I am someone that has written numerous exams throughout my time in school. People have their reactions at the mention of exams being close.
Some start to panic, others stay calm. As for me, I stay calm and try to get motivated.
I see exam period as a time to sit up. As a result, I suspend every other things I'm involved in just a few weeks to exam and I put all of my focus into studying. In school, we had courses that required studying books so big, it would seem almost impossible to study them all.
The key for me was intense dedication. Both day and night I would study.
However, these didn't come with little breaks in between. I'm not someone that can go a full stretch of hours studying. I take breaks intermittently. I may decide to play a game briefly, text a little or just scroll through social media for a while.
For me, one important thing is to not burn out while studying. As much as I try to study hard during exam periods, I take these breaks so I can come back refreshed. That way, I can go on for longer. I can say that it worked for me throughout my time in school.
I had friends who become nervous once exam draws near, but it was not me. I believed that everything has a code to crack it. There's a way to conquer anything. The same applies to exams.
I noticed that if you begin to get nervous or worried towards exam period, you may easily lose hope and give up. Some people let the pressure get to them and they give up, willing to fail. That's not an option for me.
My sleep pattern is usually distorted during exam periods. I barely sleep. Due to the bulky nature of the things I have to study, I sacrifice my sleep in order to get more time to study, because in such moments, 24 hours in a day seem not to be enough.
Group study has truly been one effective means of studying for me. When you read something and then discuss it with your group, it tends to stick. That's one thing that really helped me in my school days. Someone could just say something you didn't study that might show up in the exam. Group study has been a lifesaver and I absolutely recommend it.
In conclusion, exams are to test your knowledge. All you have to do is update your knowledge. Being nervous about it won't help. Put in the work and you'll conquer it.