¶ Focus and Concentration for Exam Success
Welcome everyone to another episode of our podcast and our Study Smarter , not Harder series . I'm Stacey and this is Dr Linton Hutchinson with LicensureExamscom .
Hey there everybody .
So , Linton , what are we talking about today ?
Well , today's episode is setting the foundation that will allow you to improve your focus and concentration when taking the exam . So , Stacey , when do you take the exam ?
Good question . Well , I'd say you are taking the exam right now .
This is the beginning of your exam process , and if you dedicate yourself and you're successful with doing that , you're going to be able to pass the exam , regardless of the stress that the exam may put you through .
When I find myself under pressure , I can have a hard time staying focused , and of course , that affects my ability to recall and retain just about anything . I know I'm sure you do too that you sort of become a blank slate .
Oh , yeah , absolutely .
Yeah , how hard time remembering what you just spent the last three months studying .
I have a hard time remembering my name , Like introducing yourself Hi , I'm uh , right , well , i'm glad you wrote it down at least .
Yes , but it's really so frustrating . And , of course , this is the first episode in our Study Smarter , not Harder series that will over-prepare you so that , when you sit for the exam , anxiety and stress won't be two words in your vocabulary anymore .
Oh , that sounds awesome . So where do we start ?
Like I always say well , actually this is the first time he's saying it is that the exam starts now with the prep and the setting . Whether you're getting ready to make Eggs Benedict or studying for the exam , the first and probably most important strategy is to create an environment that's going to be conducive to you studying later on .
This is going to obviously enhance your ability to remember all the information . If you're uncomfortable and things aren't working , it's going to make it much more difficult for you to stay focused and well-organized . So say you said Cardinal out there .
Oh , yeah , wait , look at the size of that Cardinal .
Yeah , i can't believe it's .
Oh , okay , wait a minute . All right , let's . I see what you're trying to do . Let's stay focused here , Get back on track .
I'm here , right , right . So you need to limit the distractions by keeping your desk clutter-free and remove any potential interruptions like your iPhone or your baby monitor . Definitely turn those off and make sure to place your tray tables in the upright position . Sorry about that . It's a habit from years of traveling doing seminars for the exam .
But we'll talk about my habits and your habits later on .
Sounds intriguing . What you said does make a lot of sense , lynn . Tonight I often find myself getting distracted by notifications that are coming from my phone or my computer saying I have a message . It's like dinging throughout the day and it's lighting up .
Right .
And it's really tempting to take just a quick peek , just a minute , see what's going on , but it's never a quick peek , is it Like one minute turns into 30 minutes before you know you're down this crazy rabbit hole and then your study session has been hijacked , so we want to get rid of potential interruptions .
Alright , cool , and what else could I try to create the ideal study environment , linton .
Sorry , i was just checking my Instagram . Let me see . Lighting plays a critical role in concentration and focus . Make sure your area is well lit , preferably with natural light and not fluorescent light .
A dimly lit room can lead to eye strain after you've been studying for like three hours And it's going to definitely hinder your ability to concentrate and retain any new information . So having a comfortable seat and good posture just like your mother used to tell you sit up straight will improve your overall study experience .
These things may seem and they do seem totally ridiculous , but you'd be surprised how easy it is to overlook the little things that we just talked about . that can have a big impact .
Gotcha . Okay , well , good point , linton . So open those curtains or close them if you are prone to looking out at the pretty cardinals outside , and get a comfortable chair to sit in . That also has good support . All right , i got it . Now what about background noise ? So I've heard mixed thoughts on this .
Some people say that studying in complete silence is the best , while for other people that for long silence gets really intense . Somehow it's too quiet and starts to drive them crazy and they prefer some kind of background noise .
Yeah , well , you know they've done a lot of scientific studies on these and basically it's the interference versus helpful distraction concept And I think it depends to some degree on your personal preference and your background and how you've studied and how you've done in the past . Some people find it helpful , silence helpful and some people like the background noise .
What do you think ?
Well , yeah , there are times maybe it's mood driven for me too , There are some times where I really just want the silence , like it's just been a really loud day and so I'm just .
I just need some peace and quiet , and other times it's almost just like lonely , and so I just want to have a little bit of some kind of instrumental , you know relaxing sort of music on and that kind of gets me in my groove . So you know , i guess I would .
I would just play around with it right , like see , if you do need some kind of noise I might go for the more instrumental nature sounds white noise myself .
Yeah , but how about the fact that you know when you take the exam ? if you take it at one of the centers you're going to have no control over , that is going to be like total silence . So wouldn't it be better to study under those conditions ? if you're going to take it at one of the centers , you need to take those exams with total silence .
Yeah , that's a really good question . So maybe there's a couple of things going on .
So when you're actually studying , you know you're like learning or relearning these concepts you could you could do some some sounds , but when you're actually taking the practice exams and you're really trying to simulate the real life experience you're going to have , i would recommend that you try that in total silence so you can get a feel , you know , for what the
actual conditions are going to be like when you take the exam . I you know there's an option where you can take it from home .
Yeah , right , Yeah yeah .
Yeah , In that case you're . you're going to be able to have a little bit more control over the noise level , or lack thereof . But yeah , if you're taking it in person which I think most people are doing , they're taking in person . We'd recommend , when you're practicing the exams , to do it in as quiet of an environment as you can .
Okay , but it like if you live in a neighborhood where you're close to railroad track or something like that .
So I might go back to your tip earlier about getting some , you know , investing in some of those noise canceling headphones or those little foam earplugs things , and then that could take away those distractions .
Right , well , it sounds like you're on the right track there , stacey .
Unintended . Yeah , oh dear , all right , well , i will try out some of these ideas and see what helps the most . Do you have any final tips that you'd like to share before we wrap up today's episode ?
Yeah , sure . Next one tip Just like what you do with your clients in therapy , set realistic goals . It doesn't help to have an unrealistic goal and then you whip yourself because you didn't meet those goals . So , basically , you need to know that studying and you're probably going to be doing this for a couple months it's a marathon , it's not a sprint .
You don't have to have everything done in one time . So , for example , if you gave yourself the goal of read the code of ethics in 30 minutes , it's a steady goal . You need to think that again . But unless you're spock , your attention span is going to run out pretty quickly . You know who's spock is , don't you ?
Yes , i had this realization which was a little scary
¶ X-Files and Studying Tips Introduction
. It's out in a store , kind of shopping around , and there was a college student at the checkout and I mentioned something about that related to like Scully , one of the characters on the X-Files , because you know what the X-Files ?
is Yeah , you're sure .
And that's the reaction I usually get from people . The X-Files , of course . Well , she kind of looks at me quizzically and is like huh . And I said , oh , do you know about the X-Files ? And she said , oh , I think I've heard of it . I thought , oh , no , it's begun .
Yeah , it's happening , yeah , it's happening .
Yeah , so , yeah , exactly . So there you go . Where do I go from here ?
Yeah , from really .
Well , thank you so much for all the helpful tips on how to stay focused when you're studying for your exam , Linton .
Yeah , sure .
And thank you to you therapists out there for joining us today . Happy studying And remember it's in there .
It's in there .