For many students, preparing for an exam involves last-minute efforts of intense cramming(死记硬背), but getting ready for an exam is not all about studying.

There are other important things a student can do to ensure his success on an exam, such as maintaining a positive state-of-mind and good physical health. Just as an athlete prepares for a game or a race with a regimen of mental and physical exercises, a student has to do everything he can to be ready for an exam. Here are a few things you absolutely have to do when preparing for an exam.

A few days before the exam, you want to complete all of the main reading assignments for your course and make notes for yourself. That means reading lecture notes, revising past assignments, and books that are relevant to the upcoming examination. By doing this, you will be able to understand the major concepts in the course that you have to understand to pass your exam. Moreover, revising course notes helps you to understand what has been taught, which places you in a better position to answer any question you might come across. Should you come across a concept that you do not understand, approach your instructor or fellow students, and ask them for assistance. Ask them to help you understand the concepts so that if they come up in the exam, you will not struggle to answer them.

Knowing the key concepts of this course, the next step is to develop a realistic study timetable. Coming up with a schedule you can stick to is one of the best exam preparation approaches you can use. With a realistic schedule, you know how much time you will spend reading up on a course or a concept. A timetable arranged around eight hours of continuous studying, for instance, is not realistic. Very few students are capable of concentrating for long durations, and even fewer are capable of internalizing information gathered during long study sessions, especially if they use digital technology in their studies.

While the majority of study advice guides focus on how to prepare mentally for an exam, getting the rest of your body into the mood is equally important. Physical and mental readiness will give you the extra energy you need to take a long test. One great way to prepare your body for an exam is by listening to music. You can listen to your favorite songs while showering or when commuting to the exam location. Scientific studies show that music improves recall and memory encoding by binding information with auditory input.

One of the tips before an exam students often ignore is wearing the appropriate clothes. While choosing what to wear on exam day, think about the weather. You’re most likely going to be seated for a couple of hours during the exam. During this time, you shouldn’t have to put up with uncomfortable temperatures occasioned by the clothes you wear. The right clothing safeguards against distractions, allowing you to concentrate fully on the job at hand.

【推荐3】How to Make Plans

Most people get seared when talking about planning or writing plans,     1    , And you need to plan for success as planning redly works and inspires you to go straight ahead. However, how to create effective plans is still a problem. Don’t worry, and just follow the steps below.

Step 1     2    

What plans have you had in the past? Probably, in some of your plans, you haven’t ended up where you thought you were going to end up, Get a good understanding of what you have done and what you haven’t done in the past. It is a primary foundation for your new plan. If having no plan, just take actions and make plans right now.

Step 2 Think about the What - Ifs

When you are building your plans, you should consider where you are going and make clear the What - Its, Because not everything just goes smoothly as you believe,     3    .

Step 3 Document the plans

When starting to make plans, you should try to write them down. It is of key importance for the future     4    . In addition, make sure you have the plans fully written out with all the key elements concerned, including details.

Step 4 Update the plans

According to your written plans and actual situation, you should check out the plans you have completed and haven’t completed,     5    , Make sure all the assumptions are there and work out the details. After hanging on for some days, planning will be getting simpler and easier.

【推荐1】Eating together as a family is a rare thing these days.     1    .Once I start my own family, I’ll definitely do anything possible to establish a tradition of eating together as a family. Here’s why.

    2    

When you eat together as a family each day, your children will learn to respect both parents. They know you two are busy, but still find time to share meals with them.

Learn good table manners

When you have small kids, eating together as a family is an easy way to show and teach them good table manners, of course, if yours are good.     3    ,how to be on time so that other family members don’t starve, and how to behave at the table. You want to be proud of your grown-up kids, don’t you?

Create wonderful memories

    4    .They will know how important it is to eat together as a family, and will definitely teach their kids to do the same. Your family tradition of sharing meals together as a family will pass down from generation to generation.

【推荐2】Baseball was always where my heart lay. However, my father did not care for baseball. Two sports he enjoyed were golfing and fishing, neither of which I considered a real sport. He didn’t talk much and he wasn’t good at expressing himself. Frankly, I wasn’t sure he cared about me. In a way, my father was like a familiar stranger I saw every day.

