Preparation is everything when it comes to acing the Texas insurance license exam. However, you don’t necessarily have to work harder. In fact, burning out with long study sessions may actually reduce your performance on the exam. Instead of working harder, work smarter. Here are a few tips:

Break the Study Sessions Up

People tend to learn and retain the most at the start of a study session. After an hour or two has passed, this declines. Don’t sit down after work for a four-hour study marathon, no excuses and no distractions.  Instead, try breaking it up. Study for a half hour to an hour and take a five to ten minute break.

During your breaks, don’t just pull out your phone. Move around. Get the mail or go to the kitchen and pace as your study snack heats up. Light activity and a change of environment can help you sit down again in a fresh, focused frame of mind.

Write Study Notes

Sure, you can type up notes on your computer or take a snapshot of important facts … but that won’t help you retain information when you sit down for the exam. Instead, go ‘back to school’ and dig out a pencil and notebook. Writing out your study notes by hand can help ‘write’ information into your memory. This works far better than just typing everything out.

Stay Hydrated

Pounding energy drinks or sodas may give you a short-term boost of energy thanks to their caffeine, but this won’t really help you study effectively. They dehydrate you in the long run, reducing your performance. These beverages may also make you jittery with caffeine, easily distracted, and lead to an energy crash at the worst time. Instead, drink water for hydration.

Are you so tired that you can’t study without a caffeine booster? See the next tip.

Get Some Sleep

Being sleep deprived will greatly affect your performance, both when studying for the test and on the big day. It’s hard in the modern world to have a regular sleep schedule but try to rest up as much as you can. Studying late can work if you’re naturally a night owl. If you’re a morning person, work with that tendency and set your alarm a little earlier. Finally, don’t pull a studying all-nighter right before the test. You won’t remember enough to make it worthwhile.

Get Help

You don’t need to go through this alone. There’s a lot of support available for the Texas insurance license exam. Look for online study groups, seek out specialized training for the exam, and take practice tests so that you’ll know what to expect.

Edward Bertrand