This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CWU chapter.
There are 4 steps to making your exams less stressful and more successful. The quarter/semester is in full swing and there’s no better time to start studying for your exams than now. I am a Food Science & Nutrition major and this is what I do to strive for those 4.0s.
- Stay organized – This first step to stress-free studying is to stay organized. This is important so that you are able to mentally prepare for your exams and they don’t pop up as a surprise. I use a bullet journal to write out all the things I need to do before my exam such as filling out the study guide and reviewing notes.
- Make learning part of your everyday life – I like to print out the PowerPoint slides for my classes and read them every chance I get. Cooking? Read the slides. Going for a walk? Read the slides. The more and over a longer period of time that you study the better the information stick. Last quarter, I took a class all about different foods. I took that opportunity to recall all the information I learned about a particular food as I prepared and ate it. This built a physical connection to what I was learning.
- Start early the quarter/semester – As I mentioned before if you study each topic as it is talked about in class and then continue to review it up until the exam your information retention will be much higher. This step also prevents cramming the night before an exam.
- Make studying fun – I was raised to be a lifelong learner and to also make learning fun. You are more likely to retain the information if you are enjoying the learning process. I process information best when I have to explain it to someone else. For this reason, I started a podcast where I talk about what I am learning in my classes each week. By the time I get my notes typed out and organized and I record the episode and listen to it back I have the information basically memorized. Creating a podcast to teach others what I am passionate about was the best decision I made to make my learning experience fun and enjoyable.
In conclusion, find a study rhythm that works best for you and have fun with it! Your university experience will be guaranteed less stressful when you are loving and living what you are learning.