Let’s Ace Those Final Exams!

Spring break is almost over and we are all ready (and excited) to go back to school, no? With almost 8 more weeks left until summer vacations, why not end the school year with a bang? You know, get the grades we all aim for, and boost that GPA!

Now you all know where I’m heading toward, right? Yep, it’s those dreadful final exams we have all been waiting for. Doing well on your final exams can make a HUGE impact on your grade, so why not start preparing yourself now?

Today, I will share with you all some easy tips and strategies on how you can prepare for your exams so that you can do well once exam time rolls by. Preparing in advance is very important when studying so that you do not cram the night before!

This is how you should prepare in advance:

• Go to your lectures and take good notes. It is extremely important to attend lectures as well as taking good notes! Studies show that writing down the things that you are learning is beneficial because your brain tends to remember better, so why not take the initiative to write everything down? Make sure to listen for key concepts/ideas/ and words, and try your best to understand what your professors are saying!

• Review your notes as soon as you get home. Once I get home, I like to review the material that I learned during my lectures. One thing that helps me remember the information is to go through my notes and highlight all the key terms I learned that day. I also like to highlight the material that did not make sense, that way I can be sure to review those items once I am actually studying for my exam! For concepts that don’t make sense, I always like to refer to the book to see if there are better explanations provided, and many times, there are! This is when I like to add the book examples to my notes so that I don’t have to keep on referring to my book.

• Read the assigned textbook chapters before the lecture. For many of my classes, my professors like to give assigned textbook readings, and I find that it is very beneficial to do the readings before the lecture because that way, you already know what topics will be covered that day! I like to use Post-It notes when I read the assigned chapter because I find that taking notes helps me remember the material better. Once I am done reading, I can take these notes and place them correspondingly in my notes so that I can refer to them when I am reviewing my materials that night!

After following these steps daily, all you will have to do once it’s time for those exams is to simply review your notes because you have already learned the material! After reading the chapters, attending lectures, and taking good notes, you will have learned all the main concepts and ideas. Now, in order to make sure you have mastered the material and know all the concepts/keywords, etc., here are some additional things I like to do before the exam:

• Read all my notes a week prior to the exam.
• Make a list of the concepts I do not fully understand.
• Going to my professor’s office hours and ask questions.
• Create visual flashcards.
• Test myself using prior quizzes/midterms received throughout the semester.

I hope these tips and strategies help you do well on those exams! Good luck, and remember, it is never too early to start preparing!