Preparing for the Finals

As the year end approaches, many students from colleges and universities will be facing final exams. If you’re a student, you could be overwhelmed by stress, which makes it hard to stay motivated in your studies.

It is therefore crucial for you to know how to go about facing this situation. By being aware of the right things you should do, it can help tremendously in producing outstanding exam results.

Below are five study tips that can help you come out of this challenge on top.

Plan your approach

The final examinations are usually condensed into a few days, or sometimes even a few weeks. And the best way is to plan your schedule in order to maximise the time you have wisely.

It often includes working out a schedule that will help you make the best of the time you have. The best time to plan is usually before the study week begins because it is vital that you have a study schedule early on rather than leaving that until late. It’s difficult to structure your preparation time if you leave everything too late.

Your long-term goal

Depending on what you study, the process can be long and easily wear out a person’s passion. Some students find a good way is to have their goal in front of them all the time. Whether it’s on a post-it note, the front page of your notebook, or even the screensaver on your laptop or phone, the idea is to help you remember your goals.

Having a reminder to remind us of our long-term goal is always a good way to help us stay motivated and at the same time to do our best when we’re studying. This comes in handy in spurring us on whenever we feel discouraged or when anxiety kicks in.

Measure your progress from Day One

It’s nothing new for students to simulate a test environment and create or participate in quizzes to see how much they know about a subject – which is commonly performed a day or two before the exams. However, students more often than not fail to realise that they leave this too late with exams already steadily approaching.

The solution is to take small tests regularly from the beginning. If you can make a habit of this and incorporate it into your study routine, then you’ll have a much clearer idea of how you’re progressing and any areas you might need to brush up on. Not only will doing so help you retain information for longer, it will also reduce your stress levels and prepare you for the actual exam day.

Take regular breaks wisely

Taking regular breaks actually helps you study better. What you do with your breaks will have a huge impact on your preparation. You should always plan how you’re going to use your breaks. It can either make or break your study routine. Students can use breaks to get a quick power nap, take a breath of fresh air by stepping away or even exercising, to help you stay fresh for the next leg of your study.

It’s also important not to take breaks that are too long. An optimum time for a break, should be around 10 to 15 minutes tops. Any longer than that may have a huge impact on your study patterns. Whenever we end up doing things that pull us away, it can affect our memory and we end up finding it hard to get back into the right frame of mind.

Keeping essentials close by

You might easily become distracted if you constantly need to leave your study space to find supplies. This will ruin your productivity, so overcome the problem by keeping all of your essentials close at hand.

Ensure that you have ample stationery, paper and all the required books within easy reach to remove the need to leave your study space.

If you’ve prepared well by following these five tips – you can sit through a whole exam knowing you’ve prepared well and that is one of the best feelings you can have after an exam.