Get Ready for the Finals

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit.” - Aristotle.

For many students right now, the finals are approaching, whether it is this month or next month. Being a university student who is about to graduate, I feel safe to say that I tested a lot of methods to be able to find the one that helped and continues to help me out the most. And I agree, it isn't going to be the same for everyone, but this article has a couple of steps that need to be included in everyone's routine of getting ready for exams, most importantly the finals.

1- Stay Organized

At the beginning of my semester, just like every semester, I brought a 2023 agenda that I have been using to organize myself. I write what I have due in one list and on the other list what I can start or do if I have spare time. And this is what I do to be sure I don’t simply forget about a final or be caught up in something and forget the others since I have a whole two weeks of things to submit and online exams. If you don’t have an agenda, you can use a normal notebook or even stick notes and stick them on the wall in front of your desk. The most important thing is to write the assignment or exam that is due on its date and write it again on a date prior to the date it is due to start it ahead of time.

2- Divide Your Time

After writing what you have to do for each day, go through them step by step and estimate the time each one will take. If you feel like a project will take more than one day, write it on multiple days when you have free time for extra time. For example, if I have an exam that I know would take 4 days to study for, I pick 4 days and write under them the name of the subject and how many pages I should finish. So if this exam is 100 pages and I want to study 4 days for it, I write in my agenda on the first day (ENGL pages 1-25) and I repeat the same for each. I do that for each assignment or exam, so I fill my week for the things due next one.

(Personal advice: if you finished something you thought would take more time and you think you could study more, try finishing or at least starting the things due the next day because most of the time the productivity is not the same for each day. So if you were able to finish 25 pages in one day, the next day you might be able to just do 10. Think ahead.)

3- Be Realistic

For the first two steps, remind yourself to be realistic and gentle with yourself. Don’t overestimate yourself. We are not machines. If you know you are not able to study 6 hours a day then don’t put in your agenda, study 6 hours. Don’t put in your agenda 6h full of study with no breaks because you will not do that at the end and you will end up feeling discouraged that you didn’t finish what you had to do. Give yourself small tasks and divide your studies over multiple days.

(Personal advice: when you finish something do a check next to it or highlight it, don’t erase it. And if it is a stick note don’t throw it away. Because feeling like you were able to accomplish things will motivate you to do it again and again.)

4- Give Yourself Breaks

It is okay if you give yourself time off. Remind yourself while studying, dividing your time or organizing your days to give yourself free time and to write it down. You won’t be able to study without having a break. No brain can function 6 or more hours a day without breaks. I personally know that every two hours, I have to leave the space that I have been studying in for at least 10min. I go get myself a cup of water, I go sit my parents for a little bit or even walk around the apartment for a few minutes. It really helps.

Also, don't take away hours from your sleep to study. I know a lot of people that do overnight study and sleep after the exam. I have never done that and I’m doing fine. I personally think that losing sleep makes you lack concentration and also stresses and makes you tired to stay focused during the exam. If you organize your time correctly, you will never have to be an overnighter.

5- Take Notes

This is a very personal thing but I am more of a practical person. I have to take notes to learn so even if I don’t need to use these notes in the exam, I still take notes to make sure I learn the information. This also help in online exams. When you have just one hour to do so many questions, you have to at least know where to quickly find your information without having to search for it in the book. When I take notes, I write the page number on the side just in case I didn’t write down information that is mentioned in the exam.

Also, in your notes, don’t keep it boring. Highlight important information with a colour, and the title with another. Use arrows or stars. Keep it dynamic so that when you’re looking for the information your brain will remember what the page looks like based on the colours. But if all your pages look the same, it will be harder.

And if you have a by-heart exam, use flashcards to teach yourself the subject. There is a site called Cram that creates flashcards for you, you just have to fill them in and it creates games and techniques for you to make it easier to learn. I have been using it for years and I always do so well in my exams because I learn faster that way.

6- Choose a Good Atmosphere to Study

Try your best to be able to study in a calm place. Close your room door or tell them to keep their voices down or even play a lofi so it hides a bit of the noise outside. Try to keep switching places too. Don’t always study in the same spot. Study on your desk once, on your sibling's desk, in the living room when no one is home, on the kitchen table when you want a snack, etc. And if you can, try to study in a library once or in a coffee shop to be able to change places. That will help you stay focused and not get bored of studying. And, if you can and you're not in a public place, read out loud. Reading louder will get you engaged with the text and will make the information stick to your head more.

7- Relax Before the Exam

Since high school, I was told by my friends and my parents to revise before the exams and it personally would stress me even more when I am studying something and don’t remember it so when I get in the exam, all I can think about is that “I didn’t study well because I didn’t know this question”. So what I did in college and still do in university is wake up relaxed on the day of the exam, with nothing left to study and relax until the time of the exam. However, since by-heart exams stress me more than normal ones, I create prior flashcards and simply go through them over and over again before the exam. That will help me stay calm and am also revising it in a fun way.

I REALLY HOPE THAT HELPS EVEN A LITTLE BIT!! I wish you all good luck in your finals and final papers