ACE Your Finals This Semester!
College finals are approaching!! What are you going to do so you finish the semester strong? If you are anything like me, Thanksgiving Break might have messed with your study/work rhythm. With only a week left of study before exams, now is the time to get ready so you can ace your exams.
There are 4 main strategies you need to implement if you are going to ace your finals this semester.
1. Organize your materials (digital and physical)
For ease of access, try to keep your materials all in one place. Things like Google Drive and Box make this super easy with everything staying digital. You can upload scans of any of your physical documents like handouts or printed assignments.
Using Google Drive or Box also allows you to organize your items within those platforms. You should utilize this to create folders based on the subjects or classes the materials are meant for. You could even create a directory of folders based on units within each class.
This tactic can prove to be insanely beneficial if you implement it at the start of the semester. The trick is to continue using it and keep it updated week to week. Not only will you ace your finals, but also any midterms or quizzes!
Extra folders can also help create clear indicators for where you might need to spend a little more time studying. Identifying where your weaknesses are within your studying will help you a ton to figure out where to start reviewing each subject.
2. Figure out your study style
Everyone learns differently but you should also take the type of subject into account. Whether you are a visual, auditory, interpersonal, kinesthetic, or any other type of learner, you should take your learning style into account when studying.
From a base level, plan your studying through the types of material you are trying to retain. Start with the following:
- Flash cards for things like definitions and memorization. https://quizlet.com/ is hands down the best for this
- Practice problems for math or method questions
- rewriting/rereading notes for deeper concept questions
The above are great options for studying alone or in a group. If you do well working with others, try to form a study group with others in your class so that you all can benefit from studying together.
A great way to judge if you know a concept well is your ability to teach it. When you feel confident about knowing how to complete a problem or answer a question, try explaining/teaching your answer to someone else.
On top of those options, make sure you are attending review sessions and asking questions. That way you can go into your exams with as little uncertainty as possible.
3. Start studying ASAP to Ace Your Finals
Speaking of asking questions, no professor enjoys the onslaught of last-minute questions from students who are trying to finish with good grades in their class. Start studying as soon as you can so that you can capitalize on your professor’s availability.
The amount of time you put into studying will have a direct correlation to how much knowledge you retain. The difference is learning versus memorizing.
Memorizing information is short term and you will need reminders of that information so you don’t forget it. Learning information is understanding it on a deeper level and being able to apply that knowledge to future areas. It is harder to forget something if you have truly learned it.
A semester is a short time. If you are reviewing information regularly and applying the concepts you learned, you will retain that information better and longer than by just reviewing notes.
4. Balance your time and avoid burnout
Within starting studying asap, avoid burning yourself out from studying for hours on end.
One method is to set timers for hour chunks of studying. This will keep you from forcing yourself to study for too long of a time. If you can break up your studying based on subject or class with hour chunks (think time blocking), you will be able to review more.
The end of the semester and finals also mean there are other things going on like the holidays coming up. Many students move home for the holidays and you’ll need to pack up some clothes to bring.
If you need to set timers for your studying but still want to be productive, try putting in a load of laundry and studying for the duration of the load. This trick did wonders when I prepared to move out of the dorms at the end of freshman year. You will manage to cover so much more material if you force yourself to focus for 45-60 minutes and at the same time, all your laundry will be done before you know it. How great! Ace your finals AND finish your laundry! (Your parents will be thrilled you aren't bringing home all of your dirty laundry)
It is important to make time for relaxing too. Reward yourself!
The week before finals doesn’t just need to be about studying, you should also spend time doing things you love.
Hanging out with your friends before you all leave town is important. Watching a movie because you accomplished all your studying for the day is a great reward. My personal favorite reward at this time of year? Driving around looking at Christmas Lights. There is nothing like the Christmas spirit to rejuvenate me before going into a final exam.
Go Ace Your Finals!!
So now you have 4 strategies to apply to your study method this semester. If you implement all of them, there will be nothing stopping you from acing your exams and finishing your semester strong.
Best of luck, make time for you, and happy studying!
TTFN