Beyond Simple Recall: Ace Your Next Exam With These 21st Century Study Tips
Who broke the record for the highest real estate sale in California?
Jade Mills!
The award-winning real estate agent was able to sell an estate for $150 million! Earlier in the same year, she sold another property for $119 million! Can you imagine how much fun it would be spending the commission from that sale?
Before you start daydreaming about what it’ll be like to make the big bucks, you have to pass your real estate exam. To help set you up for success, we’ve created this short guide, full of the best study tips.
What should you do to make studying for your real estate exam easier? Read on to find out!
Sleep Well Before and After Study Sessions
The first step towards studying well is sleeping well. If you’re not getting a full 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night, your brain’s going to have trouble digesting new material. A sleepy brain is also going to find it difficult to recall any of the real estate information you learned the day before.
To set yourself up for success, we suggest starting a sleep schedule. Next, build a sleep-enhancing environment. What does the sleep-enhancing environment look like?
For starters, you’ll need to eliminate all distractions. Next, consider installing mood lighting with LEDs. Lastly, put your phone on do not disturb, and turn off any other electronics. Following a consistent bedtime routine will help your mind know when it’s time to finally start shutting down.
As your mind enters into a deeper state of rest, you’ll be able to enjoy a higher quality of sleep. Instead of entering into the dangerous arena of sleep debt, your brain will be fully recharged.
Studying for a Test Incrementally
Next on our list of study tips, you’ll need to make sure you’re not trying to cram in too much information in any one study session. For instance, studying for 2 to 3 hours straight isn’t going to be as effective as studying in 30-minute increments.
Your brain and body need study breaks, so they can stay energized and engaged. During your study breaks, we suggest getting up and walking around for 5 to 15 minutes. As you walk around, stretch out your arms, and make some noises with your voice. The idea here is to activate your body, rather than letting it stay in a dormant study state.
Fuel With Brain Healthy Choices
When you’re studying for a test, how much coffee do you drink? Caffeine can be a fun and helpful tool, but it shouldn’t be the only thing you rely on. If you want to set your brain up for success, you’ll need to be feeding yourself the right type of food throughout the day.
Instead of just focusing on proteins or specific vitamins, take into account your entire macronutrients. Macronutrients account for your proteins, healthy fats, and carbs. When you have a healthy balance of macronutrients, your body can function at full capacity. It’s also a great idea to eat brain-energizing foods, such as Greek yogurt or blueberries.
Drink Water
Before you reach for that next cup of coffee, get a glass of water instead. If you drink too much caffeine during your study sessions, you could wind up dehydrating yourself. A dehydrated brain can easily become stressed and fatigued. You’ll also notice that if you over caffeinate you may feel irritable and on edge. Studying successfully is all about putting yourself in the right mindset. To avoid becoming a caffeine gremlin, drink at least one glass of water for every glass of coffee.
Mastering Study Styles
Moving on, you can also improve your study sessions by mastering your specific study style. For some, studying alone is where they thrive. Using a card maker, flashcards can help make solo study sessions productive. However, some need the stimulation and input from others to help keep their mind engaged.
If you don’t have students from your real estate class that you can study with, consider looking for a local study group at your library. Even if the other members of the study group aren’t going over the same material, they can still help keep you accountable.
You can also look for virtual study groups so that you don’t have to study alone. If studying alone is your preferred style, make sure you’re setting up your environment in a productive manner. Limit as many distractions as possible, and have the food and drinks you’ll need nearby.
Pick the Right Study Soundtrack
Lastly, let’s talk about the best music to listen to when you’re studying. The tunes you love to listen to while you’re driving aren’t necessarily the best jams for studying. If you find that songs that have words are difficult for you to listen to while studying, then we suggest exploring instrumental or ambient soundtracks.
Ambient soundtracks are a great way to immerse yourself in another location. For instance, you could play ambient ocean sounds or ambient rainforest noises. If you want a more magical experience, you can search for ambient soundtracks that are centered around a favorite television show or movie.
For instance, if you do a quick search for Harry Potter ambient world music, you’ll get a ton of great results. Ambient world soundtracks are usually a blend of instrumentals and mood-setting sound effects. If you want something a little more upbeat and chill, consider looking into Lo-Fi hip-hop beats.
Silent Study Sessions
Of course, for some, silence is the ultimate soundtrack for studying. If you want to block out all noises and distractions, purchase a high-quality pair of noise-canceling headphones. Do you have a dedicated study room?
You can improve the quality of your silence even more by thoroughly soundproofing the room. Some proofing a room isn’t as expensive as you might think. Instead, there’s a lot of affordable do-it-yourself soundproofing options for those on a budget.
Follow Our Study Tips
Are you ready to go out there and ace your test? We know you can do it! As long as you follow the study tips in this article, and put in the time studying, you’ll do great.
Remember, getting enough sleep is one of the most important parts of studying well. Take a few moments today to decide when you’ll go to bed tonight so that you can get a full 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Tomorrow, your fully rested brain will be ready to study! For more helpful advice, explore the rest of our site.