1. Make your own study guide
Many teachers will offer a study guide that outlines most of the exam, but making your own will help you organize the categories you feel go best together and see which ones you need to work on the most. This will help organize and prioritize your studying.
2. Attend the review session
Many professors have a study session before the final exam, be that the last day of class or a scheduled session. While it is tempting for many people to skip, going to a final review session can offer tips on the focus of the exam and allow you time to ask questions.
3. Organize a group study session.
Studying alone gets boring – fast. Studying with friends means that any questions or concerns you may have can be answered by people who may know certain material better than you will – so long as you stay on track.
4. Take breaks
Running low on motivation or feeling like the information just won’t stick? You may be overworking yourself. Take a 10 minute break every 30-50 minutes in order to recharge. During this time, you can relax, make yourself a snack, walk around and stretch out a bit or watch a short video.
5. Stay well-rested
Getting a solid 9 hours of sleep will do more for your memory than you think. Being well rested will decrease your stress and increase your memory recall, both things we want during finals week.
6. Prioritize your study time
Organizing your time by how soon and how difficult different exams will be will allow you to put the most amount of focus into the most important exams. Study smarter, not harder.
7. Teach classmates
Explaining course material to someone else is a good reinforcer of information you may already know. Coming up with different ways to explain and remember information will help you understand and remember it yourself, and you can help someone else in the process!
8. Create a system based on how YOU learn
Color code material that’s going to be on the exam by what is most important, what you don’t quite understand, and what you already know. Study different sections in different parts of your room or apartment in order to recall information based on where you studied it. Read the information aloud to yourself and teach the information to others. However you learn best, use every method you can.
9. Make it funny
Reading something in an accent, making a pun out of it or singing course material in the tune of a song are all fun ways to make information stick. By learning something in an unconventional way, you are making that information stick out in your brain and giving yourself clever ways to remember it. Make it fun to keep your motivation levels high.
10. Rethink your beliefs about learning
Learning and expertise does not happen quickly. The best way to learn is to stay positive, work hard, seek help and use effective strategies that work for you.
