5 Ways to End the Semester Strong

BY CEILIDHE MILLER

Everywhere you look there are stressed, overtired students trying their best to prepare for exams. Likely, you are one of them, but even though the light at the tunnel might be hard to see behind piles of books, there is hope. Here are five tips to help you make it through your exams and end on a good note.

1. Avoid Distractions

Unfortunately, having a textbook open while being on Facebook and watching TV doesn’t count as productive studying. According to The Mash, you will be more productive and efficient in your studying if you are isolated from any sort of distraction. More importantly, the time you do spend on the studying will stick in your head and help you rock your exams.

2. Set out a Schedule

Look at how many exams you have, when you have those exams, and approximately how long it will take you to study for those exams. According to the article, “Beat the clock: Learning to manage your time,” you should study approximately three hours for every one hour in class. This means that if you have a two hour lecture and a one hour tutorial, you should study roughly nine hours for the exam. Once you have answers to these questions, make yourself a schedule of what you need to accomplish each day so when it comes to the night before your exam, you’re not cramming half of the semester into one night.

3. Stay Healthy

Emotionally eating pizza and other processed foods will not help your studying. But eating healthy and exercising regularly will help you stay focused and alert. According to Livestrong, you will not only avoid the winter time sicknesses but, it will improve your memory, problem solving, and concentration skills. These skills will certainly help improve your exam mark.

4. Organize your Workspace

Since you probably haven’t had much time to even sleep, the odds of your room being clean are pretty low. However, “Testing Times to Come; as Coast Students Prepare for End-of-Year Exams, Experts Offer Some Handy Study Tips,” by Hannah Busch says that where you study has a huge impact on the effectiveness of your studying. If cleaning your room doesn’t seem possible in your short time frame, go to the library, study room or a secret study spot. Having a clean work environment means you will spend more time studying and less time looking for stuff.

5. Take Breaks

For every 45 minutes that you study, you should take a 15 minute break. The best breaks you can take are ones that involve exercise. This can be anything from walking, running, or having a snowball fight with your friends. You will return to your work refreshed and ready to focus. If you study for too long, your brain will be overwhelmed and you won’t retain as much information as you could.         

Follow these tips and you will get through your exams with ease and end your semester on a high note. Good luck!