The dreaded finals week. Whether you have eight finals, or one, you probably inevitably feel stressed. In this overwhelming time, I think everyone could use advice on how to deal with all of the studying and test taking.
1. Take a breath. But seriously, in the midst of all of the studying and running around trying to prepare, take a breath and just look around. Just calming your nerves and head for one minute could make the next hours of studying that much more productive and manageable.
2. Take study breaks. This seems like a big task, and trust me, I get that. But studying for 10 hours is sometimes much less beneficial than studying for two hours and taking a 30 minute break, then studying for 2 more. Your brain needs a break. Most people's body could not handle running for 10+ hours straight, and your brain cannot either.
3. Stay hydrated! Do not forget to drink water. Between those espresso shots and large coffees, water is hugely important. Not only will drinking water keep you hydrated, it has a refreshing effect that allows you to keep studying, and keep that energy up.
4. Space that studying out. Different from taking study breaks, this means don't leave all of your studying until one night. Not only is this bad for you time wise, this can sometimes cause information to get mixed up or lost in translation. Teachers always tell you this, especially psychology professors, but they are totally right. It is much less beneficial to do all of your studying at once, especially in a week like finals week where you have multiple tests.
5. Sleep. Sometimes you get to the point where you just are not absorbing any more information and you know it. At that point, sleep. Maybe take a 30 minute nap, or sleep for 8 hours. Whatever is best for you, you cannot put of sleeping. This affects your critical thinking, so for tests with written portions, this can be hugely detrimental.
6. Don't forget to eat. Eating, like drinking water will keep up your energy and help you stay focused. For some people, eating while you study can help them study. Get some candy, tell yourself every time you finish a page of that essay, or 10 questions on your study guide, you get five pieces of your favorite candy. Make an incentive so that studying doesn't seem so dreadful. But find time for healthy food too; eat protein in addition to carbs, carbs can sometimes make you more drowsy.
7. Do a quick refresher. It is always helpful just before a test to look over some of the concepts you couldn't quite grip last night. And this does not mean to study for two hours, maybe for 15-30 minutes just look over whatever you had the most trouble with when doing the bulk of your studying.
8. Finally, when walking into that test, have a positive attitude. Don't walk into the classroom thinking you're going to fail. You prepared as well as you saw fit for this test and you will do as well as you can! There is no use in going into the test already thinking how it will affect your grade (negatively or positively). Just think about the test and the material and crush it!
Good luck!
