December is the most stressful month of the year if you ask me. Or any college student for that matter. Not only are there holidays to stress about, but classes are coming to an end and that means finals week is fast approaching. The average student takes at least 15 credits every semester, which usually equals out to 4 or 5 classes. So, what makes life even more stressful is the fact that you need to remember everything you study or at least recognize it. How do you do that, you ask? Continue reading to find out.
- Peppermint Essential Oil
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As crazy as it sounds, this actually works. In fact, any strong scented essential oil will work, but peppermint is the most reputable. What happens is that you’ll associate the strong mint smell with whatever you’re learning. It’s like the famous Pavlov experiment. However, you’re not a drooling dog. Bring the essential oil or a stick of gum with you to the exam and make sure to put it in a place that you’ll be able to smell it. It should help to trigger your memories of the material that you studied before, hopefully resulting in an A!
- Associate Information With What You Know
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Instead of trying to remember things raw with no association to anything else, try this handy trick of linking information from the exam to something that you know you’ll remember. I’ve done this multiple times. For example, there was a question for one of my exams that reminded me of Harry Styles. With that in mind, I remembered the exact thing that was referenced in the question and thought of Harry Styles. Doing this makes it easier to remember because you’re associating it with something you already know or something that you like.
- Study With A Buddy
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Start by writing out or answering your study guide. When you’re done, look it over and then give it to your study buddy and have them quiz you. Whenever I’ve done this, I’ve always had fun with it. By making jokes or being creative with it, it allows you to make connections in your brain about the information. It also makes it easier to remember.
These are three tips that I’ve used and they’ve seemed to work for me more times than not. I wish you luck on your exams!