Study Timetables

There is an ever-increasing pressure from teachers and parents or guardians for students to excel in their studies. Unfortunately, the only advice many students get is that they should work hard. This has caused many students to burn out since they rush through the revision process when exams or assessments are around the corner.

The smart student will look for ways to make studying easier, and the best technique is by the use of a study timetable. The timetable will help you reach your full potential as well as to manage time effectively.

On top of this, it will help you in achieving and maintaining a healthy study-life balance. This removes the need to burn the midnight oil, trying to cram and memorize concepts before exams, or to give up on your social life during busy periods.

With that said, it can be challenging and frustrating thinking about how to organise a study schedule. Unfortunately, many students make study schedules but fail to adhere to them. The primary reason you should create a study schedule is to help you in navigating through the course work effectively.

The timetable must be personal to you and reflect your lifestyle and study methods. However, for some students, they have to make changes to their lifestyle to find enough time to study. The study schedule will come in handy, and it will be one of the most important revision tools.

With that said, it is best if you created the timetable well in advance. This will help you in settling in and organising your daily and weekly to-do lists to leave you enough time to revise for assessments and exams.

How an Exam Timetable Can Help You

An exam tests more than just your understanding of the content taught but also your ability to manage time effectively before and during the exam. For success in your exams, you need to allocate enough time for studying and preparing effectively for the assessments in all subjects.

Many students have been talked into making an exam timetable, but they are rarely told why it is important to have and adhere to one. Here is how an exam timetable can help you:

Saves on effort and time
It offers clarity
It makes you accountable
Provides a sense of security in that you had planned on what to learn
It increases productivity
It reduces stress since you know the times and dates of the exam

How to Make a Study Timetable Yourself

If you have never made an exam timetable, it can be difficult knowing where to start when making a study schedule. For this reason, we have broken down how to make a study timetable for your consideration.

Assess your current schedule to get a good understanding of how you spend your time. This will help you identify the amount of time available for study and the activities you need to cut out to increase time for study.
Make a timetable first by blocking out the times when you will have important commitments. After this, you can start allocating time for important things, including your exam and other commitments. With that said, you will also need to make time for extra study in case you need it.
Set long- and short-term study goals. For example, the long-term goals could include completing the coursework, assessments and exercises before sitting the exam, while short-term goals might include concentrating on studying a topic for the next half hour or more.
Establish and maintain good studying habits, which will help you to remain consistent. It will help if you start early and form good studying habits which will carry you through moments of distraction.

With that said, here are some tips to help you create an effective study schedule:

Start by going through all through the content and notes you have learned since the start of the semester and create a practical plan of action.
Book online tuition, purchase notes from independent companies but be sure to make your notes.
Write flashcards during your revision time instead of typing it.
Use quiz questions under timed conditions and practice under exam-like pressure.
Remove all distractions.

It might take you once or twice to get a working study schedule, but it is necessary that you ensure that you try different combinations depending on the exam timetable released by the school. With that said, the timetable should be used as a guide, not a rule book.

Preferably if you can stick to at least 80 percent of the time slots, you can view it as a win. There will be times when you will feel like relaxing when you should be studying, and during a leisure activity, you might want to study. This means that your life should not be regulated by the timetable; the trick is always to plan ahead yet still be flexible.

Study Timetable Template

There are many study timetable templates that you can find for download, as well as apps that help you in creating the schedule. However, choosing the right one can be overwhelming, but with the tips above, you will have all the resources you need to know what you want.

With that said, here are a few actionable tips that will help you in selecting an appropriate study timetable template:

Is the template easy to customise
Compatibility with the programs already installed in your computer
Free download
Well organised
Simple and easy to follow

With each study timetable you come across, they will have a different set of features that will entice you. However, you ought to take your time before downloading. Compare different layouts and styles and select the one that resonates with you and your study techniques.

Finally, when creating a study timetable, you will have understood the time when you will be free when you have leisure activities and study sessions. The study schedule will, of course, get disrupted by unexpected events, and that is why it should be used as a guide, not a rule book. Experts also agree that it is almost impossible to follow the schedule 100 percent. However, you should take the responsibility of creating the schedule yourself. This includes when you are using a template or creating the study timetable from scratch. You could also book online tutelage, and they are sure to give you tips on how to make the timetable. During your breaks, you could decide to meet your tutor for more tips and study motivation.