Preparing for finals
week can be a frustrating and exhausting experience if one is not properly
prepared. Most students rely on caffeine rushes and all-nighters to get them
through exams, but the benefits of learning how to prepare for finals far
outweigh the stresses of staying up all night to cram. Here are five tips for
preparing for finals:
Don't procrastinate
Waiting to study
until the night before an exam is disastrous. Procrastinating causes
unnecessary stress and sets one up for failure.
Instead, plan ahead. Look at your exam schedule and begin studying for your first, or
hardest, final now.
Find a quiet place
to study
Studying for finals
takes a great amount of concentration. Find somewhere to study that is
conducive for concentrating and learning. Chose a place of study should be
quiet, comfortable, and distraction-free (no cell phones, Facebook, etc).
Study with a partner
Find a classmate or
friend to study with you. This can be extremely beneficial if you are both
preparing for the same exam. However, remember to stay focused. Studying with
someone may be helpful at times, but it can
also be dangerous if you both get distracted easily.
Get enough sleep
Pulling an
all-nighter is risky business. While most college students think that studying
all night will help them learn more for an exam, all-nighters can actually
damage grades. Exhausted students can't concentrate on
exams, and cramming for a final can actually reduce the amount of information
you remember. Well-rested students, on the other hand, are much more relaxed
and alert when it comes time to take exams. Make time to sleep- you'll thank
yourself later.
Keep everything in
perspective
Stressing out over
an exam will drive you (and everyone around you) crazy and will only damage
your performance on the exam. Instead, try to relax. Take a break when you get
frustrated. Talk to a friend. Go for a run. Grab a snack. Study for a different
subject. Whatever you do, remember that this test isn't the end of the world.
Twenty years from now, you probably won't even remember the reason you stressed out so much
(or the grade you received).
Good luck with your preparation!
Maggie Beeber and John Gaffney