Finals: the two most feared weeks of the entire school year. This first semester finals week seemed to creep up on us. Studying for seven classes can be a lot, but here is a list of some of the best study tips for finals.
- Notecards, notecards, notecards. Personally, I think notecards are the best way to study. They will take some time
Notecards are easy to make and use for studying for finals. Photo courtesy of Google Images. to make, but they are great for quick memorization and quizzing yourself and others. “Repetition is key,” sophomore Grace Trello said. “The more you go over something, the more likely you are to remember it.”
- Prewrite. If you know essay questions for the final, then why not start writing it. Jot down ideas and bullet points. Establish a thesis statement. Find some supporting ideas. Any preparation for essay writing is helpful for the test. For me, prewriting is like giant notecards. Looking over the main points of the essay keeps them in my memory during my exam.
However, I do not think it is smart to memorize your entire essay. Time spent on memorizing the entire essay will distract you from other final questions. It is my experience learning just the key points of the essay will leave you better off.
- Study groups. Sometimes studying by yourself is difficult. Or maybe, you just do not like staring at flash cards for hours. In any case, having a friend quiz you or you quizzing a friend is a great way to study and have fun. “Going over the material with friends allows one to hear the material in a different voice, and they can also fix mistakes you make,” said junior Matthew Melocoton. “Although there is also the chance that they might hinder you by becoming a distraction.”
In all honesty, friends do tend to procrastinate together. So make sure that you and your friends get a considerable amount of studying done before you relax.
- Take breaks. Breaks in studying are good, as long as you get back to studying. In a big studying spree, breaks every 45-60 minutes are okay. Trello said that short breaks “give your mind a break, help you stay focused, and retain a lot of information.”
However, do not break too long. It is one thing to relax, have lunch, or maybe hang out with friends (for major stress relief). It is bad to binge-watch four seasons of a show on Netflix because you are not in the mood for studying. Once the study routine breaks, it is very hard to get back into the groove of studying.
Everyone’s studying technique is different, so some tips might work, some might not. Good luck and have fun studying.
Campus Crier Online 