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The 5 Best Studying Tips For Finals

With finals coming up, here is a short list detailing the best ways to prepare for your exams.

May 16, 2019

Finals are here once again, and they will arrive whether we are or are not prepared. Fortunately there are some small tips that can go a long way towards being successful on these heavily weighted tests. Here's the best 5 tips to help get a good grade on even the most difficult finals.

1. Take Good Notes

The key to doing well on any exam is to try to make it to every class and take good, detailed notes. Sometimes professors don't include tiny but important details in the slides that get uploaded so it is important to make sure that you write down as much as possible, not to mention that it has been proven that writing something down helps immensely with your ability to remember that information.

2. Read The Book

It is not uncommon for classes to rarely reference the textbook, or in many cases just use it to assign homework. It may seem that the entirety of the information you need for exams would be taught in class, but textbooks can actually help in many ways. Going through the chapters on the final from the book can give you a different perspective on the subject matter then the one that the professor taught from. Additionally, referencing the text for a class can help reinforce the baseline of the concepts covered in lecture, allowing you a deeper understanding of the material, which helps raise confidence in your knowledge when exam time finally comes.

3. Reference Previous Exams

Since most final exams tend to be cumulative, it is extremely helpful to return to the exams you have previously taken in the class. This can help you familiarize yourself with the format of the questions that the professor likes to give, as well as refreshing your knowledge on the most important topics from earlier in the semester. Even if the exam is not cumulative, being familiar with the format is an extremely important part of doing well on an exam.

4. Use Sample Exams Sparingly

It is very common for professors to hand out, or post online, a sample exam containing questions similar to the ones that may be on the exam. It is very tempting to use these exams with their solutions without doing any hard studying. It is very important to go through the sample exam without the solutions and, at the very least, attempt each problem before looking at each solution. When looking at the solutions first, you may instill a sense of false confidence in yourself as the answers seem obvious because they are right in front of you. This could lead to you being very confused when faced with a slightly more difficult problem on the actual exam, whereas if you attempted the problems without the solutions you will be more prepared to deal with problems you may not immediately know the answer to.

5. Take Breaks

This tip could be the most important of all. Many students feel like they have to cram for their exams in many-hour studying sessions, but that can actually cause you to do worse on the exam. It is important to take frequent breaks, recommended 5 minutes for every 30 minutes of studying, to help rejuvenate and relax your brain to help retain information better. Whether it is 5 minutes of listening to your favorite songs, doing jumping jacks, or going to get a snack, taking a break can help you de-stress for when you return to the studying grind.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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The 5 Best Studying Tips For Finals

With finals coming up, here is a short list detailing the best ways to prepare for your exams.

1. Take Good Notes

2. Read The Book

3. Reference Previous Exams

4. Use Sample Exams Sparingly

5. Take Breaks

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10 ways to prepare for finals week—beginning with getting to the library.

Who knows where we would be without them.

1. Thank you for laughing at my jokes, even when they really aren’t funny.

2. Thank you for singing unbearably loud with me all the time.

3. Thank you for letting me vent to you for hours about anything and basically being my personal therapist.

4. Thank you for ordering pizza with me at 2 in the morning.

5. Thank you for all the movie days when we don’t feel like moving.

6. Thank you for being my workout buddy everyday.

7. Thank you for sharing your closets with me.

8. Thank you for taking naps with me at random hours during the day.

9. Thank you for cleaning our home with me when we absolutely need to.

10. Thank you for all the rides when it’s late and you don’t want me to walk home alone in the dark.

11. Thank you for studying with me in our kitchen when we didn't want to go the library.

12. Thank you for making dinner with me.

13. Thank you for helping with my hair, makeup and outfit every time we go out.

14. Thank you for taking countless ugly pictures with me.

15. Thank you for not judging me when I go too long without showering.

16. Thank you for making our apartment feel like a second home.

17. Thank you for being there through all of our boy troubles.

18. Thank you for giving me a hug when I feel homesick.

19. Thank you for getting excited with me when one of us gets a good grade on an exam.

20. Thank you for still being my friend and not judging me when I say or do dumb things.

21. Thank you for telling me what I should do when I am sick.

22. Thank you for dancing horribly with me everywhere we go.

23. Thank you for staying up super late with me when we aren’t tired or can’t sleep.

24. Thank you for being super weird with me.

25. Thank you for all the unforgettable college memories.

26. And most of all, thank you for being the best friends a girl could have.

I may or may not be stressing right now.

1. "What do I have to study for?"

2. "What class do I need to study for the most?"

3. "I’m going to ace this."

4. "Focus!"

5."I have no idea what I'm reading."

6. "I should call my smart friend about this."

7. "I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail."

8. "I’m dropping out of school."

9. "What grade do I have to get on the final to pass the class?"

10. "Oh, no, I have to do good."

11. "I shouldn’t have procrastinated all semester."

12. "I wanna go to bed."

13. "We did not learn this!"

14. "I should go get food."

15. "Why do we even have finals?"

16. "I don’t want to be at the library."

17. "Get off your phone."

18. "I can watch Netflix for like 20 minutes and then go back to studying."

19. "I shouldn’t have watched Netflix."

20. "You have to study now!"

The "Happiest Place on Earth" has a lot of characters with some pretty great advice.

Remember you’re the one who can fill the world with sunshine. — Snow White

The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it. — Rafiki

You don't have time to be timid. You must be bold and daring. — Lumière

If watching is all you're gonna do, then you're gonna watch your life go by without ya. — Laverne

Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one. — Grandmother Willow

Always let your conscience be your guide. — Jiminy Cricket

To infinity and beyond. — Buzz Lightyear

Life is a journey to be experienced, not a problem to be solved. — Pooh

Let it go. — Elsa

If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all. — Thumper

Today's special moments are tomorrow's memories. — Genie

It's a time of love, family, memory-making, and gift-giving. But also a time of stressing over the perfect gift.

Money

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