By Jane Massett
Studying for exams is never easy. The ability to study is absolutely a skill that is developed over
time and is specific to each person. As we approach midterm season, I thought I’d share some
of my study tips and time management skills I’ve collected over my Bentley career.
Get to know yourself and consider how long you will need to study for something to feel
comfortable. Last week, I had a Statistics midterm and an Economics midterm. Based on how
much I had paid attention in class and how confident I was feeling about the homework, I
decided I would need about 3 days of studying for Statistics and 5 days of studying for
Economics.
In my opinion, the best way to review a large amount of material is to relearn everything. If your
exam is for a math course, take a new set of notes on all of your slides (if given) and re-do all of
your in-class work. If it’s not a math course, still re-take notes on your slides and do multiple
sets of practice problems.
Index cards are my best friend. Once you have reviewed all of the material, make note cards of
the material that you especially need to review. Whether that be all of the material or just a few
things, studying through index cards is so helpful. I like to make them, study them on my own for
a bit, then have a friend quiz me a few times.
If you are confused about anything, speak up! Go to office hours or shoot your professor an
email. If you feel like you need a verbal explanation and you can’t attend office hours, many
professors will be accommodating and meet with you on your time.
Most importantly, hold yourself accountable to the study goals you set. You have to stick to what
you say you’re going to do or you won’t see the results that you are hoping for. Stay motivated
and be sure to set reasonable goals, giving yourself enough time to achieve them. If you feel
like no information is sticking in your brain and you’re just confusing yourself, take a break and
come back to studying when you feel up to it.
These tips should be tweaked to match each individual learning style. This is just what works for
me, however because it works for me doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for everyone. If
some aspect of this speaks to you, try it out! Good luck!