It's that time of the year once again. Final exams are around the corner and students and parents are feeling the heat. Success the exams cannot be left to chance or luck. Successful students adopt effective study habits. What is the secret of success?  

1. Plan specific times for studying.Study time is the time you are doing something related to schoolwork. It can be completing assigned reading, working on a paper or project, or studying for a test. Schedule specific times throughout the week for your study time.

2. Try to study at the same times each day.Studying at the same times each day establishes a routine that becomes a regular part of your life, just like sleeping and eating. When a scheduled study time comes up during the day, you will be mentally prepared to begin studying.

3. Set specific goals for  studies.Goals will help you stay focused and monitor your progress. Simply sitting down to study has little value. You must be very clear about what you want to accomplish during your study times.

4. Start studying when planned.You might delay starting your studying because you don't like an assignment or think it is too hard. A delay in doing a scheduled task is called "procrastination." If you procrastinate for any reason for too long,you will find it difficult to get everything done when you need to. You may rush to make up the time you wasted getting started, resulting in careless work and errors.

5. Plan your work on the assignment that is most difficult.Your most difficult assignment will require the most effort. You might want to start with your most difficult assignment since this is when you have the most mental energy. Or, you might want to start with an easier topic to get into the right frame of mind and then try the difficult assignment.  Depending on your working style, you should plan well.

6. Review notes before beginning an assignment. Reviewing your notes can help you make sure you are doing an assignment correctly. Also, your notes may include information that will help you complete an assignment.

7. Try not to do cram too much at one time.If you try to do too much studying at one time, you will tire and your studying will not be very effective. Space the work you have to do over shorter periods of time. Taking short breaks will restore your mental energy.

8. Practice regularly.Work out math problems, write out answers, read, review and revise.

9. Review learning periodically.Schedule some time to do a review, say on weekends. This will help you be ready to go on Monday morning when another week begins.

These nine study habits can help you succeed in your exams. Best of Luck!