Finals: Techniques, Time Management, and Finishing this School Year Strong

By: Aiyanna Bailey

Final Taking Techniques:

1. Get a good night’s sleep before you enter the classroom. Many researchers have found that getting a good night’s sleep before a test improves your memory scores and overall stamina. It was also found that people who get enough sleep before a big test are characterized with a higher grade and overall GPA.

2. Relax during a test.

3. Take a practice test. Studies show that practice tests decrease test anxiety and help familiarize a student with the test type, question types, and time restraints of the exam.

4. Answering the “easiest” questions first. By first answering the questions you consider to be easy, it allows students to show what they already know and build confidence in their ability to do well on the test as they go.

5. Focus your complete attention on the exam. Allowing yourself to focus completely on the exam rather than on things like your final grades or other people and things in the classroom has shown an improvement in the overall grade that you get on a final exam.

Time Management (How to Study Effectively):

1. Creating your OWN study guide. Outlining the information YOU need for your own learning rather than something a teacher provides can lead to a deeper understanding of the material and an overall better understanding.

2. Ask your teachers questions. All teachers and teacher assistants are here to help! Make sure you ask questions that are very specific to what you are actually confused about or may not understand completely.

3. Start studying at the earliest opportunity. Starting at the earliest opportunity will help you! Never rely on cramming the night before a big final and prepare thoroughly. 

4. Take breaks. Balance is necessary. You will not learn the material all at once, just like when a teacher goes over something in school. Studying is a gradual task; you need to take a sufficient amount of time for yourself in order to be fully prepared for your exam.

5. Organize a group study session. If you work with a study buddy and explain concepts to one another, you're re-learning the material all over again. It's a great way to reinforce what you've learned and help someone in the meantime.

Managing Stress:

1. Stay in touch with friends and family. Talking to friends and family about test anxiety, and how they are feeling about the end of the year helps you remind yourself that you are both not alone. 

2. Be organized. Knowing where everything is and staying organized will help you not add another stress factor into your life during this stressful time. 

3. Setting up times to rest and to work. Managing your time before you have a big exam will allow you to look forward to well-thought out times to take a break and help you effectively study when you need to “lock in”.

Good luck Balers!

Source Credits: Google Images