Oh, we remember how eventful Finals week was! Whether you’re in high school or even nearing the final stages of your college career, most would agree that any type of exam will rattle the nerves of the most confident and prepared student.

One of the worst things some students will do is prepare for a multiple-choice test when they should be studying for an essay test. Knowing and studying the format of an exam can be really key to preparing for an exam.

Likewise, there are lots of unique ways to memorize material while you study! Following a couple of simple tips can make the exam a little easier and yours can make your life less annoying.

Before we begin, our most important TIP for final exam week is to STUDY A WEEK EARLY!

This prevents any stress, negative mindset, burnout, etc. to emerge knowing that you have had adequate time to study.

1. Don’t study things you already know.

The BIGGEST mistake we have seen students make when they start studying for their final exam is reviewing course information they already know, such as the topics covered in previous exam 1 and 2. I hope you can agree with me that there is a lot of information that needs to be covered in each of your courses… Don’t waste your time and effort going over basic understandings or concepts that you should have already learned as common sense.

Sit in a quiet area with your class notes on the table. Then highlight all the chapters you don’t understand. This is the initial step in studying… This way, you can focus and prioritize your time on the areas you need to review.

Be sure to take a look at the textbook (quiz chapter covers) or PowerPoint slides provided in your course. By doing so, you should be able to get a firm understanding of which sections you need to hit the most.

At this point, evaluate the material and compare it to the study guide or exam review provided by your professor while trying to cross off the topics that are not covered in the exam review.

The chapters that are not crossed out are the ones you need to focus your time on. Reducing the amount of information that must be studied within the week leading up to the exam allows more time to be allocated to more difficult topics.

2. Get active and eat.

Lying on the couch in your favorite sweatshirts may seem like the best way to study… But it’s not! Being too comfortable can easily result in fatigue, naps, and daydreams. It is best to try to study while you are standing, notes in your hands and review when you walk.

Find an uncluttered classroom and use the white board to your advantage. Images (concept maps, diagrams, and graphs) can reinvigorate the research session and add a bit of humor to the learning process.

Be sure to eat! Eating carbohydrates allows the brain to think clearer, more focused, and without fatigue. However, junk food can be cheap and may seem like it saves you time and money, but it does nothing to help your brain retain information. Avoid processed and junk foods like fast food restaurants, salty snacks, or even soda.

Pasta, sandwiches, milk, vegetables, and fruits are wonderful sources of carbohydrates and should be incorporated into your diet while studying for a test. Particularly the night before and also in the morning. Never study hungry, it’s impossible to concentrate when your stomach keeps growing! So the mind focuses on wanting food and not on learning.

It is also vital that you get regular sleep. Being brain-fatigued during a test will exponentially reduce your test performance, although staying overnight is fine and common, be sure to set limits or take 30-minute naps. Don’t drink too many energy drinks, sugar can make your body crash the next day, stick to two drinks max if not less.

It’s also smart to get your body pumping and moving before your test. Take a brisk walk. Studies show that exercise gets your blood flowing, allowing your body to create an adrenaline rush while also increasing endorphin levels (in your body). It’s also a common way to deal with anxiety and stress!

3. Know the Purpose:

Why am I studying this? We often have a common symptom called “information overload” while studying… That’s why it’s often hard to remember the material afterwards. Make sure you know the purpose of why you are studying, what motivates you to keep going?

– Know a certain concept or idea.

– To improve in a particular area

– Know why someone did something in particular

– Answer the questions of the assigned academic studies.

Having a purpose in mind while you study can drastically help you focus only on the relevant information and remember it better.

There are an almost infinite number of reasons why you may be studying something, make sure you know what yours is.

4. Study before going to sleep and immediately after getting out of bed

The most ideal time to review or learn something is just before going to sleep and immediately after waking up. Throughout the day, the mind is overloaded with a lot of useless information and continues to try to filter out the information that is useful and worth remembering and the information that is not.

Make sure you don’t brush your teeth in the morning. Strange, but certain studies show that when you brush your teeth, you’re telling your brain that you’re ready to do it. Because of this, your brain starts to feel rushed when you try to study, but in the end, you’re just flipping through and trying to cram all the information in at once.

This makes it easy for you to forget about things. Imagine if you are asked what you did yesterday after a hard and long day, will you be able to answer? Yes, it is very similar to that. Before you sleep and after you get out of bed, your mind refreshes and secretes some chemicals that can help make your memory more concrete.

5. Remember what you have learned:

Try to spend 15 minutes reviewing what you have learned. If you’ve adopted some of these methods, you’ll be amazed at how much you remember, and your confidence in your ability to remember will also improve. This improves the whole process and you’ll put in more effort to get out of bed the next day and get back to doing the job.

Are you sick of procrastinating and then panicking to get things done at the last minute? If so, you need to do proper planning.

Proper planning and using correct methods will help you plan your day effectively. We fully understand how stressful it is to be a college student and submit assignments and prepare for exams, but if you start studying from the beginning of the year, you should face fewer problems.

Conclusion:

The most prepared student can seem stressed and overwhelmed with possible test results, and there is always time to check. Getting a bad grade, failing a test, or failing a class is not good for the ego, yet it does happen. Don’t think this is the end of the world. Create a list of possible outcomes and organize all of them.

Talk to your friends and family and explain the problem to them. They are a great source of comfort and support. Getting a plan, even when everything doesn’t go exactly as you want, is a great way to take the anxiety out of the test-taking situation.