The most dreaded point in the semester has arrived: finals week. Your knowledge on everything you've learned is about to be tested. The immediate reaction is a complete freak-out, but remain calm and take some notes from Dr. Cristina Yang.
Try your best not to wait until the last minute to study.
We are all guilty of procrastination, but it is the worst thing you can do to yourself when it comes to studying for finals. You know Cristina didn't get her MD/PhD by putting her studies off. Plan out individual days or time blocks to study for different subjects. This way you won't have to cram all knowledge of the muscles in the body and chemical bonding theories into your head in one night. You don't want to end up like this the day of the exam.
Eat as many meals and snacks as you want before, during and after you study.
There’s nothing worse than studying on an empty stomach. Eating keeps your brain focused and gives you the energy to push through. So devour those cookies and dine on those mac 'n' cheese cups. Calories don’t count during finals, right?
Take breaks for 30-second dance parties.
Put on your favorite song and shake out all your frustrations. Let out the energy you've built up sitting and staring at your textbooks. Everybody needs a dance party every now and then.
Remember to reward yourself.
You're working like a mad person, reading a ton of material and answering hundreds of practice questions. You've earned some treats. Set up a reward system while you are studying to keep you motivated, i.e. one chapter studied gets you one candy bar. And after finals are over, treat yourself to a shopping spree or indulge yourself at the spa.
Allow yourself to have that mental breakdown.
Feel free to get your emotions and stress out by breaking down. It's unhealthy to let your feelings build up inside you. But have your moment and move on. Don't let the stress eat you alive or keep you from carrying on. Keep going, you can do it.
Have confidence going into the exam, because attitude is important.
Studies show that having a positive mindset and faith that you will pass when going to take an exam often results in a better grade. Take some notes from the queen of confidence and believe in yourself. You studied all day and night, you know the material. Put on your Cristina Yang act and kill that exam!
Know that doing poorly on the exam is not the end of your career.
Of course, you should strive to do well, but if for some reason things don’t go your way, don’t give up on your dreams. Use the unfortunateness as motivation to study harder next semester. Even the renowned Dr. Cristina Yang can't save every patient.
Now stop reading this article and hit the books.
