Another semester, another finals season. As we wrap up with classes and start settling into long study sessions and all-nighters, working both hard and smart is essential. Check out these tips and try out some new methods for your upcoming exams!
- Break out the colored pens and highlighters
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Reading pages and pages of notes can get tiring real fast—I can make it a chapter before my eyes start to glaze over and I zone out. I find that alternating ink color every now and then can be very helpful to prevent this.
- Spray a certain scent around your desk or chew a specific flavor of gum.
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Use psychology to your benefit. Spraying a specific perfume or chewing a particular gum both while studying and taking the exam can help you jog your memory and make associations between the two times.
- Walk around the room.
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Get moving! Taking breaks is essential, but so is getting the blood flowing. Take your flashcards and pace around the room or incorporate some exercises into your study routine. This is especially great for kinesthetic learners!
- Make your own practice problems.
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Practice problems and exams tend to be helpful, but take it up a notch by creating your own problems! Even coming up with the problems is a form of studying— you get to test your understanding of the material even before you start working on the problems themselves.
- Study outside.
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Studies have shown that working outside has great psychological benefits. Drink up the sunlight and the calmness of nature while you study. Not only is it good for your health— both physical and emotional— but a change of scenery is always great for refocusing your attention.
Happy studying and good luck with final exams!
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