How To Pass Your College Finals
Is it that time of the year again, where the sun is shining, flowers are in bloom but every college campus is brimming with stressed out students and low on sleep? Finals week are the most stressful time for any student whether in high school, graduate school or college.
Below are some of my favorite techniques that will help you get straight A’s on every exam.
The Ultimate Guide To Ace Final Exams
1.Start Studying As Much As You Can During All Hours
Oh, what is that? You need sleep. You have been studying for 22 hours without a break. Here is a fact, the only students who get straight A’s only live, eat and breathe school. You had better start cuddling up to that textbook because it is going to be a long night. Everyone knows that study breaks are for the weak. Create a list of every exam coming up and when you will sit for each exam. Use a calendar or planner (my favorite is Google Calendar) to block off times to study for each test separately.
2.Focus
Our brains literally cannot focus on more than one thing at a time. Just because you can eat, Facebook, and text at the same time does not mean that you can really concentrate. Studies show that our brains cannot multi-task. Multi-tasking kills productivity. When studying for your exams try going to the library by yourself, avoid all kinds of distraction, and study for at least 50 minutes at a time and focus on one test at a time.
Put away everything except for what you need for studying. Then do your study activities. After 50 minutes, you can take a 10-minute break, take a snack, walk around, talk to a friend then start again. I would recommend no more than 3 hours of studying.
3.Do Not Pull All-Nighters
The day prior to the exam should be the day you do the least amount of studying. In the days and weeks before you should be doing study activities and reviews. There are many books and online games (e.g. quizlet.com) you can use to make great study activities. You must create structures and activities so you do not feel overwhelmed.
Try taking quizzes a day or two before the exam to make sure that you can recall the information that you have been studying. Then you can study what you cannot recall after you "grade†your quiz.
4.Create Practice Tests
This is the most important activity that you should do when studying. This is the secret to scoring A’s on every exam. About 3 to 4 days before the test once you have reviewed create a practice test. By now you should have a basic idea of how your professor’s exam style.
Create the quiz in a way that will force you to recall the most important information you need to know for the test. The process of creating the quiz will sink the information deep into your brain. Then, after you take the quiz and grade yourself, you will be able to determine which information is stuck and which you need to study more. Focus more on what you cannot recall.
5.Visit Your Professor
Once you have done an initial review and at least 3 to 4 days before the test, visit your professor during office hours with a few questions to clarify the information that the exam will test. Even if you feel like you know all of it think of something to ask your professor. You can even review with the professor the topics you have been studying to confirm that you are not missing anything. Then listen carefully to what the professor says. When professors talk about tests they usually reveal the most important topics if you pay attention.
6.Only Study In A Group At The End
Studying with other people initially can be distracting. If you are a social learner, study by yourself first then when you get 90% of your practice test correct you can join a study group. The study’s group purpose should be talking about the test and reviewing the information verbally. This is appropriate for verbal and social learners who when talking about it really learn best.
However, if you do not learn best by talking about it then there is no need for a study group. If you need help, talk to a professor, visit the tutoring center or meet with a friend who has mastered the subject.
7.Make It Fun
It is easier to focus if you adapt studying by testing yourself, creating acronyms or rewarding yourself for a job well done. Create a game plan that allows you to accomplish tasks and get a reward for each.
For instance, why not reward yourself with a piece of chocolate or sip your coffee after you accomplish a new chapter or give yourself five minutes of free time for every chunk of material you digest. You can 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.
8.Relax On The Exam Day
On the exam day, eat the best breakfast you can get. Dress nicely, get at least 8 hours of sleep and do not study. By that time, you should be ready for the exam so you will not need to review. Keep your mind fresh. If you have done everything above on the list then you are ready. Trying to review your notes on that day will only make you overwhelmed and anxious. Plug in your iPod and listen to your favorite upbeat music, you can even blast it your car on your way to campus.
Take a walk around your campus before the exam to get blood pumping to your brain and to feel energized by the fresh air. Get to class 5 minutes early, put your books under the desk, turn off your phone, and just breathe.
When everyone else is freaking out around you, try to stay positive and do not engage in the last minute frantic studying. Sing your favorite song in your head and keep telling yourself that you will Ace the exam. Tell yourself that you are smart, prepared, and awesome at exams, great student; you know everything and that will score 100% on the exam.
Conclusion
After the exam walk back out to your car and put your books away. Now you are ready to enjoy the winter break. In addition, you are ready to relax because you are not worried about checking your grades since you know you got A’s. You can put another semester behind you and look forward to your future.