Every college student worries about at least one thing each semester. That one thing we all worry about are finals. Yes, final EXAMS! When it comes to most final exams, students are forced to remember everything that they have went over in the entire semester. With that you must be prepared! With my final exams approaching I wanted to give the top seven most important tips for final exams!
1. Make Sure Notes Are Organized
One of the most important parts of passing your final exams are your notes. When taking your notes, you want to be sure that you write down all key information. When writing down all the information make sure you have somewhat of an order to your notes. If your notes are written all scattered around, you may not understand when you go back to review. Also, make sure your notes are sorted out in an order when in your notebook. If you have an open note exam you want to be able to flip to where you need to go quickly.
2. Make Out a Study Plan
Next, you want to make sure you have a study plan. Most of the time when it comes to final exams you will have all exams for all your classes in one week. You want to be sure to spread out your study time between all classes without overloading yourself. For example, I begin studying for finals three weeks before the exam. I will then split up my classes into two a day. Say I take four classes; Math, English, Science, and History, I will then split those into two a day. Math and English Monday, Wednesday and Friday while Science and History on Tuesday and Thursday. I would then review material for 45 minutes for each class with a 15-minute break in between. The breaks and non-long periods of time make sure my brain doesn’t get overloaded. You do not want to over whelm yourself because then you may forget material.
3. Study Old Tests and Quizzes
Most of the time when it comes to final exams they are made up of questions off your old tests and quizzes. Make sure throughout the semester that you keep up with old tests and quizzes. Also, after you are given back your old tests and quizzes make corrections to the questions that you missed. Having the correct answers is important to ensure you pass. You do not want to study incorrect information.
4. Eating Properly
I know this is going to sound crazy but not only is it important to eat good the morning of your final but, it is also a good idea to eat well the night before. Just like you cannot test properly hungry, you cannot sleep properly either. When you are hungry you do not function well and you need to be able to focus and function when taking your final exam.
5. Sleeping Well
Sleep is very, very important when it comes to final exams. Without sleep you will not be able to focus on your exam. You need to be wide awake and able to give it your all on exam day. For example, if you only sleep four hours the night before your exam your brain is going to be too tired to function. You need a good seven to nine hours of sleep the night before exams.
6. Follow Directions
When you begin your exam the first thing you need to do is follow the directions (after writing your name of course). The directions will be your road map of the test. When you read the directions, highlight or underline the important words so you remember what you need to be doing. After reading what you need to do, do each question to the best of your ability as told to do.
7. Take Your Time
Finally, the last thing to remember when taking a final exam or any exam is to take your time. You do not want to rush when testing because then you may mess up. It is important to remember that an exam is not a race and that going slow will have better results than rushing. Start off by reading all questions and doing the ones you know and then going back to do the ones you struggled with so you have more time to work on them.
Taking a final exam can be very stressful for college students. Knowing that this grade could majorly affect your grade makes you want to do well on the test. The major things to remember when taking a final is manage your time, sleep well, and breathe. The more you plan the better you do. The results are in your hands.
