Thursday 31 January 2013

Dealing with Exam Stress


Its pouring outside and pretty gloomy, you are bang in the middle of tests, exams and presentations, and life is completely stressed out. Coping with exam stress, is not easy, but if you can manage to cope up, then its really helpful to managing your life now and in the future. This week, we will be talking about how to deal with stress related to studies and how to excel when the going gets a little tough.
"When the going gets tough, the tough get going."
Today we'll answer a few questions regarding exam stress and exam anxiety.
Q)  Is it possible to avoid being stressed before an exam?
Ans) The simple answer to this is, that it is not possible to be completely de-stressed about exams. The reason for this is, that exams are a test of what you have done throughout the course, and obviously there will be stress because there is a lot at stake. However, the stress can reduced to a bare minimum, with hard work, organization and planning.
 Q)  How do I minimize being stressed?
Ans)  Minimizing exam stress is definitely possible and should be practiced to ensure your exams go smoothly. There are various things you can do to minimize exam stress. Here's  a list of what you can do:
1)  Organization:
Being organized is the key to success.
If you find out exactly what you're facing, you can work out a plan for dealing with it, and this will go a long way towards putting your mind at ease. Get hold of the right information from the start. Make sure you know how you will be examined, and what you'll be examined on. If you can, get a copy of the syllabus. Catch up with anything you've missed, so that you've got all your notes up to date.
Find out about the resources available to help you. School and university teachers are an expert resource.
2)  Plan a timetable:
Having a time-table is really useful, as it gives you a picture of where you stand currently and how you need to prepare for the exams. It tells you how many hours, you need to put in and how many revisions will be possible. Planning your time-table depends on your personal understanding capabilities. You may be able to learn history much faster than mathematics, therefore you will need more time for maths. The time-table thus helps you in realizing your strengths and weaknesses and you can constantly tweak your time-table depending on how the preparations are going. Everyone needs time off, and it's a bad idea to abandon your social life and sporting activities, but for a period near the examinations, you may need to cut down.
3)  Breathing Techniques:
You don't generally associate breathing techniques with exams, but they are a great way to de-stress body and mind. Stress can make you start breathing with quick, shallow breaths and make your heart beat faster than usual. If this happens, sit down somewhere comfortable, if possible. Place one hand on your stomach and check how quickly you are breathing. If it’s one breath every couple of seconds, take a deep breath and start counting steadily. Breathe out slowly and try to get the last of the breath out on about five seconds. Carry on doing this until you are doing it naturally.
Relaxation routine
Close your eyes and breathe slowly and deeply
Locate any areas of tension and try to relax those muscles; imagine the tension disappearing
Relax each part of the body, from your feet to the top of your head
As you focus on each part of your body, think of warmth, heaviness and relaxation
After 20 minutes, take some deep breaths and stretch
4)  Physical Activity:
Regular exercise is an excellent way of coping with stress. As little as 10 or 20 minutes a day spent walking, cycling, or at the gym can make a big difference. (See The Mind guide to physical activity for more information about the benefits.)
5)  Sleep:
Sleep is essential for your mind to stay fresh. Without sleep, the mind does not work smoothly and lack of sleep has a large number of side-effects. If you're tired, worries can get blown out of proportion. If you've been finding it difficult to get to sleep, try cutting down on stimulants (tea, coffee and alcohol, for instance) and make sure you have time to unwind before bed. A warm bath, with perhaps some added aromatherapy oils, can help. Some people feel very stressed about not getting enough sleep. It's worth remembering that people can still function very well without any sleep for short periods of time. (See Mind's booklet How to cope with sleep problems.)
These tips are just to help you get started. Read our blog this week for amazing tips, information, websites and videos on how to deal with exam stress and please feel free to ask us questions on facebook and follow us on twitter at  @MySkoolShop.

