Finals Week Study Tips
Happy almost finals week to all who celebrate! There is really only one good thing that comes with finals week- the end of the semester. When I was thinking about what to write for a blog post this week, all I could think about how much I have to do to finish off the semester strong. Honestly, I thought about taking the week off from posting so I could just focus on school- but then I thought why not share some ways to have the best finals week!
Start Studying as Early as Possible
I know every professor says this, but it really is true. I always try to start studying at least two weeks before an exam. This will allow you to give yourself time to freely look at the material and get familiar with it without feeling stressed that you need to memorize it all the first time you read it. Also, the fact that you aren’t pressured to study ten chapters in one night will make you more likely to want to study because you can go at your own pace stress free!
Make Study Sheets
I suggest that you find the kind of studying that works for you, but personally I love making study sheets. With these, I take a printer sized sheet of paper and write all of the main points from my notes on this one page of paper in different colors and box each section. I have learned that this works best for me over any other kind of studying because during an exam I am able to recall what color I wrote in and where the concept was on the paper. It is also nice because you can take a picture of this paper and set it as your phone background the day of the exam and quickly study on your way to class!
30 minutes on 5 minutes off
The duration of this can vary based on the activity and how into studying you get, but I have found that if i really don’t feel like studying, setting a small timer where I put my phone down and give my work my undivided attention is one of the things that work. This can either lead to me getting in the zone and wanting to work more, or the timer can go off and me still not want to work, but at least I got 30 mintues of work done! Either way it’s a win-win!
Change up your environment
This is a big one for me. I love studying in all kinds of places- my apartment, a coffee shop, the library, the pool, anywhere you can think of. Being in different places motivates me and gets me excited about going to study. Plus, based on where you go you can use a reward system. For instance, if you are going to a coffee shop, buy yourself a coffee or pastry. Or if you go to the pool, take the time to lay out and get a good tan! You deserve it!
Example Problems Example Problems Example Problems!
I used to think example problems were only useful for math classes, but boy was I wrong. No matter what the class is, example problems allow for you to get a grasp at what the teacher is going to ask during the exam and how those questions will be formatted, ESPECIALLY if the teacher is giving out example problems that they made themselves! Chance is those will be very similar to the questions on the exam!
If you take from take one thing from this blog post, I hope you realize that finding what works for you when it comes to studying is so important! Give yourself time and make it fun! You have worked too hard this semester for your last week to be full of stress and anxiety about an exam that will only last 90 minutes. Good luck!
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