Coming up soon… is finals season! Depending on your experience with that course, that final exam can either be nerve-racking or not bother you at all. When it comes to finals season, there are times where your study methods are challenged. After all, to do well on a final, it’s vital that you avoid procrastination. Although studying seems simple, the main challenge is to avoid procrastination and study regularly. This blog post showcases some advice on how to study for finals.
1. Make a schedule
You cannot go wrong with a schedule. Having a schedule helps you plan when to study and for how long. Schedules can provide an overview for how your days will go and that gives you the advantage of deciding when you would like to study. If you know what time of the day you study best, then you’ll be able to free that time up so you can study instead. On top of planning when to study, schedules can help you prioritize other things, especially with ensuring that you are healthy, which will be mentioned later on. By giving yourself a designated and optimal time to study, then your only battle is follow your schedule. When it comes to finals season, schedules are vital so you can organize yourself and your study times!
2. Pinpoint your weaknesses
We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Those courses where we excel in might not need much studying (unless the exam is like a diploma exam where it accounts for universities and a huge chunk of your grades), but those courses where you struggle are the ones that require more support. In each course, there may be certain units, topics, or concepts that may need more attention. Pinpointing your strengths and weaknesses is needed so you can ensure that you are in good shape for your finals. If needed, go in your designated tutorial times and/or go to a friend and ask them for help. After all, filling in those missing gaps in your knowledge ensures that as you know how to answer as many questions in that final as possible. With your schedule, make sure that you have time to tackle and improve upon these missing links!
3. Ensure that you are healthy
On the day of your final, would you rather be really sleepy and hungry or be refreshed and confident? Hopefully, you would rather be refreshed and confident. Unfortunately, the truth is that we do not have an unlimited amount of time to study for finals. Knowing that you only have this limited amount of time can cause you stress and skip out on your health. If you actually came into the exam room sleepy and hungry, then it would be incredibly difficult to focus. If you can’t focus well, then it’ll be hard to comprehend and answer questions, especially since the exam ends after a certain amount of time. Within your schedule, after scheduling different times to retain those information from your courses, give yourself time to breathe. Your stress is understandable, but taking care of yourself is always a priority, especially to ensure that you can stay focus during your actual final exam.
4. As soon as you’re comfortable, go straight to trying practice questions
When you believe you are comfortable with at least some of the content, go straight to trying practice questions. Reading the same definitions over and over again will not get you far. Try practice questions and see if you can apply what you have learned. From experience, while there are barely any questions asking for definitions, the majority of the questions in finals require application and critical thinking. Knowing the content is the first huge step, but applying it to a master’s extent is a marathon. Although going straight to practice questions seems scary, you don’t always have to be right, especially if it is only practice. After all, there is nothing that can teach you better than learning upon your mistakes.
5. Take deep breaths and know your practice was worth it
If you cared to read to this part in this blog post, then you care about studying for your finals. Regardless of how confident you are, having a care puts you at an advantage than those who don’t. If you think about it, the fact that you care motivates you to try and bring efforts to achieving a good grade from your final exams. Once you are in that exam room, take deep breaths and remember that you tried your best to study for that final. When you reach your seat and look at your exam paper, remember that you are better prepared from studying. As your final goes on, take deep breaths, relax, and know that whatever happens, happens because you worked for it.
Closing Section
Hopefully, these five tips give you an idea of how you’d like to study for your final exams. From managing your schedule, pinpointing your revisions and breaks, to taking deep breaths, you should be in good shape for your final exams. As mentioned earlier, the fact that you cared to study puts you at an advantage. Taking the time to study, revise, and try practice questions improves your chances of doing well on your finals. Although your stress levels may spike in that exam room, be proud that you studied. You took the time to prepare for that final and have a good understanding of it. Take those deep breaths and believe in yourself. You will do well!
