Do Not Study All at Once
- Its impossible to learn everything at once
- Cramming does not equate into learning
- You are more likely to forget than to remember
One of the worse things you can possibly do leading up to your final exams is to cram the week before the exams are about to start (Fry, 2000) . You are basically attempting to squeeze several months worth of learning into the span of a few days. This will not yield beneficial results, it is better to study the weeks leading up to the finals rather than on the week preceding it.
Try to Avoid Distractions
- Television shows, video games and fiction books (ex: Harry Potter) are not conducive towards proper learning for your finals.
When preparing for your finals, try to remove as many distractions as you can from your immediate surroundings (Minbashian, Huon & Bird, 2004). This includes television, video games and books that you enjoy. You will have plenty of time to enjoy them after you finish with your tests.
Do not forget to eat properly
- Students have a tendency to neglect their health prior to their final exams
- This will do more harm than good.
- Large amounts of coffee cannot replace good food.
In an effort to study as much as possible, students develop the tendency to neglect their health leading up to the finals by drinking large amounts of coffee, sugary drinks and other similar study aides to help them cram well into the night. Doing so is a terrible idea since you are more likely to arrive in your exam room overly dependent on coffee. Eat a balanced diet and only drink a marginal amount of coffee while studying.
Try to relax, do not become overly stressed
- One common site in various university campuses is the sight of stressed students when finals are within a week
- Learn to relax, your performance will actually improve
Stress is actually a good de-motivator rather than something that contributes to positive study habits. It is due to this that it is advisable that students learn bit by bit over the course of several weeks in order to avoid stress prior to the start of finals week (Fry, 1999). This will help immensely with your overall outlook leading up to the exams.
Study Groups can be fun!
- Try to create a study group with people that are in the same class
- Sharing information and questioning each other can do wonders!
Study groups are an effective means of learning the material that will appear in your test. You can bounce ideas off each other and even create short quizzes that can help you test what you have learn. Overall, they are quite fun and can actually make studying less tiresome than it is.
Avoid Social Media
- Social media can distract you from studying properly
- You can always look at your social media after the tests are over
The problem with social media is that it produces are veritable flood of information that overwhelms the senses. It is a continuous source of distractions and, as such, it is better to leave it alone or reduce the amount of time you spend on social media websites (Hollister & Berenson, 2009).
Get enough sleep
- Not getting enough sleep will do more harm than good
- Sleep is necessary for the brain to properly process what you have learned
Proper sleep is absolutely essential for the learning process. If you do not get enough of it, it is likely that you will arrive in your exam room absolutely exhausted and will be unlikely to concentrate on the tests. Getting enough sleep and study when your mind is awake enough to actually comprehend what you are reading.
Use the Internet to Clarify Concepts
- The internet is a good source of information for clarifying certain facts
- You can always do a quick search for terms you do not understand
While it can be a source for distractions, the internet is also a veritable fountain of information that you can search to find a wide assortment of different topics. It is due to this that you can use it to look up information that you do not understand to help find a simpler means by which it was elaborated on. This can help in speeding up your rate of studying and will enable you to properly understand what you are learning in the first place.
Relax the day before
- You should not study the day before your finals
- Relax and rest your mind
- A well rested mind is a mind that works properly
The day before your finals should be a day where you rest and relax. Your brain needs time to process everything you have learned and you need to de-stress before your exam. As such, relax on this day and try to get enough sleep so that you are all set to do a good job!
Make a habit of going to the bathroom before entering the exam room
- Go to the bathroom before your exam
- No, you will not be allowed to go in the middle or until you finish
There is always a sign in the exam room that states that no bathroom breaks are allowed. It goes without saying that you should take care of any “business” prior to entering the classroom. Though this may seem obvious, there are actually students that disregard this rule and pay for it by being unable to concentrate on their exams.
Reference List
Fry, R. W. (1999). The Great Big Book of How to Study. Franklin Lakes, N.J.: Career Press.
Fry, R. W. (2000). How to Study. Franklin Lakes, NJ: Career Press.
Hollister, K. K., & Berenson, M. L. (2009). Proctored Versus Unproctored Online Exams: Studying the Impact of Exam Environment on Student Performance. Decision Sciences Journal Of Innovative Education, 7(1), 271-294.
Minbashian, A., Huon, G. F., & Bird, K. D. (2004). Approaches to studying and academic performance in short-essay exams. Higher Education, 47(2), 161-176.