Finals season has come and while it usually makes us want to curl into a ball and cry, there are things we can do to turn those frowns upside-down. Finals doesn’t have to be as scary as it seems. Besides, at the end of the week and a half, we get to go home, binge watch every show on Netflix, and (in the case of fall semester) get ready for the holidays. Here is a study-guide to get you through this hard time and come out of it successful, healthy, and happy.
1. Create Mnemonic devices to aid in studying. Mnemonic devices are helpful to your memory and recall, especially at a time where you’re being forced to take as many as five exams that can be spread out in as little as two to eight days. That’s a lot of material and not a lot of time. There are different forms of Mnemonics that are helpful in different ways. Using an expression or sentence is helpful in memorizing lists or parts of something. The easiest example is the one used for taxonomy. King Phillip Came Over For Great Sandwiches. Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species. Of course the things we need to remember are more complicated than this, but using this Mnemonic device can help you be reminded of the first letters of each word and then be able to recall the words you need to know. Another type of mnemonic device you can use would be to create a silly song. For example, there’s a song called the 50 Nifty United States that helps students learn the 50 states in alphabetical order. A third type is where you create a name using the first letters of the words you need to remember. It’s similar to the expression on, only instead of creating a word per letter, you combine the letters you have and make a name. For example, people remember the colors of the rainbow by remembering Roy G. Biv.
2. Teach someone. A great studying tactic is to gather your notes/study materials and teach someone (a friend) what you should know for this exam. Go into as much detail as you need to. Even if you have to look at your notes while doing so, the act of speaking the information out loud and having to explain to someone what it all means does a lot in terms of studying. If you do not have someone to physically sit there while you teach, create a PowerPoint that has all the information you need to know and go through it as if you were teaching someone, including talking out loud. It helps out your memory a lot when you say what you need to know aloud and keep repeating it. Repetition is key, the more times you go over the material, the more you remember it.
3. Form study groups. They are helpful throughout the studying process. When you really need to ask someone a questions but already emailed your professor 23 times, it’s nice to be able to ask someone that doesn’t sound like they’re fed up with you. Maybe it’s best to go to your professor with questions, but asking a peer might get you the same answer quicker. It’s also great to have someone there who can help keep your on track and make sure you’re not studying everything wrong. Even when it feels like the material doesn’t make sense anymore, your study group is there to keep you sane and to act as a sounding board for your questions and comments.
4. Eat healthy. Of course when it comes to finals, we’re less concerned about the food we put into our bodies and more concerned about the knowledge we’re putting into our heads. But there are foods that are healthy that can also boost our memory. Avocados are a great food to add to your diet during finals. Avocados are good on toast or in place of mayonnaise on sandwiches. Another great food works wonderfully ask a snack: sunflower seeds. They are a great salty snack that would replace that bag of chips from the vending machines, plus it is brain food, so really, a win-win situation. Peanuts or peanut butter also provides a great snack during finals. Peanuts, like sunflower seeds are a nice salty snack that can be eaten in place of chips, but also add protein to your diet. Peanut butter does the same thing but can be spread on whole grain toast, apple slices, and other healthier foods for better snacking and yummy brain food.
5. Exercise. This may cause you to think “I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THAT.” But trust me, you do. It may seem like your schedule is crammed full of studying and test taking, but it’s good for your mind to take a break and for your body to get some exercise. Take a walk/jog around campus, stretch in your dorm, do yoga at the gym, etc. Literally anything to get your body moving and to clear your mind will work. Yoga is especially good because it clears your mind and focuses on deep, cleansing breaths that are helpful in keeping calm and stress free during this finals season.
6. Don’t cram right before taking the actual exam. I know that this might be the one you ignore, but just take some time to read this. You are less likely to remember what you studied RIGHT BEFORE the exam than what you were studying for in advance. It’s more helpful to spread out your studying and repeat the material over a couple of days to encode the information into long term memory than it is for you to review the material in the hour before the exam. Cramming causes you to be less focused while taking the exam because you’ll be paying more attention to not forgetting everything than you will to actually showing the professor what you know.
Good luck with your finals!