As a majority of colleges students are winding down the semester, it’s go-time. Endless coffee, all-nighters, and occasional crying is typical for a college student during these next few weeks. One may believe that is the only way to pass finals, however, that is not the case. Below are a few strategies to help you obtain the information needed to pass your exams.
1. Space Out the Studying: Instead of cramming all the information lost throughout the semester in one night, study in small sessions. Studies show that when you study in small sessions, your brain synapses encode memories in the hippocampus much easier, making memorizing information easier. As UC Irvine neurobiologist Gary Lynch puts it, “This explains why prolonged ‘cramming’ is inefficient — only one set of synapses is being engaged. Repeated short training sessions, spaced in time, engage multiple sets of synapses. It’s as if your brain is working at full power.” Confusing? Basically, if you want to be successful, be consistent. Have regular, yet shorter, study periods – it’ll be easier on your brain. Literally.
2. Fill Out the Flashcards: If you’re like me, you avoid flashcards. It takes long enough to write on them, but it takes even longer to study them! So why use flashcards? Well, when you’re using flashcards, you’re using a mental faculty called active recall. In basic terms, by doing this you are attempting to remember the information from scratch instead of reading the same passage repeatedly.
3. Switch Up the Scenery: As someone who lives in a dorm, I can attest to the belief that it’s sometimes difficult to study where one lives. It’s easy to get distracted, and sometimes, because I’m in a comfortable environment, I feel unmotivated. By changing your environment, your brain will be forced to retrieve the same information in different places. Your brain may also associate the surrounding environment with what you’re studying, making the memorization process a bit easier.
4. Abandon the All-Nighters: I know all-nighters seem inevitable. How else are you going to finish that paper? During finals week, some of us may feel that we have no free time, and especially no free time to nap. This does not have to be the case! A Harvard study shows that taking short naps during the day may boost learning, and even help your memory. Naps will not guarantee your success, but they can help improve your memory and solve problems. Having a healthy sleep schedule is vital for every day, but during finals week you’re already going to be working hard enough – let your body rest.