. Your brain deserves adequate rest and needs time to recover so you can maximize each study session.
Plan Regular Breaks
Finally, you need to plan regular breaks during your study sessions because you may forget important points. You need breaks to energize and re-charge. Do not cram information for hours at a time if possible, because you are liable to forget a great deal when doing so. By following these tips, hopefully, you’ll be able to effectively prepare for the patent bar exam (or any other big exam), over your summer vacation.