Exams and tests are a necessary evil when it comes to education, so why not embrace them?

Take the power back with these tricks and tips – blow your teachers and lecturers away with your study prowess.

But remember: Thomas Edison said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.

First, a word on procrastination…

Tidying your study area and shopping for stationery and study snacks can be excused. But cleaning the oven, redesigning the garden and getting a tan are not – these are sure signs of a master-procrastinator. These are things that can wait until after your test or exam or during break time.

Don't let study stress you out. Find out what sort of study works for you, i.e. some people work with words, others are visual and some are aural. Experiment with the techniques that help you recall the most information.

However, understanding the information is the best way to make sure exams are not a memory test. If you understand what you are studying it becomes more like commonsense.

Word People

Rewriting your class/study notes will help transfer information to your brain. The key is to condense your notes. If you have a folder of notes, you should be able to rewrite them as many times as you need to get the information into just a couple of pages.

Another way to condense information is to write cue cards. These will have one word or theme on one side and the bulk of the information on the other. You can then test yourself or get others to test you. This is a useful technique if you are studying the same subjects with friends.

Picture People

This form of study turns your notes into diagrams or charts. A favourite diagram is the star. Use a big piece of paper and put your central study theme in middle. Then draw stems from the middle to the points of information concerning the central theme.

You can also add additional notes or stems with fill-in material. This study helps to get a "picture" of the important things to remember. Just don't take too long making them pretty!

Ear People

You can read your notes into a Dictaphone or recorder and play it back to yourself for revision. As you remember more information you can stop the tape after you have said the theme and fill in the information yourself and then play the tape back to see how much you got correct.

Getting to Work

If you have to study in your room, don't use your bed, get a desk or use the floor. Your bed is the place where you relax; you need to sleep there, so don't clutter it with study and stressful energy.

Don't study in front of the TV or while talking on the phone. You only need one channel of information entering your brain at a time.

Listening to music works for some people, but try some that doesn't have any words to distract you. Give classical music a go – it is proven that cows milk better when listening to classical music, so maybe Vivaldi will work for you too!

Break your revision time into no more than 50 minute chunks – then have break, or reward yourself with a prize like getting out in the sun, or phoning a friend. Your brain can only be totally focused on something for 50 minutes at a time so don't overload it.

If you are a busy with lots of other activities in your life, write yourself a revision timetable. Mark time that is taken up by other things and then slot in study and free time.

Try to study at the time you feel freshest during the day – morning, afternoon or at night. If you study at the same time every day it will become more of a routine than a chore.

Decorate your house with study

If you have dates, formulae, character names – anything that you can put on a piece of paper – stick them in places you will see them a lot. The back of the toilet door is a favourite among many students, but anywhere will do. Here is a list of other possible areas:

• Next to your mirror
• On the wall where you do the dishes or make tea
• On the wall above or around the TV
• In the garage
• On the coffee table
• Next to light switches
• On the dash of your car (read only when stationary)
• On your cell phone

The Day Before the Exam

Use this time to read over your (condensed) notes. Look at major headings or themes and talk through the answers to yourself.

See if you can get hold of past exam papers and practice answering the questions. Get together with your friends and quiz each other and talk over past exam questions.

Go to bed at a reasonable hour – if you don't know it by midnight you are never going to know it.

Some people sleep with their notes under their pillow the night before an exam, believing that some more information will seep into their brains during slumber.

Warning: If you try this and you ace your exam, you are going to have to do if for every other test and exam in your life – because you can't risk not doing it!

The Day of the Exam

If you have a morning exam, make sure you are up two hours before it is due to start – it takes this long for your brain to warm up.

Have something to eat – even if you are not a breakfast person. Remember that even though your brain can only fully concentrate for 50 minutes, exams can be three hours long.

If you are allowed to take food and drink into the exam, take water, not an energy drink. Energy drinks give you a buzz, but then you crash. Have a banana – this will give you sustained energy that won't fizzle out.

In the exam, take the first ten or 15 minutes to read through each question. As you start writing, your brain will also be thinking about possible answers for other questions.

If you are answering one question and you get an idea for another one, jot it down so you don't forget it.

Time yourself. If you have been told you have so long to answer each question, make sure that is how long you take. If you don't get it finished, jot down any other information you think will score marks and you may be able to come back to it.

After the Exam

Don't sweat it - and definitely don't go home and check your notes to see if you got all your answers correct. There is nothing more you can do, so take some time out and relax.

Sun bathe, clean the oven or redesign the garden…