Exam Study Expert: ace your exams with the science of learning

We catch up with Australian high schooler Rose from Episode 69, one year on, to hear about the impressive transformation she'd pulled off, and break down just how she did it. Learn the strategies she used to go from a C grade to an A grade in less than a year! * Hosted by William Wadsworth, memory psychologist, independent researcher and study skills coach. I help ambitious students to study...

Today’s episode brings you the solution to those toughest of memory challenges: by the end, you’ll have a toolkit of handy mnemonic tricks to help you learn those hardest-to-remember bits of your course. This is Part 6 of this special 8-part series on "How To Study Effectively" (abbreviated to H2SE in show titles).  If you haven't already listened to Part 1 (broadcast as Episode 66...

Discover how aspiring barrister Charlie passed his notoriously challenging law exams using techniques from the Exam Study Expert podcast. A story of success by studying smarter, not harder; how to achieve at the highest level in academic exams WITHOUT working all night! * Hosted by William Wadsworth, memory psychologist, independent researcher and study skills coach. I help ambitious students to s...

Today, we’re talking about practice questions and past exam paper questions: a wonderfully effective study strategy that should always play a role in your exam prep. Includes 4 of my favourite creative strategies to study with practice questions - for advanced users only! This is Part 5 of this special 8-part series on "How To Study Effectively" (abbreviated to H2SE in show titles).  If...

"I have never been a super great academic kid" - the multi-year story of how Michael turned his academic life around. From failing school to top 1% in the country, studying pure mathematics at University. * Hosted by William Wadsworth, memory psychologist, independent researcher and study skills coach. I help ambitious students to study smarter, not harder, so they can ace their exams wi...

Do you like to write notes? They’re incredibly popular with students at high school, college, university and just about anywhere else you need to study for exams. The problem is that note-making or writing summaries are pretty terrible ways to get information into memory. In this episode, I offer you an upgrade to supercharge your limp old standard note-making technique and turn into a roaring dra...

The Exam Study Expert student stories series: showing you how real students achieve real success in real exams using the strategies we teach on the podcast. Today, meet finance professional Divine from the Bahamas, who used the flashcards study strategy to devastating effect to achieve a spectacular 95% in her accounting exams, putting her in the top 1% / 2% of candidates.  All the more impressive...

I LOVE studying with flashcards. Used well, they’re astonishingly effective, especially for very knowledge-dense subjects like medicine or science. But using them well is not trivial: today, I break down my 14 top "DOs and DONTs" for becoming a flashcard wizard - and mastering your memory! Part 3 of this special 8-part series on "How To Study Effectively" (abbreviated to H2SE i...

Our student stories series: a dose of inspiration plus actionable tips from those who've turned their academic fortunes around, overcome obstacles and achieved success in difficult circumstances. Today, discover how Australian high schooler Rose started to win in maths using the power of mindset and study strategies like memory journaling. Rose's attitude and maturity when it comes to se...

This week, perhaps the simplest study strategy of all: how to use blank page retrieval to memorise lots of information, fast. Discover blank page retrieval ("brain dumps"), plus my signature Memory Journalling strategy which is built around blank page retrieval. Part 2 of this special 8-part series on "How To Study Effectively" (abbreviated to H2SE in show titles). If you haven...

Today, we meet maths graduate Katie, who tells her student story. Discover how a high-flying high-schooler found success at University, after initially pulling out of her course. Today's lessons include: Not being too competitive (see also Episode 43 with Dr Erika Patall on study motivation) How to persevere and "trust the process" in maths (see also Episode 4 with Joachim Cassel) T...

New to the podcast? Start here! An overview of all the most important things I'd want you to know about studying effectively for exams: Prioritisation: "Know Where You’re Going" Mindset: "Know You Can Get There" Routine / Time Management: "Make Time For The Journey" Focus / Concentration: "Eyes On The Road When Driving" Learn Faster: With The Power Of R...

In this episode, I share lessons from the 8 biggest "turning point" moments from my time as a student at Cambridge: The 4 things I got RIGHT in my student days (either through good planning - or good luck!) - the factors that contributed most strongly to graduating with a top degree (First Class Hons) from a notoriously tough course. The 4 things I wish I'd done differently! Knowing...

