Tips on how to successfully study for exams

Finals+is+a+huge+struggle.+It+puts+high+levels+of+stress+and+anxiety+just+to+succeed.+But+is+being+lazy+and+cramming+like+these+figures+up+there+worth+it%3F+%7CCredit%3A+Maham+Rizwan

Finals is a huge struggle. It puts high levels of stress and anxiety just to succeed. But is being lazy and cramming like these figures up there worth it? |Credit: Maham Rizwan

Fernando Castillo, Staff Writer, Member of Team Building Leadership and Member of Graphics Team

Winter break is just a couple of days away. The time when everyone could just relax in the comfort of their own home during the cold while giving and opening gifts is over. Of course, right before the big break, the final exams are approaching. They are closing in sooner than Winter Break, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year’s. The time during preparation for the exams and the exams themselves are times of stress, anxiety, pressure and overall just cramming. But with some good tips, some new and some old, preparing for exams is much easier.

1. Do Studying Now: “It’s better not to cram at all,” says Senior Andrew Rains. Cramming the day before the final exam as well as procrastinating seems to be very common amongst the students. It is best for you to start studying right now. The earlier you start, the better you can remember material. If you do it early enough, you may know most of the material from the top of your head!

2. Take Some Breaks and Go Right Back to Studying: While studying for big assessments, quizzes or working on a long project, you sometimes need to take a break. We cannot memorize the whole material within a couple of minutes or even the whole night. You should take plenty of stops at certain intervals to get your brain cooling down for a few minutes and then get back to studying.

3. Make Your Own Schedule: Sometimes we need a little help with not just what we need to do, but when we need to do it. Splitting material for different days can provide benefits to you. With this method, you can keep track of what you have done and what is left.

4. Study Everything: While study everything seems time consuming and puts major stress on the brain, sometimes the study guides and help sessions that you take advantage of don’t necessarily cover all the topics. Their objective is to go through the most important parts that are likely to be on the exam. What you should do is to look over any material that has not been covered in exam prep. You may find that what you haven’t reviewed may link up to be the most important part of the test.

5. Resting: Resting is the most crucial factor when studying. You lose a ton of energy whenlooking over the notes and you lose even more when you try to memorize it using different methods. That’s when you realize that you need to recover that lost energy; how are you supposed to take the exams when you are half-asleep? A good night’s rest is beneficial as it allows you to completely focus on the next day. Don’t forget to eat a good breakfast, though. It’s the most important meal of the day!

6. Test Yourself: A good studying method is to test yourself with the material that you went over. Create questions that are likely to be on the exam so that you can be more familiar with the material. As you go through the questions, you can then see what it is you need to work on and what you have mastered.

7. Read it All Slowly and Carefully: You heard that right: slowly and carefully. While this doesn’t seem tedious compared to “Study Everything,” sometimes students could get questions and concepts wrong just by burning through pages, misinformation or perhaps both. You should go over the material at a slow pace because we can’t expect ourselves to memorize everything in only a few minutes. Pay close attention to what you read because you might miss something that could prove harmful to your exam score. This does apply while taking the exam, although it has different effects.
These tips will help you prepare for the exam with relative ease. I suggest that you start preparing right now when you have the time because the amount of free time you have is invaluable.