As the chill of the seemingly never-ending winter subsides, the familiar excited anticipation before summer sets in. But before we all get to jet off to jobs at the beach or internships in glass buildings, we must overcome the final hurdle of finals. The last make or break moment of the year.
Finals can either be the big push you needed to boost your B to an A, or it can be the thing that undermines a whole semester's worth of sleepless nights at the library. That is why I have prepared a small but impactful list to facilitate the most beneficial finals season.
The first and arguably the most important step is the give yourself the proper time needed before hand to prepare. This means that instead of cramming in the night before a 12 hour study session, give yourself a full week (or two if you're really feeling crazy) to plan and organize what you need to accomplish.
Your chances of retaining information when you're only studying a chapter or two a night is significantly higher than it would be if you studied it all in one night. Having this elongated time frame reduces your pressure and provides ample time to seek out additional office hours or reach out to classmates if you're struggling.
This transitions into my second tip, which would be to organize and schedule group study sessions for you and your classmates. Even if you know that you learn and work better on your own, this additional study time can be crucial towards your exam grade. Having the support and additional knowledge/feedback of your peers reinforces the topics your learning and provides added information. No matter how good your notes are, its nearly impossible to catch every bit for an entire semester; having a group meeting allows you to collaborate notes and make sure you're covering all of your ground.
Additionally, being able to verbally discuss a topic is integral for comprehension and information retention. Switching it up from the internal monologue which comes from studying alone, being in a group allows you to hear yourself speak out loud, which guarantees that the way you're explaining something makes sense not only to you but to other people. This will ensure that any written portion of your exam is executed to the best of your ability.
To further ensure any written questions are properly answered, come up with some potential questions that might be asked (looking at the larger themes of the course) and practice writing out answers. This will give you added confidence when it comes down to the actual test.
The last tip is to genuinely trust yourself and set yourself up to be able to demonstrate the knowledge that you have acquired this semester. This means that you should be going to sleep at a reasonable hour before your exam and eating a full breakfast that morning. Your brain needs sleep to recharge and recover, sleeping will make you wake up refreshed and ready. The same principle applies for eating a proper breakfast. Even if you can normally get away with skipping this meal or just having a bit of coffee, your brain is a muscle and needs fuel to function at the best of its ability. Even if you have studied every little bit, if you walk into your exam sleep deprived and hungry, you won't be thinking and functioning to your best ability.
Giving yourself the tools, time and resources to facilitate a smooth exam season will provide you a platform to succeed and finish the semester strongly. So try not to stress TOO much, and get ready to ace some finals!