Originally broadcast as Episode 27. A "Lazy Genius" Guide To Student Life with Kendra Adachi in September 2020. Rebroadcast August 2021 as part of our "Summer Rewind" season. * * * NY Times bestseller Kendra Adachi is here to talk us through how we can be a "lazy geniuses" about student life: being "genius" about what matters and "lazy" about every...

In this episode, we’re delighted to welcome Dr Adam Putnam, who is an assistant professor at Furman University, to share his fascinating insights about: - Mnemonic techniques: widely misunderstood but can be powerful tools - Retrieval practice, and how to implement it effectively - A psychologist’s perspective on the art of focus and productivity. * Links and resources mentioned in this episode in...

Originally broadcast as Episode 1. You CAN Do This: Mindset For Exam Success With Lucy Ratcliffe, in March 2019. . Rebroadcast July 2021 as part of our "Summer Rewind" season. * * * We're delighted to welcome Lucy Ratcliffe, mindset and performance coach to elite performers, to share her incredible wisdom with us, and show how students at school, college and university how to stay p...

Best of the September 2020 - June 2021 season: six of the most interesting, inspirational and downright useful moments from our guest interviews this year, to help you study smarter and ace your exams! Featuring highlights from conversations with: 1. Dr Erika Patall - Study Motivation What works and what doesn't when it comes to getting motivated to study? Full episode: #43, https://examstudy...

Increase your productivity and efficiency, learn faster, and ace your exams with the help of these cunning and non-obvious tricks and shortcuts! Now, that's clever! Hosted by William Wadsworth, memory psychologist, independent researcher and study skills coach. I help ambitious students to study smarter, not harder, so they can ace their exams with less work and less stress. BOOK 1:1 COACHING...

The art of teamwork, and how to ace group assignments at school and university: How to pick the right people: do you go for the most skilled teammates or the ones you get on with best? The questions to ask yourselves to establish a high-functioning group culture from the outset What to do if someone isn’t pulling their weight How to make the right decisions as a team Handling courageous conversati...

Get the companion book to today's episode: "Outsmart Your Exams" at https://geni.us/exams ! In today's episode, I'll be sharing 22 "top tips" taken from the book, including: - How to master your mindset - Keys to written answers to get top scores - How to create an exam gameplan for success - Memory recall secrets to guarantee great results No more “couldn’t reme...

How to concentrate on your studies? I’m going to be talking to one of the world’s leading authorities on how to manage your attention, and focus on what really matters to you, Professor Stefan van der Stigchel. We’ll be walking through an entire day of concentration to show you step-by-step what you can do to help maximise your focus, including: “Attention rituals” – learning from Darwin and Beeth...

Boost motivation. Sharpen focus. Overcome procrastination. Could all this really be possible through the Pomodoro Technique? Join us today to go beyond the basics and discover exactly how to use this powerful technique. A guide to the Pomodoro method for advanced users! For more, see https://examstudyexpert.com/pomodoro-method/ * Hosted by William Wadsworth , memory psychologist, independent resea...

Wish you could concentrate harder or for longer? James Lang’s book Distracted took the world of education by storm: he’s here to share his top tips on overcoming distraction and maximising concentration. Read more with James’ book: “Distracted: Why Students Can’t Focus And What You Can Do About It” - get your copy from Amazon at https://geni.us/distractedbook *. Discover more at: http://jamesmlang...

How to cope when it feels like there's just too much to get done, and too few hours in the day! This is my two-stage prescription for study overwhelm, for getting back on top of life when you can't see how you're going to fit it all in. Tune in, and take back control of your to-do list today! For personalised help getting in control of YOUR to-do list and study plans , find out how...

The chemistry of your brain is everything to how you think, learn and focus. You might have heard of some of these molecules - like adrenaline, cortisol and dopamine - but how much do you know about how they work? Find out in today’s fascinating conversation, and discover how you can harness your brain’s chemistry to help YOU study smarter! With Ginny Smith, author of Overloaded ( https://geni.us/...