Study Tips for Finals

Finals are approaching but do not panic! You may have 4 tests and projects all happening in the same week, but they can be managed and even conquered. Here are a couple tips that can help you when studying for final exams: 

Plan a study schedule now

Ideally, you should start studying 2 weeks before a big exam. Yup, that’s quite a bit of time to plan ahead, but it really helps lower test anxiety and raise confidence! Coming up with and following a study schedule is a great tool for when you have multiple exams so you can focus on all the topics needed to. Devising a study schedule is one thing but how well you follow it is based on you!

Make sure to eat meals

Energy is needed to study efficiently and eating fulfills that energy requirement. Make sure you eat a meal in the morning, afternoon, and evening to ensure that your brain is running optimally! Eating breakfast the day of an exam can really help your problem-solving skills and overall thought process. It’s easy to skip meals during hardcore study sessions, but make it so that you do eat so that you can really do your best! 

Chew gum while studying

Chewing gum while studying is a great method for memory retention. Additionally, you should chew gum when taking your exam because it allows for better recollection of your study material. Recalling notes is somehow made easier thanks to muscle memory. It is a phenomenon, but hey, it works! 

Review your notes with someone else

Go over your study material with people who don’t know the subject. Call your mom (Who is probably desperate to hear your voice) and explain study topics to her. This works to not only help you become comfortable with the subject material through explanation and discussion, but you also get to talk to your mom at the same time.

Give yourself study breaks 

Giving yourself breaks in between studying is necessary. Reviewing difficult material in a short amount of time can be overwhelming. Study breaks function to reduce that pent up stress you may be feeling, and it can also help strengthen focus. You may feel like you can’t afford to take a little break with exams coming fast, but depriving yourself from some time off can hurt you in the long run and have you feeling exhausted.  

Try and get some sleep 

All-nighters are a huge go-to for college students, but they shouldn’t be. For one, all-nighters put you in a foul mood the day of your exam. However, more importantly, they weaken your memory and ability to focus. Information gained from studying is better retained after a good night’s rest. Easier said than done, I know, but you should try to at least sleep for a couple of hours the night before an exam.

It is a struggle studying a whole semester worth of notes for very different subjects that have exams scheduled back to back. However, you’ll be done before you know it. You may be a mess for 2 weeks, but then it is over in a breeze, and all that stress just sort of melts away. You can and will get through it, so pull out those notes and highlighters and get to it!