Tuesday 29 January 2013

Study Schedule and Time Table for Exams

Creating a study table and strictly following it could be the competitive edge and reason for improvement in your exam scores. So today, we'll be focusing on creating a time-table to study, for your exams. Decide a time, when you want to seriously start studying according to your preference. It maybe a month or two before the exams, or even three months before the exams, but remember that the more time you give yourself, the lesser effort you will have to put everyday as the workload gets spread over more days. Here the next few steps you need to follow:

Step 1: 

Create a written schedule you can refer to over the course of the time you have selected to study according to your preference. Whether you use a computer program, handheld device or just a piece of paper, make sure you have something with you at all times that will keep you on track and remind you about your schedule. Prioritize classes based on the amount of time you need to prepare for each. If you feel more comfortable in one subject than in others, you probably do not need to study as much for that subject. Make sure you give yourself a bit of time for the easy classes too. Have hours chalked out to prepare for each exam.

Step 2:

Create time for group and individual studying. Pick effective study groups to maximize your time. A bad group will waste your time, so leave it off your schedule. Balancing individual and group studying lets you focus on your weaknesses for each subject. Stay on track by including key concepts you need to review on your study schedule. Planning ahead what you will study helps focus each hour of time on material you need to cover.

Step 3:

Plan study breaks, including eating, sleeping and exercising. Many students study through meals, but you will feel better mentally and physically if you give yourself breaks. Adjust your schedule during the time of studying to refocus your attention on material you need to work on more. Do not add in more time for socializing, shopping or goofing off, which will not help you prepare for your exams. 

You need to stick to your schedule to do well in your exams, and keeping a schedule always helps keep discipline and a set routine for such crucial times. Remember to make a timetable for your exams, and we hope you do well. Here is an example of a time-table:




Also, you can check out our Facebook page for videos, pictures and really cool articles at www.facebook.com/SkoolShop  and follow us on twitter at @Myskoolshop
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Come back again tomorrow!

Monday 28 January 2013

Exams Are HERE!!


The point in time has arrived, where all your efforts will be tested, and hopefully you will come out a winner. To assist you for these stressful exams, we are updating a series of articles and videos across our platforms on Facebook, blogs as well as twitter about everything related to exams,ranging from topics like de-stressing to last minute revision(although we do not recommend it) and we hope for you to succeed in your examinations.
Today we'll give you a few tips in general, and tomorrow on-wards, we'll begin with detailed plans, timetables and a lot more. 

Tip 1: Be Fearless!!
If you have studied hard, and given it your honest best shot, there is no need to be scared of the dreaded exams. At the end of the day, these exams are just a test of your ability and if you are confident and don't double guess yourself, you will do well. 
Tip 2: DON'T STUDY WITH THE TV ON!
No need to explain this point. Study atmosphere has a very important role. Can anyone study well while watching TV? NO! So select a place where you feel comfortable and will not be distracted. Also  you have to make sure that while you are studying a subject you are concentrating on it only, so keep the books of other subjects away from your eyesight so that you won't be upset about the things you have to learn. It is better to study early morning when everything is quiet and you can concentrate more. Concentration and focus is key.
Tip 3: DON'T BE HUNGRY!
To study well and and remain focused, you need to eat and sleep well. Your body needs its appropriate rest time and you will not be able to put in long hours without rest and food. So, EAT WELL AND SLEEP WELL!
Tip 4: WRITE, WRITE AND WRITE!
Always practice what you are learning, in writing. It gives you an estimate of how much time you will need for that particular answer, and help remember it better. Writing is always the best form of practice and is much needed for exams like Maths, Accounts and anything practical. 
BEST OF LUCK
Also, you can check out our Facebook page for videos, pictures and really cool articles at www.facebook.com/SkoolShop  and follow us on twitter at @Myskoolshop
Brought to you by : www.skoolshop.com/
Come back again tomorrow!

Monday 14 January 2013

Play your way to an A+



Playing a sport is not only beneficial towards your health, but it can also give you the boost you need academically. Research has shown the relationship between physical activity sports and academic grades, and students who are healthier tend to do better on standardized tests.  In a 2009 study by the Kansas State High School Activities Association, students who participated in sports performed better in standardized tests, had a higher graduation rate and higher overall GPA  This could be due to the academic requirements that are needed to be a part of the team, and also that the mind is much healthier and active, when you are physically that ways as well. Here are some academic as well as non academic benefits of playing a sport:

1) Increases your concentration powers and focusing abilities. As you are playing, all you think about is the proceeding game, this can very much help you when you sit to study and can prevent you from distractions.

