How to effectively prepare for the Unified State Exam

The Unified State Exam (USE) is a serious test for every school graduate, and the probability of admission to a particular university largely depends on its results. Therefore, it is important to approach the preparation with full responsibility, but at the same time not to sacrifice health for the sake of results. Izvestia tells you how to choose an effective learning strategy and improve your results.

Methods of preparation for the Unified State Exam: self-study, tutor, courses

In order for the pre-exam period to be stress-free, it is important to choose the most convenient and effective training format based on the personal preferences of the student and the family budget. Most often, graduates choose one of three options: self-study, tutoring, and group preparatory courses. Each approach has its pros and cons.

With self-study, students can create flexible schedules that meet their needs. In addition, this method is the least expensive from a financial point of view, as it requires almost no investment: methodological materials, trial tests, simulators and error analysis tools are publicly available.

However, self-study is suitable only for people with a high level of motivation and discipline, who are able to systematically pursue their goals without external control. Otherwise, such training will not be beneficial. In addition, it can be difficult for students to understand the specifics of exam assignments without the help of a teacher, which is why they may not always notice inaccuracies in their answers.

Tutoring involves individual work with a mentor. One of the advantages of this approach is the ability to sort out all the topics that cause difficulties for the student without haste. The tutor will closely monitor the progress of the student and adjust the curriculum in accordance with his requests and needs. At the same time, the teacher will undertake the search for relevant materials, reliable sources of information, error analysis and preparation of various tests.

The main disadvantage of working with a tutor is the cost of classes. In one academic hour (45 minutes), parents in Moscow is given away from 1,200 rubles or more. The price depends on the teacher's experience, the relevance of his subject and other factors.

Preparatory courses, as a rule, consist of classes in small groups under the guidance of highly qualified teachers. They can take place both in face-to-face format and online, so that students are not tied to the place of lessons. Mentors monitor the students' progress, check their homework, give mock tests and comment on their results. In addition, a month of courses will be cheaper than the same training period with a tutor.

Among the disadvantages of training courses is the lack of an individual approach to learning. Despite the small size of the groups, the teacher may not have enough time to work with each student individually. In addition, online classes may be less effective due to various distractions: noise, social media notifications, pets, etc.

If necessary, you can combine different training methods. For example, you can study subjects that are easy to learn on your own, and deal with complex topics with a tutor or in courses.

How to schedule preparation for the Unified State Exam

When preparing for the Unified State Exam, it is important to create a balanced schedule of classes and daily routine. First of all, you should familiarize yourself with the topics that may occur during the exam. For this, the official FIPI website is useful, where detailed information about the content of assignments for each subject is published.

Then you need to distribute the material evenly for the rest of the time before the exam. Major topics can be divided into small abstracts to make them easier to remember. For each subject, it is recommended to make a list of questions that cause the greatest difficulty in order to sort them out with a tutor or on your own.

In order not to overwork, it is important to observe the sleep regime and set aside time for rest. The temptation to devote the whole day to studying can be great, especially if time is short and there is still a lot of material to learn. However, this approach is ineffective in the long run, as it contributes to the accumulation of fatigue. Therefore, it is recommended to devote no more than 3-4 hours a day to training, and also to include one day off completely free from mental stress in the weekly schedule.

How to improve your results while preparing for the Unified State Exam

For successful preparation for the Unified State Exam, it is important to master not only the theoretical basis of the subject, but also to understand the specifics of exam assignments. FIPI codifiers and training test variants can help in this.

According to experts, regularly solving typical USE tasks significantly increases the chances of getting a higher score. Thanks to this, the student gets used to the assignment format faster, understands better how much time he needs to complete the first and second parts of the exam, learns to fill out answer forms quickly and without errors.

In addition, such training helps to automate the solution of the test part of the Unified State Exam, which will significantly speed up the completion of tasks and give more time for the difficult second part.

The USE training options also provide an opportunity to identify weaknesses in the graduate's knowledge and identify topics that should receive more attention. Error analysis is an important part of preparation that should not be neglected. After solving the training option, you should carefully analyze all the incorrect answers and work on correcting them. If this is difficult, you can ask for help from a teacher, tutor, or find a detailed analysis of the assignment on the Internet.

In many cities, mock exams are also held, during which students solve training options in an environment that fully corresponds to the real exam. Thanks to such tests, the graduate can check how well he copes with tasks in conditions of limited time and stress.

In addition, to improve the result during preparation, it is recommended to use methodological manuals, additional literature on the topic, various guides for solving specific tasks and websites with auxiliary information for students. However, it is important to choose only official resources and trusted sources so as not to encounter unreliable material.

Psychological preparation for the Unified State Exam

Psychological preparation for the Unified State Exam is no less important than solving mock tests and mastering theoretical material. To prevent stress from taking over at the most crucial moment, it is necessary to learn how to deal with it.

First of all, during the entire pre-examination period, you should follow the daily routine, do not overexert yourself and get enough sleep. It will be useful to add physical activity to your schedule: playing sports, dancing, walking, etc. They will help reduce anxiety and clear your head by switching from one type of activity to another.

If during the preparation there is a feeling that the available knowledge is not enough, it is worth taking a break and thinking about what has already been done to successfully pass the exam. You can go over the topics you have studied in your mind, look at the lesson plan and mark the completed tasks. Recognizing one's achievements, even the smallest ones, is the key to stable self—esteem and reducing anxiety.

It is recommended to devote the day before the exam to rest. You should not try to catch up with all the material you have not covered in a day or constantly repeat what you have learned. This increases not only stress, but also fatigue. As a result, directly on the exam, the graduate may forget everything that he knew well before.To concentrate on the tasks during the exam, you can use simple breathing techniques, switch your attention, focus on your feelings, or perform a mental scan of your body. This will help restore self-control and reduce anxiety levels.

Common mistakes on the Unified State Exam

Sometimes graduates lose exam scores not only because of incorrect answers. So, experts advise to strictly follow the rules of registration of forms: use only a black gel pen, do not insert spaces or other dividing signs unnecessarily, write in block letters in form No. 1, etc. To correct incorrect answers from the first part, there is a separate field in the form, so you do not need to cross out anything.

In addition, you need to determine in advance how much time it takes to solve both parts of the exam. It is also necessary to allocate time for checking and transferring responses from the draft, otherwise even a fully resolved option may not be counted due to lack of time.

After receiving the tasks, it is recommended to distribute them by difficulty in order to immediately answer all the easy questions and leave time for more complex ones.

Earlier, Izvestia reported on effective ways to prepare for the OGE.