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How To Stick To A Language Learning Routine During Exam Season

Let’s play a quick game to begin with. Spot the odd one out.


  • Rings of coffee staining desks.

  • A non-existent sleep schedule.

  • An incredibly frightening green owl.

  • Lunch becoming synonymous with Pot Noodles and Meal Deals.


Now, which one of these is incongruous with what we usually imagine when we think of exam season? As much as we would like to claim that we maintain our 5-a-day during this time, the reality is that the lovely (and passive aggressive) Duolingo owl is of course the odd one out.


Inevitably, when deadlines are looming and we spend more time in the library than our own bed, the last thing we think of adding to our already gargantuan to-do list is a quick session of tackling grammar in our target language.


As I’m being plunged head first into my first exam season at university, I’ve found that I’ve inadvertently adopted some tips on keeping up my languages (and on keeping that pesky owl at bay):

  1. Plan your fun. This first tip is slightly oxymoronic yet there is truth in it. We remember to meticulously plan according to our deadlines, and perhaps slot in any events we have coming up, but we very