The end of the semester is finally here! With finals soon approaching, and everyone starting to stress, I thought what better time to list my top 5 study strategies that help me make it through finals week(s).
1. Make a Plan
Before you go to sleep, a great idea is to write out on a little post-it what you want to get accomplished in the next study session, next day or even in the next week and stick it somewhere you will remember. I know a lot of people struggle with procrastination and I find that it is much harder to procrastinate when you plan and what you need to get done is staring you right in the face! I currently have two sticky notes on either side of my mouse pad on my computer. One details my goals for finals in total and my major goals for the upcoming weeks, while the other details my goals for what I want to accomplish during my next study session.
2. Go Over Old Exams
Something I find to be very successful for me is to review my old exams and try and understand what, at that point, I did not. It is very difficult to learn new topics if you do not even remember the basics! So try and make sure you feel confident with the old exam information, then add in the new stuff!
3. Make Index Cards
I LOVE index cards! I'm sure everyone has been told to use them, but I am not sure how many people actually do. I am in a physics class where we are not given a formula sheet so I have to memorize what feels like 200 formulas! Index cards help me to categorize each formula with each topic and make these formulas feel more like only 10.
If you review these index cards once in a while during the day and then once before you go to sleep every night leading up to the exam, by the time your final comes, you will be surprised how much you actually remembered!
4. Do Practice Questions
In my opinion, the best way to prepare for a final is similar to how you would prepare for an upcoming sporting event; practice, practice, practice. If you can get your hands on any old final exams this is typically super helpful. My chemistry professor releases two practice final exams, one from 2015 and one from 2016. Personally, I like to do the 2015 one very casually, looking up what I don't understand and taking notes on anything I need to. Then for the 2016 exam, I will wait until I feel fully prepared and understand all the other practice questions, and then I like to recreate a test setting for myself. This lets me feel the pressure of the final and lets me practice not only the chemistry but also my test taking. This strategy helped me do well on exams all semester and will hopefully lead to success for finals as well!
5. Sleep!
The night before the exam, the absolute best thing to do is go to sleep early! At this time, you have put the work in that you needed and there really is not much more you can do. The best thing is to let your body and your mind rest so that you are fully focused and alert during the exam. By this point, you know what you know, and you are best off letting your mental state be at its peak processing level, which will maximize your success on the exam!
6. Have Confidence!
When you walk into the exam, you should have confidence in knowing that you did everything you could possibly do to do well on this exam. Begin the exam with confidence in yourself and believe in yourself! YOU CAN DO IT!!
Good luck on finals everyone! You can do it! And congratulations on finishing another semester!!