2) Sports are generally team-based efforts, so you learn about how to co-ordinate with others as well as leadership and management skills.

3) Studies have also shown that students, who are into sports, tend to work much harder in the classroom, as they have a very active mind and body.

4) Sports also has other benefits like, it reduces the chances of obesity, improves flexibility and coordination and helps keep your body fit and strong. 

5) Another really important benefit of playing sports in school is your social life. Students who take part in sports have a lot more friends, as sports are generally team games. So, if you are new to school and don’t have any friends, just start going for practice and you’ll end up making a lot of friends.

Also, you can check out our Facebook page for videos, pictures and really cool articles at www.facebook.com/SkoolShop and follow us on twitter at @Myskoolshop







Friday 11 January 2013

New Year's Resolution: Improve your Artistic Skills

Art is one of the most diverse and interesting fields to pursue, and there is a lot of scope and potential in this creative career path. Having good artistic skills, is not only useful in terms of understanding everyday things and learning visually, but it also opens a large number of doors for the future. For these reasons, we at SkoolShop believe that improving your artistic skills should be one of your resolutions for the New Year. 

Here are a list of advantages for taking up art or trying to improve yourself in this field:

1) Enhances your Imagination: Art helps you think out of the box and in a highly creative and imaginative manner. One does not simply copy art or know it, art is something which has to do with the imagination and is therefore enables kids to create something which does not exist.

2) Enables Focus and Concentration: Art enhances your focusing abilities and is also vital for hand-eye coordination and strategic thinking. 


3) Learning Visually: Almost 1 in 2 children are visual learners, therefore if they have the ability to sketch and produce, they can even convert boring text material into fascinating images. This could really help in the future for higher studies which are complex in nature. 

4) Strengthen Your Mind: Studies have shown that kids who take up art, are more likely to do better in Math and Science in the future. So, even if you want to become an engineer or a doctor, it would be much more beneficial to have taken up art as a hobby. 

These are just some of the advantages of taking up art or improving your artistic skills, and we hope you decide to take it up as one of your New Year's Resolutions. 

Also, you can check out our Facebook page for videos, pictures and really cool articles at  www.facebook.com/SkoolShop and follow us on twitter at @Myskoolshop

 


Thursday 10 January 2013

New Years Resolution: Improve Your Grammar


In a world where information and communication with others is key, your grammar skills are highly relevant and proportional to the amount of success you will achieve later on. Having good grammar skills, is not only helpful in your everyday life when it comes to speaking, writing and reading, but also helps you when you go out looking for a job or running your own business in the real world. This is why, we at SkoolShop believe that improving your grammar, and avoiding common grammatical errors  should be one of your New Years Resolutions for this year. Here are a few ways with which you can improve your grammar: 





1) Understand The Basics: 

It is highly important to know the different building blocks of grammar like nouns, pronouns, articles, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections. There is a lot of rich information on these topics in books as well as on the internet. Click here for a website where you can really learn and understand the fundamentals of grammar. 

2) Pay Attention:

When listening to someone talk, or watching a movie, you should pay attention to the way the sentences are formed and structured. You can also listen to the correct pronunciations and implement them in your daily life. 

3) Practice, practice and more PRACTICE!!

Practice makes perfect, and this definitely applies to improving your grammatical skills. The more you practice, the better you will get. You will find tons of websites with free grammar tests and analysis and should take advantage of the internet when it comes to practicing. 

4) Find Someone to Look Up to: 

Find a mentor or teacher who can help you out with grammatical tips and tricks if not on a daily, then at least on a weekly basis. You need someone who you can communicate with, and who can help you correct your mistakes and improve upon them. 



