I'm overwhelmed!

Question

I have an exam to study for and there is so much material. I'm overwhelmed and don't know what to do.

Answer 1

First off, take a deep breath. Dealing with an overwhelming amount of material can be scary, so it is important to keep your brain oxygenated! Allow that feeling of panic to wash over you. It's okay to take a moment before jumping in, so don't feel bad about that.

Once your heart rate stabilizes, I recommend taking a few minutes to organize yourself. Write down on a white board or a piece of paper:

1. The date of your exam
2. The number of days until your exam
3. Include both the total number of days AND the number of days that you realistically have available to study - everyone has lives outside of school and long work days for example may not be good study days
4. A list of the specific topics covered on your exam (be as specific as possible)
5. For each specific topic, write down how many pages or how much material you need to go over - use a measurable number for this
6. Rank each topic first in order of SIZE (i.e. number of pages to cover), and then in order of importance (i.e. the most important topics vs the less important topics) - if you don't know which topics are more important than others, this is something a tutor can help you with

Once you get yourself organized, you can decide whether you want to tackle the big stuff first or the small stuff first and in what order. Your goal is to be able to cover as much important information as possible before the exam.

If you need help with this process or with the content your are study, please feel free to reach out at any time. Tutors are great with this!

Answer 2

I'm sorry to hear that you're feeling overwhelmed. When you're studying for an exam, it's natural to feel stressed and anxious, especially if there's a lot of material to cover. One thing you can do to help manage your stress is to break down the material into smaller, more manageable chunks. Start by creating a study schedule that outlines what material you need to cover and when you plan to study. You can also try using study aids such as flashcards, summaries, and practice quizzes to help you retain the information. Additionally, make sure to take frequent breaks to avoid burnout and give yourself time to recharge. Remember to stay positive and take it one step at a time. You got this!