Guide to preparing for the University Entrance Exam (PAU), competitive exams, and other exams: expert study tips

June is here, a crucial month for thousands of students preparing for the University Entrance Exam (PAU). But it's not just them: many others are also facing the challenge of studying, whether for competitive exams, certifications, or other tests.

EL PAÍS has contacted eight experts in neuroscience, memory, learning psychology, and study techniques to find out what tricks help you study better.

Plan your study in writing

José María Bea , an elite memorizer and founder of the School of Memory, advises making a written plan with breaks included, "to force ourselves to stick to it." Ideally, the study plan and schedule should be tailored to each subject, as some require practical exercises and others, summaries or outlines, as psychologist Tania M. Mondéjar Palomares and educational psychologist Ángel Luis González Olivares, both from the psychological and psychopedagogical guidance and counseling service at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), point out.

Distribute the study over several sessions

Lauren E. Bates, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh and co-author of several studies on methods for optimizing study skills, advises spacing out study sessions. She says the spacing depends on the time available to study: for short-term exams (one or two weeks), it's best to review every two or four days; for longer periods (two or three months), one or two weeks is ideal.

How many hours to study per day

It's not so much a question of the number of hours, but rather the quality of the session and consistency, according to Bea. "Four or five hours of study can achieve wonders if you do it daily," she says. Even two or three hours can yield "excellent results, especially if we've been consistent in our studies throughout the course and kept up to date."

Start with the easiest topic and set goals

To overcome the initial laziness of studying, Bea suggests starting with the easiest subject and establishing a small ritual—such as putting on some music or making coffee—to mark the start of your studies. Rodrigo Quian Quiroga , a professor at the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) and a researcher in the Perception and Memory group at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, suggests setting goals. For example, setting a deadline for completing an activity and taking a break from studying. “If I know I have a soccer game in a couple of hours, I’ll try to make the most of it,” he says.

Don't study too much information at once.

“Imagine you have two seeds: one you water daily with just the right amount of water, and the other receives 10 liters all at once. Which will grow better?” Bea asks. The mind “works the same way.” Saturating it with too much information in a short time “prevents it from properly processing data, and instead of improving, it blocks.” According to the expert, immediate memory is very effective for reasoning, but it can only handle a few pieces of information at a time: “If we give it too much at once, we 'drown' it, just like the seed.”

Don't leave everything to the last minute

“Leaving everything to the last minute can be effective in the short term, but only if the material to be studied is manageable in just a few hours,” says Héctor Ruiz Martín , director of the International Science Teaching Foundation, a researcher in cognitive psychology of learning, and author of the books How Do We Learn? and Getting to Know Your Brain: Learning to Learn. Otherwise, “the learning becomes superficial and unstructured, making it difficult to recall during the exam.” As Bates explains, someone who studies the night before an exam may feel they know the material well, but “that feeling of familiarity with the content is different from having true knowledge of it.” In cognitive psychology, this is called an illusion of fluency . This intense, last-minute concentration “seems effective, but it isn’t.”

Putting information into context

Quian finds it helpful to put events in context: “I will never forget that the Battle of Chacabuco was in 1817, not because I have memorized the date, but because I know it happened a year after Argentina declared its independence.” This not only makes it easier to remember, but also allows him to better understand the circumstances of the battle. Ferran Ballard , professor and director of The Brain School, also suggests elaborative questioning—asking yourself, “Why is this true?” or “How does this relate to what I already know?”—to connect new content to prior knowledge and create deeper understanding.

Diagrams, concept maps and memory cards

Studying should be active and elaborative, according to Kepa Paz-Alonso, an Ikerbasque researcher and leader of the language and memory control research group at the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL) . He recommends taking notes, making outlines, and using "repeated recall": studying a topic, closing the material, and actively trying to recall what you've learned.

The expert asserts that repeating this process helps consolidate information and can double long-term recall. Mondéjar and González, for their part, recommend using concept maps, summaries, and flashcards, such as those that show a question on one side and the answer on the other, and which are reviewed at intervals to facilitate recall.

Study cards

Ruiz recommends apps that allow you to create flashcards and periodically self-assess. “ Flashcards contain a question and its answer, and they allow us to test ourselves and immediately check the answer,” she explains. They can also be made with cardboard, but the apps “automatically organize the questions based on our performance, making it easier to review the ones we struggle with and organizing spaced-out practice, which is the most effective way to learn.”

Transforming concepts into images

“Our brains are visual, so transforming concepts into mental images, diagrams, or pictograms can be really useful for memorization,” says Ballard. There are mnemonic techniques such as the method of loci, which involves imagining a route through familiar places where you mentally place the information, or the pegword technique, which works by associating each number with a very specific visual word that is then mentally linked to the content you want to remember. According to Bates, these methods are especially effective for memorizing large amounts of information.

