Study Methods You Can Do Completely for Free [University Entrance Exams]

Hello. I am KAI, a current Kobe University student.
In this post, I would like to introduce study methods and tools that I personally found useful when I was an examinee, all of which are completely free. (*Please note that while I say 'completely free,' this assumes you have a smartphone or computer.)

English Reading

Change your smartphone's system language to English

This is a simple way to increase your exposure to English. I think anyone can do this easily and right away.

English Listening

TED Talks

A YouTube channel where you can listen to lectures from various people around the world for free.
Personally, in addition to the videos mentioned above, I find
Angela Lee Duckworth: 'The Key to Success? Grit'・
Matt Cutts: Try something new for 30 days・
How to sound smart in your TEDx Talk | Will Stephen and others are easy to listen to and perfect for the level of the Common Test.
In this day and age, you can basically study listening for free thanks to social media. Though, you do need workbooks to actually practice for the Common Test.

Mathematics

Toshin Past Exam Database

You can view past exam questions for almost all subjects from various universities for free. While the answers and explanations can sometimes be a bit rough, I think it is useful for mathematics. Furthermore, not limited to just mathematics,about 30 years' worth of actual Center Test and Common Test exams are postedthere. This is incredibly helpful for cash-strapped examinees. Registration is required, but it is free.

Chopin-sensei's Math Room

This site provides solutions to math problems from major national universities (the former Imperial Universities), actually solved for both humanities and science tracks. Even if you forget your reference books at the library or study room and have no problems to solve, as long as you have a smartphone and WiFi, you can pick up problems from this site to solve or check the answers.

Modern Japanese

Modern Japanese: Foundation of Learning

This is the official website of Mr. Yoshiki Nakano, a super-amazing Modern Japanese instructor at Sundai.Objective Speed Reading Methodis a reading comprehension method for Modern Japanese created by Mr. Nakano, and the techniques are introduced here.
Also, since there are high-quality sample answers provided by Mr. Nakano, I think it is very helpful when solving descriptive questions (as of now, answers for the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Osaka University, and Kobe University are posted). I recommend printing out questions from the Toshin Past Exam Database mentioned earlier and using Mr. Nakano's answers as a reference.

Classical Chinese (Kanbun)

Develop a habit of thinking about the meaning of kanji in daily life

You can study Classical Chinese even in your daily life. For example, when you see the compound word '奔走' (honso), since both '走' and '奔' have the meaning of 'to run,' you might guess that '奔' can be read as 'hashiru' (to run) (these types of compound words are called renbun).

Other

Ashura's YouTube and Note

This is the Note and YouTube channel of Ashura, a test-taker who passed the University of Tokyo's Science III entrance exam after five years of ronin life. They share useful information regarding university entrance exams, such as exam theory and mental preparation, which I think you will find very helpful. It will significantly increase your clarity regarding the entrance exam process.
Personally, I highly recommend playing Ashura's past study streams in the background while you study, as it helps with concentration and increases your knowledge about exams.

Buying Reference Books on Mercari or at Used Bookstores

This isn't free, but buying reference books on Mercari or at used bookstores can be overwhelmingly cheaper than buying them new. Especially with older reference books, you can find them sold very cheaply used. Also, at used bookstores, you can occasionally find hidden gems.

Conclusion

I hope this was at least a little helpful.
I will write about the characteristics of each subject in another article.
See you next time!