Hello, Princetonettes! How are you? How was your winter break? If you are like me, I am sure that Facebook and/or Twitter news feed was inundated with posts from friends who expressed their happiness for finishing their finals. For us, however, we have finals after winter break. Now, I know that you may be dreading the “f” word but here are some tips that can make your preparation time go as smoothly possible.
1. Take a good look at your midterm grades.
It is common knowledge that one may need to devote more attention to some classes more than others. For example, why would you spend two weeks studying for a class that you are acing and study only three days for a class that you are struggling in? When you look at your midterm grades, you’ll be able to gauge just how much you need to study for each class. If you have classes that did not have midterms, shoot your professors an email to ask about your progress, grade-wise in the class. Trust me, they won’t bite!
2. Go over your tests, quizzes, and homework assignments.
I cannot stress this enough. It is IMPERATIVE that you go over all your assignments and exams in order to mark just where exactly did you make mistakes. If you do this, you will save yourself a lot of time in the future because you will devote the most time to your weaknesses instead of divvying up your time disproportionately to sections in which you are exceptional.
3. Go to office hours.
Professors are just waiting for students to show up! You’d be surprised how free professors are doing their office hour times. I suggest stopping by your professors’ office hours at least once to get confirmation on what will be on the exams, to go over any weaknesses, or just to get suggestions from them on how to study or which topics to focus on.
4. Construct a schedule.
After you decide just how much you need to study for each exam, then you will be able to accurately create a schedule. For example, perhaps you need to study two hours for a science class or four hours for a French class. Whatever works for you is just fine! Just make sure that you squeeze in time to take a breather, such as 30-minute power nap, watching a TV special, talking to friends and/or relatives, or even checking your email.
5. Anticipate Exam Questions.
I know that this may seem impossible but try to think like a professor. Also, try to refresh your memory a bit. Think about the moments in class where the professor emphasized a certain component.Perhaps the professor emphasized a certain component by raising his or her voice, repeating the information, and exhibiting some sort of distinctive gesticulation. Either way, you can almost be certain that that part is going to be on the test. Try to draft exam questions and answer to the best of your ability. You may not be as far off the mark as you think.
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