Many people prepare for a test while juggling the responsibilities of school, work and family; students have sometimes no other obvious obligation than school itself, but temptations and distractions relentlessly try to keep them away from their books. Whatever your case may be, managing your time effectively is the next key step to successfully study for a test. Ideally, the material to study should be subdivided in smaller, manageable chunks. Be realistic when organizing your schedule: you should avoid distributing excessive workloads on a single day, and rather plan study sessions of the same length. You should also be consistent: once you have organized a study plan, stick to it. Wasting time in unnecessary activities and procrastinating until the last day before the test is a dangerous, twisted road, which often leads to a catastrophic failure. You should also be responsible: once you have decided to set some time apart for your studies, don't give anything or anybody - including yourself - a chance to distract you. Gather all the items you need before you sit down to study. Have someone answer the door for you, if at all possible, and turn off TV and phone. Avoid going to the kitchen for a snack or a drink; unless you have a serious medical condition, you can probably survive without eating and drinking much longer than you can study. Finally, be lenient with yourself: it is impossible to stay fully focused for hours, so plan regular, short breaks. During these breaks, reward yourself by doing all the things that you must avoid while studying: have a snack or a drink, call a friend, watch some TV, read a magazine, or indulge in whatever you find pleasurable and relaxing.
Where should you study? After you have determined what and when to study, where to actually prepare yourself for the test is the next thing you should decide. A quiet, isolated place, free of excessive distractions and loud noises, usually works well for everybody; in most cases, a library, a bedroom, or any place where interferences are kept at a minimum, will be ideal.