One day, watching the play on television made me want a glove of my own. To my surprise, my father said he wanted one, too. We bought two gloves, and that evening, he suggested we go out to the courtyard and throw the ball around. I’d already practiced catching and throwing at school, but I could tell this was the first time for my father, because every time he caught the ball, it landed directly in his palm. If you’ve ever caught a ball with a baseball glove, you know how much this hurts.

But my father caught ball after ball this way. Slap! Slap! He winced (龇牙咧嘴). After about five minutes, I told him I’d had enough. It wasn’t out of mercy, but for my own self-interest. Neighborhood kids were watching and would no doubt laugh at me later for having an old man who didn’t know how to properly catch a baseball. When my father took the glove off, his palm was red and swollen.

Dad, who passed away 11 years ago, never told me he loved me. But that sound of the baseball landing in his hand over and over again — it spoke its own tender language, though at the time, all I felt was shame.

【推荐3】Papa, as a son of a dirt-poor farmer, left school early and went to work in a factory, for education was for the rich then. So, the world became his school. With great interest, he read everything he could lay his hands on, listened to the town elders and learned about the world beyond his tiny hometown. “There’s so much to learn,” he’d say. “Though we’re born stupid, only the stupid remain that way.” He was determined that none of his children would be deprived of (剥夺) an education.

Thus, Papa insisted that we learn at least one new thing each day. And dinner time seemed perfect for sharing what we had learned. We would talk about the news of the day; no matter how insignificant, it was never taken lightly. Papa would listen carefully and was ready with some comment, always to the point.

Then came the moment—the time to share the day’s new learning. “Felice, tell me what you learned today,” he said.

“I have learned that the population of Nepal is...”

Silence. Papa was thinking about what was said, as if saving the world would depend upon it. “Get the map; let’s see where Nepal is.” And the whole family went on a search for Nepal.

This same experience was repeated until each family member had a turn. Dinner ended only after we had a clear understanding of at least half a dozen such facts.

As children, we thought very little about these educational wonders. Our family, however, was growing together, sharing experiences and participating in one another’s education. And by looking at us, listening to us, respecting our input, recognizing our value and giving us a sense of self respect, Papa was unquestionably our most influential teacher.

Later during my training as a future teacher I studied with some of the most famous educators. They were imparting (传授) what Papa had known all along—the value of lifelong learning. His technique has served me well all my life. Not a single day has been wasted, though I can never tell when knowing the population of Nepal might prove useful.

【推荐1】If you’re taking a high school chemistry class, you’re likely to spend some time in your school’s science laboratory. Although the lab work is fun, you have to observe the safety rules if you don’t want to hurt yourself or your lab partner.

The first rule is to become familiar with your lab assignment(任务) before you start working with it. This means reading everything the teacher has written down and asking questions if you don’t understand an instruction.

Do not try to work alone. If your partner is absent, let you teacher know so he can assign another student to work with you. And don’t do any other experiments other than what you have been assigned. Keep your hands away from your skin, face, eyes and mouth when you have been working with dangerous chemicals.

You will be working with fire in the lab with an alcohol lamp(酒精灯). Use gloves when handling hot lab equipment. If you have long hair, pull it back in a ponytail and roll up long sleeves. Don’t put paper, chemicals, lab equipment or any part of your body in the flame.

When you use a sharp instrument, treat it with care. Do not point it at yourself or any of your fellow classmates during the experiment.

【推荐2】Americans like to visit the national parks．In 1996, over 250,000,000 people visited areas which are managed by the National Park Service．Experts say that by 2012, 500,000,000 people per year will visit the parks．As a result, people are trying to think of ways to protect the parks from the crowds．     

The crowding of the parks has caused several problems．One is that there is not enough space for all of the people who want to use the parks．To deal with this problem, you may have to book your tickets a few months ahead of time．The Park Service may also raise entrance fees (费) ．

Another problem caused by increased park use is pollution．Some garbage and waste can be cleaned up, and the cleanup can be paid for by increased entrance fees．To cut down on noise pollution and air pollution, the number of cars allowed in parks may be limited．If this happens, people may use buses to travel around the parks．Officials may also limit the use of jet-skis, snow-mobiles, motor-boats, and sightseeing helicopters and planes．

The parks may also be in danger because of development that is going on around them．For example, around Yellow Stone Park, many hotels, golf courses, resorts, and other tourist attractions have been built．Some of these developments have effect on areas that are used by animals．People will have to learn to agree about ways to protect the parks．If they do not, there will soon be no reason to visit these national treasures．