Study methods for finals season
With final exams coming soon, it is almost impossible to not feel a sense of anxiety or worry. Whether it be an exam, presentation, or final essay, many people have utilized different strategies to study for these finals.
Senior psychology major Rachel Echols has made an official guide to studying for exams for both midterms and finals. These strategies include rewriting notes, re-teaching lessons to friends, flashcards, and so much more. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the top four strategies to study successfully for final exams.
The first strategy is one that we all should be familiar with—creating flashcards for certain subjects. Creating flashcards based off of course material has proven to be extremely successful in keeping memory from the material. Most people consider this an extremely fun exercise to make flashcards into a fun game. Make sure when creating flashcards, you have one side with a name, concept, or keyword, and the other side with its matching definition and example. For those who do not have flashcards at home, you can always stop by the Barnes & Noble bookstore at the MacVittie College Union, or you can get some at Walmart. An alternative option would be to use an online program as there are several options out there.
Another strategy is rewriting notes. Rewriting earlier notes helps keep information and exposes the brain to more material. You can try this strategy by writing on paper or typing on the computer, but writing on paper is seen as more effective.
Our third strategy is teaching a lecture to a friend. Many professors post their lecture slides on Canvas or somewhere online. If you and a friend are in similar classes, you both could possibly reteach lecture slides to each other. One example from my personal experience was when I had to study for an astronomy exam and beforehand, I had one of my friends from the same class quiz me on the lecture slides that we went over for the exam. This strategy, while extremely underrated, is remarkably effective from my personal experience.
Last, but certainly not least, simply sitting down and taking turns building off each other with a friend from class is another great studying strategy. This strategy involves simply sitting down with a friend and having a casual conversation about course material that will be on the exam. The strategy starts with one person talking about one unit or topic, and the next person adding more to what the first person said or talking about a different topic from the course. This is an extremely simple but effective way of studying, and honestly should be used more often.
If you ever feel confused or don’t get a specific topic in class, always stop by your professor's office hours. Many people try to stay independent or think they should study by themselves, but there is no shame in stopping by your professor’s office hours and asking for them to help with your studies.
As always, if you ever feel like you need to talk to someone regarding depression, anxiety, or stress relating to final exams, just remember that there are resources on campus that will help such as therapy, counseling and other services. Remember: we are all in this together, and we can all get through this semester.