It’s that time of year where finals are coming up. Many have less than a month until that dreaded week arrives. Finals week can be extremely stressful- It is more me to say the least. Some students have little to no exams or projects while others are drowning in four or more. It’s even worse when you have all of them within a few short days. No matter how many times you’ve taken finals, you can always improve on your studying habits and find ways to avoid stress.
Here are 11 ways to help prepare yourself for finals.
1. Sleep
I can’t stress this enough. You can’t study all night, sleep for an hour or two and do well on an exam. No exam matters more than your health. Getting enough sleep before an exam is crucial to do well. If you review the toughest material right before bed, it’s easier to recall the material later on.
2. Start ahead of time
Getting busy work out of the way can be a good thing. It provides more time for you to focus on difficult subjects rather than spending a majority of your time on things that aren’t as important or difficult.
3. Stop Cramming
Studying in intervals is a good thing. Spending 30-50 minutes on a subject is way more beneficial than trying to cram 4 chapters worth of material in one sitting. The distribution of learning over a time period benefits a long-term memory and retention. If you aren’t cramming, you’re able to set up a good studying schedule for each of your classes.
4. Go to Office Hours
If you don’t understand (or remember) something you’ve learned in class, go to office hours for your professor. If you can’t make your professors, go to another professor’s office hours. These people are here to help you. They are not there to see you fail (even though it feels like it sometimes).
5. Focus on harder subjects than easier
When you’re studying, figure out what you understand the most and what you don’t. You can spend less time on studying material that you really understand and then devote more of your time to harder
6. Minimize Distractions
Turn your phone off, social media sites, and STAY OFF OF NETFLIX. This was my biggest issue my freshmen year of college. All I did was watch Netflix and study very little. It didn’t turn out well. If you minimize your distractions, you have better focus and are able to get a good night of studying.
7. Parties
Some colleges, like Purdue, have a week before their “dead week” where there are a ton of parties, fun, and races. If you want to take part in it, do it! Don’t go overboard and forget to make sure your work is done. Work not, party later.
8. Make studying fun
You can make studying fun by quizzing yourself, creating games, using acronyms, or color coding it. There are great ways to help make studying fun and therefore allowing you to remember information.
Relax
Keeping your stress levels low is important. It’s good to focus on finals and projects, but don’t let it take over your life and cause more stress and anxiety.
Eat Healthy and exercise
Eating healthy and exercising can help you “keep your head.” It can help you control your stress levels as well as give you more energy that way you can study more efficiently. It’s a great way to help you maintain your focus and concentration on what you are studying.
Don’t rely on study guides and old exams
Most study guides are just a suggestion of what the main concepts are. They are great ways to help get you started on your studying, but they are not the only way to study. Read your notes, study guides, and the text that way you have an overall understanding of your subject.
