As Finals come closer and closer we decided to follow our Midterms Studying tips and tricks blog with some more for Finals week. Since many of us struggle with studying, preparing and actual test taking we gathered more pointers for you. 

• Make a plan, stick to it
  • Making a study schedule is only half of the battle when it comes to preparing for finals week. Don’t back track your work, follow through with a schedule that you made for you. You made the plan with a goal in mind, so sticking to it is important! 
• Use Pictures!
  • Although it may seem and sound elementary it works! Our brains remember colors and pictures more than just words in black and white. Even using a colorful pen to write your notes down with is helpful. Simply enough, our brains like colors and we retain the information a lot better. 
• Get outside help
  • There is no shame in not understanding something, it is part of the learning process. There are a million out of classroom resources that students have access to. There is an online 24/7 tutor that you can access through your D2l portal in Onestop. There are also a million in person and online (zoom and such) options offered through academic services. One of the best options, although it is the most intimidating, reach out to your professor for help. Yes, they can be busy especially the weeks leading up to finals, but they are the ones teaching the materials so they should know how to help you more than anyone else. Have all of your questions from throughout the semester ready at hand, oftentimes professors will have study days during the weeks leading up to finals and that is one of the best opportunities to ask those questions. As well as helping out your classmates, chances are you’re not the only person to have that question. 
• Take Breaks
  • Give your brain a chance to rest in between subjects. Our brains have certain limits, so studying for long periods of time cramming information is not always the best way to study. Instead, try taking 10 minute breaks in between subjects. It gives your eyes and your brain some rest so that you are not overly stressing your body. 
• Have goals and rewards
  • A lot of students struggle with finding the motivation to study, and that’s just the first step in it. One of the ways to get motivation is to set up a goals and rewards system for yourself when you achieve something on your studying schedule. For example- you finish studying all of chapter 6 for Econ, you reward yourself with a bag of M&M’s. Whatever works best for you, try it.

• *Bonus: It is scientifically proven that chewing gum while studying helps you retain the information, as well as chewing that same flavor of gum helps you recall the information during the test. Just chew quietly out of respect for others. Also, cram sessions before the test have also been proven to not help the person, just stress them out more. So make sure you get a good night’s rest before the final, the late night won’t help.

You have been preparing for finals all semester, it is usually just cumulative information that you have already learned. Don’t sweat it and study and you will do just fine. We are so close to summer break, we have got this GOVs! 

If these tips and tricks aren’t working for you, try some of these https://examstudyexpert.com/study-tips/