Thanaweya Amma (high school) has always been a nightmare for all Egyptians, even those already graduated from high school. Especially the month before the final exams became one of the most stressful periods of the year for students as they revise almost 8 subjects more than twice in a very short time aiming to get high grades.

During that month, mostly all students start focusing on studying and minimizing their entertainment time, sleeping hours, and neglecting their social life with the help of their families, in the name of hard work to get a high grade in the end. However, that doesn’t pay off at all times, and because of it, many students may suffer from mental health issues and other health issues in life.

On the other hand, that wasn’t my experience in the last month of Thanaweya Amma 2017. Theoretically and based on society’s criteria, I’m considered one of the top students. I got 95 % and joined the Engineering school (before shifting my career to content creation), and my experience was not that hard.

The last month before exams was undoubtedly stressful, and I used to study more smartly. However, it was entertaining, and I followed some tips that my teachers and older colleagues told me that made the month one of the most important periods of my life as I learned a lot through it.

As of now, we are almost a month away from the Thanaweya final exams 2022. So, I thought I should write my experience during that hard month of Thanaweya Amma as many can benefit from it.

So here are our tips for Thanaweya Amma students that we felt they need to hear now

But first, let us acknowledge that what worked for us doesn’t mean it would work for you. Hence, don’t take our experiences and tips as a rule but use them as a guide and take what you think would go right with you.

It may sound cliche, but manage your time smartly

Time management is one of the most important skills to help you save some time for yourself on a stressful day. We’re sure you have heard it multiple times before; however, we know it’s hard to achieve as it needs practice and a strong will. But, even if you don’t have the skill, still, you can do it.

It’s a stressful month, but you can take it to your advantage to be the experience you learn time management from.

 I made an activity log to see when are the times of the day when my concentration and productivity were at their peak. And after that, I made a to-do list to put the most important tasks in these times. And that saved me some time for my social life and entertainment.

Additionally, there are many time management techniques you can find on google. So all that you need now is to type “How to manage my studying time” in Google’s search bar and pick what suits you. 

Do not neglect the quality of sleep at night

In our judgmental society, we know that you may be compared to others (peer pressure) from your family. But you know that there is no need for these comparisons as it is unfair, so don’t bother focusing on whom you are compared to, especially this month. 

And you know, every year, we hear about those students who study all day with minimum sleeping hours. They are usually called the most hard-working students on earth. However, they are not. So don’t make yourself a robot who doesn’t deserve a rest and sleep at night, not in the morning, for a more comfortable sleep.

More importantly, Don’t study all day. Eat when you need to. Sleep when you need to. Wake up when you feel you slept enough (6 to 8 sleep hrs, ideally). Then, start studying whenever you feel you’re ready but keep in mind that it’s not a call to be lazy but smart and rational. 

Don’t bother who is studying more than you, getting marks better than you. Instead, just focus on yourself, your performance, and your grades. Don’t compare and save yourself time to improve the quality of your studying and sleeping.

Your mind needs a break. Your mind needs to entertain and forget about the stress for an hour at least before going to sleep.

I was doing that; I saved 2 hours each day before going to sleep to watch a movie or a series episode to help my mind sleep better and study more efficiently on the next day. 

That routine didn’t stop during the exam weeks.

Study smart, not hard

As we said, It’s not about time; it’s about the quality. So practice on previous exams, and ask for your teacher’s tips to check you are in the right way. And if you like studying in groups, you may ask your friends to study together. 

I remember this video was trending when I was in Thanaweya. It highly motivated me, and I highly recommend it for you to watch and rewatch whenever you feel demotivated to learn how important studying smart is.

Appreciate yourself

You are your only supporter, don’t give up on yourself. It’s a long stressful year. Yeah, we know it shouldn’t be like that; however, until things are better, you should appreciate that you are finding your way through all this. You are taking your exams during a pandemic where everything is not as before, in addition to the educational system that has been changing to reach out to the best form for Thanaweya and the other academic levels.

Remember that you’re doing what you are supposed to do. You’re doing your best to reach your goals. And whatever the result is, be proud of yourself and trust God.

In the end, you are a human, not a robot. Therefore, your mental health is important, and studying hard doesn’t mean studying all day but being smart with a high concentration.