7 Best Tips to Make Your Finals Week Stress-Free
The semester has been grinding along, and now it’s almost time for final exams. Your professors are going to be testing you on everything from the syllabus given to you on the first day. In turn, your test results are a reflection of how well you understand the material taught in the class. If you don’t do well on your finals, it reflects poorly on you as a student and future whatever-you-are-learning-to-be. It also reflects poorly on your professors, because it is their job to make sure you comprehend everything they cover in class. So, to show that you are a good, smart college student who will be an asset to whatever field you want to work in after you graduate, here are seven tips to help you ace your finals.
Start Early
Since you are reading this post, I know you are a planner. No slacking here! We want to take the Boy Scout motto, “Be Prepared,” and make it our own. While others are living in the library during dead week, you can live and sleep like a normal person (instead of a zombie). Cramming for your finals might help you to pass your classes, but you’re unlikely to retain the information for long. College is expensive, so you want to soak up all of that knowledge like a sponge. That way you can use it in the future. Why are you spending upwards of $300 per credit hour if you aren’t actually getting anything out of the class? Maybe you are saying, “But Lydia, I just don’t test well.” I’m sorry, but that is just too bad. Life is full of people testing you. If you didn’t want to take written exams, what are you doing at school? You could have easily gone straight into the work force instead of going to college.
Make a Plan
Let’s face it, there are going to be classes you like far better than others. If you’re anything like me, you’ll perform better in the classes you like the best. Not just that, though, you will also enjoy studying for those classes more. If you don’t plan ahead, you will probably end up reviewing for the classes that you are already going to do well in. By making a list of the things you need to review, you know how much time to spend on each class. Then, you can make a schedule that reflects that.
Join a Study Group
Or if there isn’t an existing study group, make one. I’ve heard that you don’t really understand something completely until you are able to teach it to someone else. If you study with others, you can take turns explaining topics you don’t understand to each other. We all learn differently, and your study partners might be able to help you understand concepts that went over your head in class. Studying with others also helps keep you accountable. You can’t get distracted by your phone or your friends when you’re with a group that wants to work.
Look at your Syllabus
At the beginning of the semester, your professor gave you a syllabus. Aside from the rules for grading and absences, the syllabus also lists all the things you covered in your class. As a result, this is the resource almost all of your professors will use to make their final exams. Maybe you have only thought of it as a preview of all the things you will be learning about, but as the semester draws to a close, it is also a great review of all the things that were taught in the class. When I was in school, I would print out my syllabus and then cross out those topics I’m confident with and circle the ones I know need work. This info is what I use to make my study plan. It gave me an idea of how much time I needed to spend on each class. I was less likely to skip studying to hang with friends when I knew just how much work needed doing.
Visit Your Professors
Your professors are your greatest resources at the school. They are required to have hours set aside specifically for students who need help. Find out what your professors’ office hours are and take advantage of them when you need help. They are the ones making the exams, and they can help with any questions you have. They might even tell you if something will be on the test or not. Another reason to visit your professors is to cultivate relationships with them that can help you after you graduate. You are showing them your willingness to go above and beyond to do well in their class, and they will be more likely to share that with employers and grad schools that might interest you.
Study Just Before Bed
This might be a myth, but I heard once that your memory is best right before you go to sleep. I have generally found that I remember the things I think about right before bed. When I was a student, I thought about what I needed for school, and I only forgot a book once. My freshman year of college, I can count on one hand the number of times I set an alarm. My internal clock was so precise that I would just think of what time I wanted to wake up, and I would just do it. Crazy, I know. I was too scared the next year to continue the habit, but I’ll never forget that part of my routine that year was all of the mental notes I made while I waited to fall asleep.
Review Old Tests
If your professors are anything like mine were, they will probably take questions straight from your other exams and put them on your finals. Sometimes, the questions will be exactly the same, otherwise they might change up the wording or the format. A true/false question might be inverted, and a short answer question might become multiple choice. Use your old tests as a study guide, but don’t just assume that the answers are going to be exactly the same. It’s much more beneficial for you to remember that Beethoven wrote Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor in 1801 than it is to remember that the answer to the Moonlight Sonata question is D. Again, you are paying a lot of money to learn all of this, so you should be doing everything you can to make it worth it.
If you use these seven tips, I know you will have an easy end to your semester. If it’s your last semester, read this post if you aren’t sure what to do after you graduate. Or if you are sure, check out our eBook to help you nail your first interview!
