EXAMS!!!!

So this time of year is a pretty crazy time for a lot of students around Australia as mid-year exams are coming up and that is super scary.

For myself, I have 22 school days before I start my exams. At my school, exams take place over a 2 week period during which we can go home if we don't have an exam. Before the exams I have a HEAP of stuff to get through. I have at least two assessments for each subject before the exams, with some having up to 4.

I also have to get through a lot of content for my aviation course (a post about that is coming very soon).

So exams are a very stressful time, so a lot of students look for ways to handle the stress and to study. I decided that I would post some of my ideas and some things that I do. Please just note that this is MY opinions, and is most definitely not an ultimate formula for how to do well in exams. I may change a lot of this myself during these exams as I learn, and I would love for some of your input on these topics.

1. Start planning early!! This is the most important thing, in my opinion. Plan when you are going to study, when you are going to take practice tests and when you are going to do any assignments before exams. Having this all sorted out before you start getting busy with school is great and becomes very helpful.
2. Get ahead. During the holiday break (Easter Break for us now), get a bit ahead of your class work. Read the next few chapters of your textbooks, read your English novels and plays and start getting your notes organised for study.
3. Reorganise all of your work. Don't let your messy files just sit in your bag! If an organisation idea hasn't worked, change it. Make sure that you go into every term, especially exam terms, as organised and ready as you can. This will make your life a whole lot easier when you are looking for notes when studying.
4. Get into a routine - preferably with a lot of sleep and time for study. Remember, exam period doesn't last forever. You can sacrifice a few weekends with your mates for the 3 weeks leading up to exams. It just means your marks are going to be better and you are going to be happier with your results after the exams.
5. Don't stress. If you start to stress, you will get nowhere. Just pick away at it, and don't waste time. Wasting time will just make you more stresses. So if you feel like you have a mountain of work to get done, don't just sit there and stare at it, start climbing. Before you know it, exams will be behind you and you will be able to relax.

These are some of the things I do when preparing for exams. Are there any other tips that you can give people? How do you prepare for exams, and what do you think is the hardest part?