The days before finals are rough on everyone. In the coming days, more and more students will find themselves studying more than they have all semester. Whether it’s for finals or midterms, the earlier you begin to prepare, the easier your time will be on December 19th and 20th—the looming finals dates.
So, how do you prepare for finals and make your life less stressful? It all starts with a few simple steps. Some of them you might know, but you may not realize just how important they are.
Getting Some Sleep
Unfortunately, Many students don’t understand the importance of sleep, especially in academics. The closer we get to finals, you may be tempted to pull an ‘all-nighter’ and finish whatever you couldn’t in the day- however, it isn’t just your mood and energy levels that will be suffering the next day. Many studies, including one done by the national library of medicine, support the notion that good sleep “facilitates memory processing and learning.” Sleep ultimately allows you to consolidate new memories, allowing you to recall previously learned information in your long-term memory. Without sleep, you won’t be able to remember much of anything that you’ve studied.
It’s important to keep in mind, though, that everyone’s situation is different. Sports, clubs, and other commitments can leave you with little time in the day. As due dates draw nearer, you may have to sacrifice a little sleep to get something in before that midnight deadline. However, you should always at least try to chip away at your work in the spare time you have during the day, whether that be Scottie Connect, a free period, or if you’re not working on anything in your other classes. The more you get done now, the less you’ll have to get done later.
Study Efficiently
Let’s start with a lesser-known yet helpful study technique: the spacing effect. By spacing out study sessions over time– say, a week instead of a singular weekend– you are much more likely to remember the information you need on your finals. Research has proven time and time again that breaking up the material you need to cover over longer time periods will help you as you recall your learned information, effectively enhancing your long term memory. Additionally, starting the studying process earlier will give you more time to dedicate to topics you need to relearn.
Despite this, no matter how much time you have, you should identify key areas you struggle with for each class or topic and devote the most time to those, as that’s what you’ll need the most practice on. To find these problem areas, look at your old test and quiz scores, or take practice tests from previous or cumulative units and see which areas you score the worst in. Take extra care to review those.
Take Breaks
As much as you may want to get all your work ASAP, taking breaks is almost as important as the actual work you’re doing. It all comes down to how you’re pacing yourself, and what strategies you’re using to ensure you’re not overworking yourself. I can personally attest to the usefulness of the ‘Pomodoro’ Technique. Technique involves setting a timer– typically 25 minutes– and working during that time. Once the timer expires, you then set a timer for 5 minutes to take a break, allowing your brain to relax and recharge. Repeating this cycle of work and short breaks has been proven, again by the National Library of Medicine, to provide “mood benefits, and [also] appeared to have efficiency benefits.” I recommend this extension for Firefox, or you can always just look for a YouTube video.
Combining these work habits with a healthier diet as finals approaches will allow you to raise your scores and make studying so much easier. Good luck in the coming week Scotties, and happy holidays.