Since finals are approaching soon for those of us in school, I thought I'd make a list of useful study tips that can come in handy for those of us depending on a good score on finals to bump up our grade.

1. Invite your friends or don't

Studying with your friends can be a great way to hang out and get your studying done without having to spend hours locked up in your room alone. However, if you're the type of person who won't be able to focus on work while having fun then you're better of getting it done alone.

2. Create Mnemonics

Creating songs or rhymes are the easiest way to memorize information. Repeating the same facts over and over again are not as effective as remembering a mnemonic like LEO the lion says GER to understand Oxidation and Reduction reactions.

3. Flashcards/memory games

The best way to know whether you've really learned the material is to test your knowledge with flashcards or some game you can play with your friends to see whether you can remember everything you thought you did and if you can remember quickly enough to finish the test in time.

4. Spend more time on the right subjects

Before you start studying figure out what subjects you need to focus on. If you need a 80 to pass chemistry but only need 60 to pass psychology then you should spend more time on chem.

5. Separate what you know from what you don't

Considering the amount of time left until finals, you might not have enough time to go over everything you learned this year and it might be better to look over past exams and assignments to figure out where you made mistakes or what you've forgotten.

6. Have a bite of blueberries or chocolate for breakfast

Some foods have been shown to help enhance memory even though the extent to which they can help is questionable. However, it can't hurt to have some blueberry pancakes for breakfast before heading to a final.

7. Make sure to get adequate sleep

Sleep is another important component for memory. Aside from the fact that you won't be able to think as clearly while you're half asleep, your brain uses the time while you sleep to process what you learned during the day so getting enough REM or deep sleep can only help.

8. Don't cram

In order to make use of the other 7 tips, it's important to start studying at least a couple weeks before the actual final and not cram things the weekend or night before.