Love them or hate ‘em, final exams are a necessary part of your academic career. Finals are often the cause of much stress and worry and studying for these important exams can be tricky because it can be hard to figure out
how to study for different classes.
Don’t worry though; here are some tips to help you ace those finals!
Determine a Study Schedule and Stick to It
The first step to doing well on your finals is to establish a realistic study schedule a few weeks before your exams that you can stick to. The best way to construct this study plan is to create a calendar of all prior activities and events and dedicate a few hours a week for studying. Consider these study session as important events to avoid procrastination.
Prioritize Difficult Classes
You should also evaluate how much time you need to study for a subject depending on difficulty of the exam and decide how long before the exam to start studying.
For example, if you struggle in math, it would make more sense to allot more time to study for and truly understand the material you learned in math. A class that you excel at may need less time to prep for. Assess where you are regarding knowledge of course material and create a schedule you can stay consistent with.
Get Organized
Studying can be a daunting task if you do not know where to begin. The most effective way to combat this is to organize all your notes and worksheets. Organizing all your work for that class will make it that much easier when studying.
Create Clear and Effective Notes or Study Guides
Making sure you have clear and comprehendible notes to study from is crucial. If you already have notes for a particular class, that’s great! Study those notes to refresh your memory on all material covered in that class, or create a personalized study guide. If you are using a textbook to study, creating customized notes on important information is vital to reduce the amount of time you will spend flipping through the textbook.
Join Study Groups or Study with Friends
Some students learn very well in a social atmosphere whereas other students do their best studying alone. Hopefully, you know by now whether you would be more productive studying in a group or by yourself.
If you do study better with friends or in a group, it might be a good idea to meet up with some classmates at the library or some other area to study for a certain subject together. You can exchange study tips, help clarify confusing topics, or quiz each other. You also have the option of finding study groups at your school, library, or another academic institute on the topic you are studying.
Come Up with Effective Ways to Study
After reviewing all prior notes and worksheets, coming up with some creative ways to study can be a great way to reinforce the information you gained from your notes. Flashcards are an incredibly helpful and easy way to study as they highlight the most important information and help strengthen information you may have a hard time remembering.
Some students may benefit from online practice tests or questions, creating acronyms to memorize more difficult information, or making their study time into a game if that helps you. Find a study method that works best for you and utilize that to your advantage!
Remember, the number one thing you can do to be successful in finals is to
start studying early!
