1. Rewrite your Notes
I don’t know about you but just reading over notes I don’t totally retain the information, but that also might be because I’m more of a kinesthetic learner over visual. But regardless, I know that a lot of people have success with this and it really helps with long term memory. But also in general, be aware of your learning style and adjust your study tactics accordingly. For instance, if you’re more auditory read over your notes or have someone verbally quiz you.
2. Schedule out Times to Study
Time management is so so important when studying for major exams, especially if you’re like me and fully let finals creep up on you and maybe didn’t allow as much time to prepare as you should’ve. DO NOT fret, if you’re dedicated you can always pull through and as long as you’re efficient with your time you’re bound to succeed.
3. Take Breaks
It’s recommended that you study in 20-30 minute intervals, it helps you to really hone in on a few concepts and not feel totally overwhelmed. Don’t walk away for hours on end, if you think you’ll have trouble not totally abandoning study efforts, maybe set a 10-15 timer on your phone to help keep you accountable. Just grab a snack or catch up on social media.
4. If you struggle with grasping concepts, watch videos
I know this is extremely beneficial for STEM fields like if you’re trying to conceptualize different problems in chemistry or work out specific equations in math or physics. But also I’m a Communication major and especially for communication theories, we’re covering this semester I’ve found a lot of Youtube videos that apply them to specific case studies. After all, it’s much better to understand the material and be able to apply it to different situations other than just memorizing the processes.
5. Calculate Predicted Grades
If you can, I think it’s good to calculate out what grades you currently have in the class and see what you have to get on the remaining assignments. More often than not this helps to take the pressure off or in the very least help you gauge what minimum score you would want to get and from there you can prioritize assignments and courses.
6. Put your phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’ !!!
I cannot stress this enough but it’s so easy to get pulled into your phone, so unless you’re expecting important news or notifications, just completely mute your phone so you don’t feel tempted to look or respond whenever you hear that tone or that feel that vibration. Trust me, whatever it is, it’s more than likely not as important as your academics and it will be there in half an hour.
Good luck and happy studying to all!