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5 Tips for Studying for Finals
Brush Up On Your Study Skills
December is underway, and we’re hot and heavy into finals period. Are you cramming yet? I hope not, because you obviously know by now that cramming is not the way to learn anything. I know that right now you’re more concerned with “passing” than “learning,” but isn’t it nice when the two can go hand in hand?
If your finals are looming, and you’re starting to panic, calm down, take a deep breath, and read the following tips for studying effectively for your finals.
1. Stock up on study food. Study food does not mean junk food! Food that’s high in processed carbs, such as snack cakes or those cool-looking Christmas Oreos, are going to make your blood sugar spike, then drop like a rock. When it drops, you’ll get tired, unfocused, cranky, and frustrated. On top of that, when you’re doing something else along with eating, you tend to eat a lot more, so you’ll end up packing on pounds. So, what should you eat? Fruits and vegetables, nuts, proteins such as sliced meats and cheeses, and popcorn. Your body needs to be strong and fit to support your mind as you take your test.
2. Take exercise breaks. When you’re counting down to a final, the last thing you feel like you can afford is to stop and exercise. But it’s worth it. Exercise increases your brain activity, it reduces anxiety, it pulls much-needed oxygen into your cells, and it gives you a little bit of distance from your material—distance your brain needs to process all the information you’ve been stuffing into it.
3. Gather your study group. Study groups are notoriously raucous events, often more popular as a place of gossip and flirtation than actual study. Not during finals. In fact, if there’s someone you are interested in flirting with, you should probably keep them out of the study group. As long as everyone’s focused, some laughter and playfulness is okay—in fact it can reduce your stress level and help you remember things more easily.
4. Getting up is better than staying up. Don’t pull an all-nighter. If you still need time to review your notes, set your alarm and get up a few hours before your test. Your thinking will be clearer, your energy and focus higher, and the last read through can lock in information you were trying to cram in last night. Go to bed at a reasonable hour, get up early, then if you can, walk to class to get some of that extra energy in.
5. Write things down or read them out loud. Poring over your textbook or skimming your notes isn’t going to be sufficient. Read passages from your chapters out loud. Recopy your notes. This will give you a physical memory of the information, it will carve tracks in your brain that your mind can roll down whenever it needs to.
Finals time is a big deal, but it’s not the end of the world. Follow the tips above and you can get through them with a good grade and some knowledge.
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Author: KathyTeel
Kathy Teel is a freelance writer and editor, and a part time college professor. She lives in Missouri with her husband (another professor), their kids (a high schooler, middle schooler, and grade schooler), and three dogs. Check our her company's website at www.teelwriting.com.
2 Comments
I’m printing this up and passing it out for finals period this year. Thanks for the help!
For me, the best study tips is to do about a two our spurt, and then take an hour or so break. Then come back and do one more hour. My brain can’t handle too much info at once, because I tend to get overloaded. Take your notes or index cards, and look at them quickly before you go to bed. Then follow up with another quick glance in the morning. After you have hit the gym, or gone for a walk, then get right back into it for another couple hours.