These are just a few ways to help you get started with this vast topic, and you can get started with a couple of websites we have found, that can really help you. Click here for a website which is solely dedicated towards improving grammar and is also free, and here for an interesting article, that can help you with a few websites. 

Since these skills are required in all professions, we highly recommend that you take up improving your Grammar as one of your New Years Resolutions. 

Also, you can check out our Facebook page for videos, pictures and really cool articles at  www.facebook.com/SkoolShop and follow us on twitter at @Myskoolshop

Wednesday 9 January 2013

New Years Resolution: Improving Vocabulary

In these modern times, communication is highly important, and your communication and language skills are one of the most important factors in helping you with jobs and career paths for your future. Having a good vocabulary along with well-versed communication skills, is really helpful when it comes to understanding the things around you and networking with people from diverse cultures and different backgrounds. This is why, we at SkoolShop believe improving your vocabulary should be one of your New Years Resolutions. Here are are a few ways with which you can improve your vocabulary:



1) One of the best ways to improve your knowledge of words and their meanings, is to read. Reading helps you tremendously with the knowledge aspect of communication, as you get to learn new words, their meanings and also how they are placed and in what context. Reading books, magazines, newspapers etc. gives you a lot of knowledge about the language along with much required general knowledge facts as well, and that is why it is recommended as one of the most vital hobbies that children should develop so that they can carry this habit forward into the future. 

2) Apart from reading, watching visual movies, television shows, news shows, etc. is the next step towards improving your vocabulary. Not only do these visual aids provide you with new words and phrases, but they also teach you how to pronounce those words, without making any grammatical errors. 

3) Another way of improving your vocabulary, is to constantly keep alert and listen to people around you. Listen to your professors, friends, public speakers, etc. and learn from them. Everyone has something to say, and you can really learn things if you just listen. 

These are just a few ways, with which you can improve your vocabulary and communication skills, and here are a couple of websites to help you do the same:


1) For one of the most intelligent and fun ways to improve your vocabulary, simply Click Here.

2) To improve your vocabulary fast, Click Here.










Since these skills are required in all professions, we highly recommend that you take up improving your Vocabulary as one of your New Years Resolutions. 

Also, you can check out our Facebook page for videos, pictures and really cool articles at  www.facebook.com/SkoolShop and follow us on twitter at @Myskoolshop


Tuesday 8 January 2013

New Years Resolution: Logical Thinking

Logical thinking is one of the most helpful and important skills you can develop as a student, which can  help you for the rest of your life. Logical thinking, helps you analyze situations and treat stressful times in a calm, collected, calculated and organized manner. It helps you assess questions, and come up with relevant and strategic answers, rather than emotional ones. This is why we at Skoolshop believe that improving your logical thinking, should be one of your New Years Resolutions. 


Here are a few ways and exercises with which you can enable a more logical thinking approach for yourself:  



1) Make your mind up about logical thinking and reasoning. You should make a conscious decision about the fact that you will think logically from now on-wards. Once this thought is set in your mind, you can keep applying it in your daily life. 

2) You should be patient while analyzing and assessing different situations everyday. This will really help you by preventing rash and emotional decisions. 

3) Thinking in an innovative and creative manner can really help you with logical thinking. When you think creatively and differently from others, and come up with solutions, it improves the may your mind works, as, to come up with these solutions, you need to be thinking with good reason and logic. 

4) Learning from your mistakes, is one of the keys to logical thinking. Everyone makes mistakes, but once you realize the mistake, you should not make it again. To avoid repetition of mistakes, one must think about it logically and reasonably and realize where the mistake was made and how to avoid it in the future. 

5) Test yourself everyday with different games like Sudoku, crosswords and other mind challenging and logical games. Also, you could participate or at least view debates and arguments to help improve the way you would think in those situations.  

These are just a few ways with which you can stimulate your mind to think better, faster and more logically. Furthermore, these are a couple of websites you can check out everyday for improving your thinking: 

1) Play Sudoku online - Click here to find tons of Sudoku puzzles you can play for free.

2) Play Math and Logic Games - Click here to play some amazing games with numbers and logic. 

