One of the most important ways to avoid becoming bombarded by finals and forced into pulling all-nighters is to start studying early. Studies show that spreading out your studying over a few weeks will help you to remember more when it comes time to take your exam. It is far less effective to cram all your studying into the last few days before a big test. Also, spacing your studying will keep you from being overwhelmed the night before a test.
Avoid drinking extreme amounts of caffeine is another important thing to keep in mind. Drinking too much caffeine overstimulates you and often causes jitters. It is better to avoid caffeinated drinks and to take breaks if you feel yourself becoming too sleepy. On that note, getting enough sleep during the week of finals is essential. While staying up until 2 a.m. studying may seem like a good idea, it will hurt your performance on exams. Lack of sleep will lead to problems concentrating, headaches, mood swings, and problems with retaining information.
Taking breaks while studying is one of the things I learned to do and is very helpful. When you focus for two long on the same task or topic it becomes harder to absorb information. You will find yourself reading the same sentences over and struggling to get through your work. I have found that setting timers while working is an effective way to make sure I stop to take breaks. I set a timer on my phone for thirty minutes and study until it goes off, then I take a break to get up and walk around. These breaks allow your brain to rest and make it easier to study for longer time periods.
Finals are a scary time for all students and becoming too stressed only makes them worse. So, avoid becoming too overcome by work and your likelihood of succeeding will increase.
Happy studying everyone!