There is a line from my favourite novel, “Just understand that every great wizard has stood exactly where you are.”, the people who have achieved something great all had to begin somewhere and from the basics.
The sheer volume of the syllabus and count down of days makes you panic but the idea is to keep going and devote even if just one hour but everyday to reading or solving the questions.
This is what I learned at Psychopedia, the idea is to pick up two good books and and a question bank. This way you can read and then practice and whenever you get stuck, you can go back to the books.
The important thing is to make yourself sit down for few minutes everyday and utilize every minute that you are free. Do questions while you are travelling, while you are waiting.
The best way to remember is to visualize the concepts, the timelines and the process. Making flowcharts, tables and diagrams will not only compress the information but organize it in a way that it is easy to remember.
As the time for the final test is coming close, the sheer amount of syllabus left may overwhelm you and makes you feel like there is a ticking time bomb on your head and that no matter the effort you put in now, it won’t be enough.
The idea is to keep going and give your best this time and whatever the result it is not the end of the world and there is always room for improvement. There is a famous quote, ‘Just like bath, you need motivation daily.’ So keep motivating yourself by visualizing the end goal. On days where the motivation runs low, remember that consistency is the what yields results and no matter how small you think the step is today, it is still a step further away from where you were yesterday.
Don’t get sucked into the idea that some other classmate has already finished off the chapter you are still stuck on, the only person you have to do better than is yourself.
If all else fails, there is always Premack’s principle, reward yourself for the time and effort you have put in by doing something you like. The key is to not only study but leave enough time for at least a quick revision. It helps if you have a list of the key words or charts, it becomes easier to do the quick overview.
Don’t lose hope even if you haven’t achieved the target you had set for yourself but keep trying.
