After seeing some of my midterm exam scores, I have a pretty good gauge on how much more I need to study for my finals. The first test is always a wakeup call, so here are some study tips that will keep you from too many 3 am study sessions the day before finals.
- Keep a To-Do List
Keeping track of all your different assignments can get overwhelming really quickly, but who doesn’t love checking off an item from a to-do list? I like to keep track of my homework and high-priority tasks on a Google Doc so I can easily edit my list from my phone or laptop and adjust the order from most important to least important as I keep filling my list.
- Finish Assignments Before the Due Date
Try giving yourself “fake” deadlines. Aiming to finish assignments at least a day before they are actually due allows for buffer room and keeps you from feeling overwhelmed. Adjusting my mindset from what assignments do I have due tonight? to what assignments do I have due this week? has drastically improved my mental health and attitude when it comes to doing homework. I don’t feel as overworked, and I’m able to avoid those last minute panic attacks the night before an assignment is due.
- Work Past Practice Problems
Reviewing notes is great, but the best practice comes from grinding practice problems. Whether it’s by looking at past assignments or trying practice questions from the textbook, exposing yourself to as many practice questions as possible will help you retain information as well as practice test taking skills. This tip is especially helpful if you experience testing anxiety because you can make your study sessions feel more familiar to a testing environment.
- Test Your Memory with a Review Sheet
A good way to check your retention is to try making a quick review page for each chapter or section. If you can include all the important topics of that section and confidently explain them without referring to your notes, it’s safe to say you have a good understanding of those concepts. This is also a helpful way to identify weak spots in your understanding.
- Create a Study Schedule
Lastly, and in my opinion one of the most important tips, creating a study schedule will ensure that you dedicate enough time to each subject or set aside more time for classes you could use more attention in. You can find a link here to a Google Sheets study calendar template I made. The first week shows an example of how you can format your schedule. Feel free to make a copy of this sheet and use it to create your study plan for finals! Good luck everyone!!