It is that time of year again: finals! The time of year that you cram 4 months of knowledge into your brain in the span of a week and hope that it sticks. Sounds pretty stressful, right? Well it is. That is why I have developed a few strategies over the years to deal with the increased stress that accompanies finals while maximizing retention. I’ve outlined my strategies below to help you escape the month of December with a little bit of sanity.
Plan early. This does not always happen, but hopefully you have at least a day before you have to start studying. Good news: this is enough time! My favourite way to plan for exam revision is to take out my syllabi for all of my courses, and examine what I am expected to know.
After understanding what material is going to be covered on each final, I will weight the material based on:
what I have a good grasp on,
what I need to review,
and what material I haven’t even looked at yet.
I will begin my studying with the last category, and work backwards to what I know well.
If you are lucky, you might have a few days between each exam, so start studying the exam that comes first. If your exams are in a clump, they you will have to balance your time to ensure that you spend the proportional amount of time on each subject.
This year my exams are in a clump. I have a week before my exams to study (thankfully), so I have drafted up a study schedule to ensure that all of the topics I need to learn are given the right amount of my time.
Here is a picture of my revision time table:
And here are the links to download the tables if you want to print out the documents and try it yourself!
Which brings me to my second tip: Studying is a full time job.
I know that not everyone is as lucky to have time off to study for exams, but regardless if you do, structure studying like a full time job to ensure maximum retention. Take a break to stretch, and breaks for meals. Just make sure to set a time limit because a 15 minute break can quickly become a few episodes of your favourite Netflix show.
Schedule your time so that you are studying when you are most productive. I hit my stride around 830 or 9, so I like to get up early, and end early. Be wary of studying all night and sleeping all day though. Although this may work for a while, it will be harder to stay awake if you have day time exams.
Minimize distractions.
Use earplugs or headphones (opting for classical or instrumental music over your favourite songs).
Tell your family, friends, and roommates that you will be busy for a while, stressing the importance of the need for uninterrupted study time.
Find a place that works for you. Some like the quiet of a the library, some like the dull noise of a coffee shop. For me it varies based on what I am studying for the day.
Protect yourself from yourself! Turn off emails, put the “do not disturb" function on your phone and laptop, and my very favourite, install the app/program “self control. This app lets you block your favourite time wasting sites to ensure that the call of tumblr does not distract you from your studies.
Once you have found the perfect place to study, now its time to actually work. My favourite tip is to study like you are taking the test. If your test is knowledge-based multiple choice, use flashcards. If you have essay questions, find the objectives (usually in the syllabus or at the beginning of the textbook chapter) and answer these objectives using your notes. You want to duplicate the retrieval that you will need while writing the test while you are encoding the info.
And finally, some miscellaneous tips to make your study experience less painful:
If you want a quiet spot to study, check to see if your school library rents out study rooms.
Avoid junk food. Although it may be tempting, junk food is not brain food. Try better alternatives like plantain chips, dark chocolate, grapes, hummus and crackers, hummus and carrot sticks, hummus and anything.
On that note, remember to eat! You brain is a glucose hog, and needs a lot of calories to work effectively. Fuel yourself!
Your brain also LOVES oxygen! Use your breaks to stretch, jump up and down, go for a power walk between the library stacks. You will be so much more efficient when your blood is pumping and oxygen is perfusing through your body. Don’t worry about looking silly. I have down full-out sun salutations in the library before, and I did great on that test!
Caffeine is your friend, but avoid energy drinks. They are terrible for you, they are filled with sugar or aspartame, and you will crash. If you must, find a better, natural alternative, like Steaz. I usually stick with coffee.
But remember to also drink water! It will keep you awake too, and help your body work wonderfully!
Don’t pull all nighters or study right before your exam. I know this can’t be helped sometimes, and I know I have done it many times. But if you don’t have to, don’t do it. You need time to encode the exam content into your brain. Try to relax the night or morning before an exam. Take a long shower, do yoga, have a nice breakfast. Just clear you mind and your stress, and you breeze through the test!
Just study. It is not about the perfect pens or super neat handwriting. Just get the info from the page into your brain. They don’t give extra points for pretty notes!
And finally, remember, THIS EXAM IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD. I know that many of you have a lot riding on getting good grades: scholarships, family expectations, program expectations, future career goals, but none of this is as important as your sanity. Take care of yourself first, because it is pretty hard to change the world if you are burnt out.
Good luck friends! I know you will all do amazing!