We hope you decide to take up logical thinking and analysis as a New Year's Resolution, as it will be something you can apply for the rest of your life. 

Also, you can check out our Facebook page for videos, pictures and really cool articles at  www.facebook.com/SkoolShop and follow us on twitter at @Myskoolshop


Monday 7 January 2013

New Years Resolution: Improve your Scientific Knowledge

Studying science is like studying the building blocks of life. Everything that you interact with on a daily basis, whether its watching Television, surfing the internet, playing a game or even heating your food and taking a shower, is all a result of science and advancements. To gain a better understanding as to how the world works and why, we recommend that, one of your New Years Resolutions must be to improve your scientific knowledge. 



Why should you be updated with Science and its applications?

Science is broadly divided into Physics, Chemistry and Biology, with each of these sciences teaching you a range of different things and why things happen the way they do. Here are a few facts that you learn about by keeping updated with these sciences:

Biology: Is the study of everything alive. It not only teaches you about plants and animals, but it also tells you about the human body and how it functions. Biologists look to cure diseases and make life simple for all of us, the least we can do is remain updated with their hard work, so we know what to look forward to in the future. 





Chemistry: Chemistry is like the central science, and it is involved in physics as well as biology. Chemical reactions, chemical bonding and various other chemistry related processes are highly important for various different things that take place in the world. Keeping updated with this science, can really help you understand things you did not before, and why certain things happen, the way they do. 



Physics: Physics is a science which can explain millions of things to you. It is the answer to a lot of amazing things about our universe and the way it works. It teaches you about different occurrences and phenomena in the universe, and physics is a subject that can satisfy the curious mind. 







How can you keep updated with science?

Here are a couple of websites with articles and stories that are updated on daily basis, that you can keep going through from time to time, and learn something new about science: 

1) http://www.sciencemag.org/

2) http://www.sciencedaily.com/

We wish you well with your New Years Resolutions, and hope you choose improving your scientific knowledge as one of them. 


Also, you can check out our Facebook page for videos, pictures and really cool articles at  www.facebook.com/SkoolShop and follow us on twitter at @Myskoolshop

Saturday 5 January 2013

New Years Resolution: Study Harder

Its finally 2013, and the New Year has begun, and so has all the unreal New Year's Resolutions. These resolutions are seldom kept by people, but the people who do keep them have a very strong willpower and will do well in life. 



The best resolution which is actually possible to keep, is definitely the simple resolution of working and studying harder. Assess the previous year, and think about all the things you could have done better and try to plan out a few steps to help you improve yourself. As a student, the best resolution is definitely to study harder, not just for your parents and teachers, but for yourself. Here are a few reasons why you should keep the resolution promise you make to yourself:

1) New years are like fresh sheets with nothing written on them: we have the chance to imagine what we want and make plans toward achieving what we dream of. 

2) New Years Resolutions help you at least recognize the areas in your life which need improvement, so you can start working on it. For example: If you are getting lower grades in Mathematics, maybe this year you can give more time towards that subject. 

3) If you are able to successfully keep your resolutions, its an amazing feeling. You gain a lot of willpower, and have a sense of accomplishment which can help you tremendously for future aspirations. 



These are just a few of the reasons to keep resolutions, but, setting resolutions is much easier than actually following them. Here are a few tips on how to keep your resolutions: 

1) Keep your self constantly motivated, everyday of the week. 

2)  Break your big goal down into smaller ones. If you plan to achieve something by the end of the year, think of these mini-goals that will help you keep tabs on your success. Outline monthly goals or even weekly targets, so you know exactly where you are.

3)  Track your progress.

4) Carve out time in your schedule. Organize your day in a well maintained and detailed manner with a daily schedule that will help you figure out how to make time for yourself. 

Finally, when the end of the year approaches, be sure to assess what you achieved and enjoy your success before making new plans.


Also, you can check out our Facebook page for videos, pictures and really cool articles at  www.facebook.com/SkoolShop and follow us on twitter at @Myskoolshop