Take frequent breaks

When studying, the experts consulted advise taking breaks every 25 to 50 minutes. This is because concentration decreases after approximately 30 or 40 minutes of intense studying, according to Mondéjar and González. Alternating study sessions with short breaks of five to 10 minutes "improves attention and productivity." Both experts also recommend a longer break every 90 minutes. During short breaks, Bea suggests walking, having a coffee, stretching, or listening to relaxing music. On the other hand, she advises avoiding "activities that can be left unfinished, such as cleaning the house or reading a book, because we might continue thinking about them when we return to studying, achieving the opposite effect than desired."

Turn off your cell phone and other tips to avoid distractions

Paz-Alonso recommends having a regular study space, free from distractions and without a cell phone nearby—preferably turned off and out of the bedroom. He also suggests turning off your computer. Quian also suggests studying in a library or cafe, where there are no distractions. Silence is ideal, but if that's not possible, Ballard advises using noise-cancelling headphones or listening to neutral music without lyrics. As for internal distractions—such as thoughts or pending tasks—the expert recommends having a piece of paper nearby to write them down, as this "allows the brain to release them without the risk of forgetting."

An elite memorizer's trick to improving concentration

“Concentration is something we should all practice, because we live in a world full of stimuli and distractions, which have significantly reduced our ability,” explains Bea. The expert details one of his favorite exercises. It consists of sitting in front of a wall and focusing your gaze on a point, visualizing a “0” there. As soon as you become aware that you are thinking about something else, add one to it, and visualize a “1,” then a “2,” a “3,” and so on. Bea explains that if you practice this exercise regularly, you will quickly reduce the number of distractions, which indicates that your attention span is strengthening.

Skipping sleep to study and other mistakes

One of the worst mistakes is going to bed late and skipping sleep to study. This is according to Bea, who explains that it severely affects memory and doesn't absorb knowledge well. For him, it's essential to identify when we're "tired and our brains are full." "Sometimes it's worth taking a short nap to get back to studying with energy," he adds. It's also a mistake to force yourself to study, thinking that just spending hours in front of a book will help you learn. As Quian explains, when your brain is tired, it's more effective to clear your mind with a walk or other activity than to continue studying.

Do not underline everything or memorize without understanding.

Among the common mistakes, experts mention underlining the entire text, copying sentences verbatim when summarizing, and simply memorizing without understanding or applying the concepts. To avoid reading and rereading without reflection, Bea suggests asking yourself what you've read after finishing a section and trying to explain it out loud in your own words. Bates also advises explaining what you've learned to someone else, since "if it's difficult to explain, it's a sign that you need to review it."

Sleep between seven and eight hours

“A huge mistake is staying up all night studying before an exam,” says Quian, who explains that doing so prevents information from being properly consolidated. The experts consulted recommend sleeping between seven and eight hours and taking care of the quality of sleep, avoiding caffeine and screens in the afternoon. During the deep sleep phase, or REM sleep, our brain stores what it has learned during the day, according to Bea: “If we don't rest enough, our memory will be poor.”

Memory supplements

There's no solid evidence to support the effectiveness of supplements for improving memory, and there are also concerns about their safety, according to Bates. "Unfortunately, no dietary supplement or medication can improve our memory, despite what some people sell with promises," says Ruiz. Paz-Alonso adds that "in general, maintaining a healthy and balanced diet ensures that you get the vitamins and minerals necessary for proper functioning."

Avoid energy drinks

Experts agree on the risks associated with energy drinks. Mondéjar and González warn that they can increase anxiety, make it difficult to sleep, and affect cardiovascular health. Bates advises prioritizing good rest and study techniques instead of relying on them. Paz-Alonso clarifies: “That doesn't mean that having a coffee in the morning or a soft drink at some point is negative, but excessive consumption doesn't benefit studying; it only generates a momentary feeling of concentration that carries a subsequent cost.”

The importance of hydration

To maintain energy during long study sessions, experts recommend eating well and staying hydrated with water. “Dehydration, even mild, can significantly affect concentration and memory,” says Bea. The memorizer recommends always keeping a bottle of water handy and drinking small amounts frequently while studying.

Tricks to manage nerves and anxiety

To manage test anxiety, Quian recommends mentally training yourself in situations similar to real-life situations, like professional athletes do when they visualize high-pressure scenarios to prepare. In addition to taking tests with a stopwatch and without notes, Ballard advises visualizing success and changing your internal dialogue ("I'm getting nervous" to "I'm getting pumped up to perform well"). While Mondéjar and González recommend not anticipating results and engaging in sports or hobbies to unwind, Bates recommends aerobic exercise, meditation and relaxation techniques, social support, and deep breathing during the exam.