It's the time of the semester where college students start scrambling to boost their grades anyway they can.
Finals are the least favorite thing in the world for a college student, basically the enemy of all things. However, there are ways to conquer that beast, tame it and slay it.
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1. Create your own study guide.
Yeah, professors sometimes provide a study guide, but creating your own can help you understand the material better. Outlining the important information you need to learn can be helpful, both in creating and referring to your studies.
2. Ask questions.
Professors and TA's are there to help! Ask them questions regarding the material and the exam so you are prepared when the final arrives. This is what they are paid for! Use them!!
3. Attend a review session.
Review sessions sometimes offer vital information on exam format, what could be on the exam, and key concepts you should focus on while studying. Usually, anything said in these review sessions are free game when it comes to the test.
4. Start early.
If you always start ahead of schedule, you'll never find yourself cramming the night before an exam. You're more than likely to perform better on it than cramming for it the night before.
5. Organize a group study session.
It's almost always helpful to study in groups. However, you have to make the decision whether or not studying with other will benefit or hurt you for the subject you are studying. Pick wisely when forming these study groups!
6. Take breaks.
You won't be able to memorize or comprehend all the material at once, balance is key- reward learning with break times to recharge and relax.
7. Create a study schedule and follow it.
Splitting the material into chunks you can actually study can be very beneficial. By splitting up material, you can keep track of what you have accomplished instead of looking at what you haven't done and becoming overwhelmed.
8.Quiz yourself.
If you think about and create actual exam questions, you will become more familiar with what you need to study and familiarize yourself with the type of language that will be on the exam. Draft potential exam questions and quiz yourself so that you can know what to focus on.
9. Reorganize your notes.
Evaluate and reorganize your notes into what’s important, outlining important concepts; formulas, dates, and definitions so they’re easy to understand.
10. Revolve your focus.
Switching up your subjects is a helpful way to learn everything for your exams while preventing burnout on one topic. Make sure to switch it up before your eyes glaze over! That way, you can keep studying for longer periods of time while maintaining your focus.
11. Make it fun.
It’s easier to focus if you adapt to studying by quizzing yourself, creating acronyms, or rewarding yourself for a job well done. Create a game plan – literally – that allows you to accomplish tasks and be rewarded for each.
For example, why not reward yourself with a piece of chocolate or a sip of your coffee after you’ve accomplished a new chapter or allow yourself five minutes of free time for every chunk of material you digest?
You can even add in fun factors like power-ups every time you learn a new definition and lose a life, which means you add another definition to your list, when you get an answer wrong!
And there you have it. Hopefully these tips will work for you and help your study process go smoother.
Good Luck on finals
