Happy end of February everyone! You know what that means… we officially have less than a month until final examinations. Yikes! I know midterms just passed, but that also means this is the perfect time to get in gear! So, stay tuned for my five top tips for making sure you ACE finals this quarter!
- Make the Most of Midterms: What just happened? Our quarters go by so quickly. It’s my fourth year here, and they’re still too fast for me! The one thing I wish I had learned earlier in my college career was the ways that midterm exams can serve as more than just a stressor. Most professors or TAs will leave some form of helpful comments on your midterms, and you can also go to their office hours to have them explain in further detail why you got any questions incorrect. This doesn’t just help for that one question: it helps you understand the whole process for that format of questions, which will help when you’re asked a similar one on the final exam!
- Prep Your Material: it’s always helped me to make a study sheet throughout the entire quarter in preparation for finals week. This usually looks like a basic Google Doc, filled with very specific and sparse, easy-to-read info that I can brush over to refresh some old concepts as I’m studying for finals. I take my individual class notes and massively condense them, making them more aesthetically pleasing and easy to skim. I also add anything the professor hints *might* be in the final because those tips usually come in handy!
- Be Super Familiar With Formatting: Most professors will give out a practice exam or examples of exams from earlier years. TAKE THESE! Time yourself. How long does each style of question take you? If the professor or TA gives you a recommended time management slot for multiple choice and short answer, those won’t work for everyone. Are you super fast at short answers, but second guess yourself in multiple choice? Know that about yourself before entering the exam room! The more you know about what to expect, the less anxious you’ll be during the actual exam.
- Learn Actively: Notes are great, but you can’t get completely comfortable with a concept if you just reread it a million times. Eventually, your eyes will glaze over and nothing you read will stick. The best way to get familiar with an actual concept is to actively work with it: make some practice problems, try to explain the concept to a friend or family member to illuminate what you don’t know about it, and even make some interactive game like flashcards to take your learning up a notch!
- All Together!: It’s really important to learn things on an individual basis, but it’s also super helpful to be collaborative! Maybe create a discord chat with some fellow students in your class, and ask each other their ways of learning or studying. This method isn’t just helpful for the final exam, but also throughout the whole quarter. If you’re confused about a homework problem, shoot them a message! Maybe you can even plan a day or two where you get together, compare notes, and engage in some of the interactive study methods from step four!
Remember, though: the most important way you can help yourself through finals is only something you can do during finals week: eating and sleeping right! No matter how long you’ve studied, or how hard you’ve tried, it’s important to remember self-care and not focus too heavily on grades or letting them define your worth. Too much stress is NEVER worth it! But with that being said everyone, have a wonderful end of the Winter quarter, and I wish you the best of luck on your finals!