We’ve been back from Thanksgiving break for less than a week, and it’s quickly getting to be crunch time. Finals are coming up all too soon, and every teacher loves reminding us how many class periods we have left before his/her final exam. It’s easy to become overwhelmed when thinking about everything you need to study (or relearn) in the next week and a half, but fear not! With these ingenious study tips, you’ll strut out of your finals like this:
One of my favorite study habits is to listen to instrumental music while reading, making flashcards, or typing an essay. Songs with words are often distracting, so take some time to make an study playlist of instrumentals that you like and will help you stay focused! Classical music activates regions of your brain associated with learning and memory, so that’s a great starting point. If you’re not into classical, try listening to movie soundtracks. If you’re an indie gal like me, try Spotify’s playlists “Indie Folk for Focus” and “Indie Instrumentals.” Whatever your favorite genre may be, there are more instrumental options than you think!
If you’re looking for some motivation, create a food trail for yourself. When you have a lot of textbook reading to do, leave yourself a gummy bear, goldfish cracker, or some other small snack at intervals in your book. Once you read to a snack, you get a reward to motivate you to keep going to the next one. No cheating, though!
The most straightforward way to study for exams is by taking practice tests, especially if your instructor offers their own. If you finish all the provided practice tests or your instructor doesn’t offer any, you can Google “site:edu [subject] exam” to find tons more exams and resources on the same topic!
To retain information, break up your studying. Research has shown that we learn most effectively in small chunks with breaks in between (see the Pomodoro Technique). Try studying for 25-50 minutes, then take a 5-10 minute break. Repeat with one longer break every now and then.
Taking notes can be incredibly boring, so why not spice it up a bit? Head to the bookstore and buy some pretty colored pens, highlighters, post-its, etc. and get to work! Not only will your notes look beautiful, but you’ll be more likely to remember information written in a color that stands out. Don’t go too crazy with the highlighters though, because reading everything in pink is no different than reading everything in black and white.
If you’re looking for an unusual memory trick, try using scents to spark your memory. Find a perfume, lotion or essential oil with a distinct smell, and put some on before you start studying. Put on the same scent each time you study, and again on test day. The scent will help jog your memory, so spritz away!
One final study tip is to make a notecard. Very few teachers will actually let students use notecards on exams, but preparing a notecard as if you were able to bring it to the test will help you in several ways. Because you only have a 4×6 inch piece of paper to write on, you’ll only have room to write the most important ideas and key terms. Try to write as much as you can from memory, and look at your notes after you’ve jotted down everything you can. Make as many as you need to until you feel like you can write down all the important formulas, terms, and concepts without looking at your notes.
Good luck, and remember:
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