If you’ve taken a well-earned break from your studies, it can be hard to get motivated again to jump back in. A break can also mean that all the good habits you had, the topics you knew well, and your rehearsed study techniques, have faded into the distance. But never fear, we’ve asked our tutors for some tips on how to make returning to study easier.
Choose a couple of subjects to start with
Don’t take on too many subjects at once - you’ll just be overwhelmed. Start with one or two and see how you manage your work, life and study balance. Then you can see just how much work is needed, and decide how many exams you realistically can take at once.
Choosing subjects you find most interesting to start with can help you gain momentum and get you enthusiastic about learning again.
Regular small steps
Don’t worry if you can’t remember everything straight away, and don’t worry if you can’t immediately understand new topics. It takes time to get your head back into studying after a long break.
Start working from the beginning and work consistently and regularly up to your exam, little and often, building on your knowledge as you go. Don’t leave things to the last few weeks – this approach doesn’t work with professional exams.
Timetables and study planners
Decide when you’re going to study during the week, weekends and evenings. Make sure that your family and friends know that you need to concentrate and ask them not to disturb you, or ask you to forfeit your study time.
Make a study timetable that is realistic and you genuinely believe you can stick to. There’s no point making a timetable that says you’re going to do 5 hours of study every day - that’s going to be very hard to achieve. You might find a paper or electronic planner or calendar useful to organise your study. When you sign up for our accounting, bookkeeping or other online courses, you get access to the MyKaplan study app to keep yourself on track with your course. Develop a routine that works best for you.
Review anything you missed due to exemptions
You might find you’re rusty on areas that you legitimately were allowed to skip, but a lot of the time they form the underpinning knowledge of the more advanced papers. Review these areas so you start your new papers with a solid understanding of what’s required.
If you’re studying ACCA you might find you struggle with some of the more advanced papers (particularly the option papers) because of a lack of underpinning knowledge.
Free time can be useful
Train journeys, lunch breaks, waiting for something to cook in the oven - these are great times to do small practice questions or learn a few calculations. You’ll be amazed at just how effective short knowledge bursts can be. If you added up all the 10 or 20 minute mini study sessions, you’d be amazed at just how much extra time you’ve spent learning.
If you have longer free time blocks or prefer to study in a more structured way, try to create an environment that makes it easy to concentrate. Your study environment can have a very strong influence on how effective your study time is. Aim to keep distractions to a minimum.
Use all the available resources
It may sound obvious, but make use of the resources that go with your course. Whether you’re studying online or in the classroom, there are plenty of free materials available to use.
We’ve created Knowledge Bank which has lots of useful information, but there are also plenty of books that you can use. Try out mock exams and practice questions, and don’t forget revision cards and exam kits.
It’s not just the textbook that can help you. Distance learning courses often have tutors and an online community of fellow students to answer your questions and share the experience with. You don’t have to struggle through your studies alone.
If you would like some help and advice to get your studies back on track, you can get in touch with our support team on 0161 259 7400.