Today I thought I'd share some of the tips that I personally use in studying and I'm pretty sure that it will be handy for you too.

I've already started collecting my notes and reviewers during my third and fourth year semesters because I'm going to start reviewing for the Medical Technology Board Exam on March 2015. I'm sure that these tips will be a huge help for me in making my study sessions a bit more easier to deal with. :)

Tip #1

Find a study space.

- I'm sure that we all have our own study desk / table in our room.  But after the looooonnngg hours of studying we can get bored and uncomfortable. Especially if you're sitting on a chair that's too high or too low for your desk. You might also get backaches after a few hours of sitting up straight. I sometimes ditched my study desk and try to look for a space that has a good lighting to keep me for straining my eyes when I'm hunched over my school books and I always end up studying in our dining table.

Tip #2

Turn off distractions and set the mood.

- Now, it's time to put away or turn off those distractions, in other words, your cellphone, laptop, Ipad, Itouch, even the television or whatever it is that might take away your attention in studying. I usually have a music playing in the background while I study, I know it's not for everybody but I find it helpful in stimulating my brain cells during those long study hours.

Tip #3

Flash cards!

- This tip helps me so much and it is the good old - fashioned flash cards. If there are words or terminologies that needs to be memorized, what you only have to do is write the term / word on one side of the card and have the definition on the other side. You can easily flip through these and study the words when you're bored or free and you've got nothing else to do. I find these very handy and at the same time helpful in studying. You can just stack them up inside your bag and pull them out whenever you want.

Tip #4

Highlighters & Colored Pens

- Make those important phrases pop out with highlighters. It makes multiple readings easier to deal with and those colorful streaks bring happy hue to your books, reviewers and notes. Aside from that you can also do color coding. Colored pens are cheap ways to keep studying less of a task. Choose one color per subject so you can easily keep track of your notes, reminders -- whether these are written in your notebook, books or flash cards.

Tip #5

Sticky Notes!

- Whether it's a reminder, a quote you like, or a several to do lists, sticky notes are an easy way to keep you track of what needs to be accomplished / studied today or this week.

Tip #6

Ask someone for help.

- Don't be afraid to ask or call other people for help, whether its one of your classmates, your bestie, your teacher or any body that you feel that can help you undertand the topic that you're stuck with.

Tip #7

Take frequent breaks.

- I know it's hard to admit but sometimes we feel like we don't want to study anymore and we actually prefer to do other stuff more, we also tend to get bored after a few minutes of reading but we can't stop reviewing because we all know we need to ace that exam. I usually take a 5 - 10 minute break in every 30 minutes or 1 hour and do other stuff. It helps me rest my brain from all the information that I've been getting. It's good to give yourself a little breather from all the studying you've been doing.

Tip #8

Eat "Brain" food.

- You can eat your favorite food or snack during your study sesh. I think it's better to snack on fruits, nuts, or anything that's on the healthy side, because it can help you boost your energy and keep it on a steady state, rather than eating junk foods like potato chips or something like that. Hmm. Alright, you can also eat your favorite chocolate but make sure to eat a small amount only to avoid being super active or hyper. Hihihi.

Tip #9 (Optional)

Own a planner.

- I use my BDJ planner to organize my study schedule. I will create a list of the topics that needs to be read and write it down on my planner, arrange it per week and I will try to finish my readings during that span of time. It really helps a lot because I can study everything that needs to be studied.

Here's a quick tour of what's inside my BDJ Planner 2015:

Do you have your own tips and tricks in studying too?

Happy Review! :)