Studying for Finals

Finals are going to be upon us in just two short weeks. We all need to budget our time wisely over the next two weeks to prepare for our finals. It seems too earlier to start studying for finals, but believe me you will be glad you did. It is so much easier to study in small productive chunks days in advance rather than cramming the day before your final (especially if you have two that day). From my experiences I have a few tips to make studying less painful.

1. Determine the order in which you should study for your tests. Calculate the score you need to get on your finals in your classes to receive the grade you want in each class. With this information you can determine which finals you should focus on more.
2. Study without distractions. Turn off the TV, music, and computer screen. Reruns of your favorite TV show, the temptation to sing along with the songs, and Facebook can all be very distracting when trying to study. The distractions prevent you from retaining the information.
3. Take study breaks. Watch TV for a half hour then go back to studying. That short time when your brain can just “veg out” will help your sanity, and you’ll get your TV fix.
4. Don’t forgo sleeping. Good, solid sleep before a test is vital. That extra hour of studying when you are nodding off is not going to do any good. Sleeping will help you be able to think logically and be more alert during the test. And definitely don’t substitute caffeine for sleep.
5. Try different study techniques. Flash cards really work for me since most tests require a lot of memorization. I also use mnemonic devices to help me memorize long lists or other complex information.