When it comes to finals, life is stressful and at times you just feel like giving up. Don't do that. You need to push through it and work hard. I know it is easier said than done, but you just have to believe in yourself. Below I have some tips on how to properly study for finals.
1. Remain calm while studying
While it might seem appropriate to scream and cry over the stress studying causes you, don't. When you feel yourself getting stressed out, take a moment to take a deep breath and remind yourself that you need to have a calm and focused mind to study.
2. Turn off all distractions
While studying for your finals, it is best to turn off all distractions. Unless you find it easier to study with background noise from your tv or having music playing in the background, turn it off. Also, put your phone on do not disturb or completely turn it off in order to keep yourself distraction free for the time being.
3. Don't Panic.
I repeat. Do not panic. Everything will be fine in the end. If you start panicking, take a small break and get a drink or a snack. Make sure you calm yourself down before starting to study again. You won't be able to take in the material you are trying to memorize if you are freaking yourself out over it.
4. Don't cram.
When studying for finals (or any test honestly), it is best to not cram it all in the night before. Start studying at least five - seven nights before your final exam. If you try to cram it all in the night before, I promise you won't do well because you won't be able to obtain the information in your head fast enough. It is easier to study a few days ahead of time.
5. Get plenty of rest.
Do not listen to Patrick. Sleep is one of the most important parts of studying for finals. You need to have the proper rest in order to be able to be 100% focused in your studying.
6. Create your own study guide or flash cards.
If you think it will help you, create your own study guide based off of the information that you think will be on the test or things that you find important from your class notes. "But everything looks important!" Yes, I know. Just avoid doing this
and only highlight the key points of either different chapters in your text book or your class notes. Once you have some things highlighted, transition them into either your own study guide or some flashcards. Another tip: use different colored flash cards for different subjects.
7. Try creating a study group
Sometimes it doesn't quite work out, but you could also try getting together with a few classmates and create a study group for your final. It could possibly help you memorize the information more.
8. Go to bed early the night before.
I know I already mentioned the sleep part, but I just want to point out how important it is to go to bed a little early the night before so you can feel fully rested when you go to take your final exam. You do not want to fall asleep while trying to take your exam.
