It's almost finals week, everyone! As you prepare for the next couple weeks of intense studying, keep these study tips in mind to use your precious time as efficiently as possible.
1. Do not pull an all nighter!
There are several reasons why this is a bad idea. First of all, studying should be done in several short sessions with study breaks in between. This allows for you to reflect on the material and realize what you do and do not know as you go along. Studying all night does not allow for these breaks, so you should plan ahead for your finals and study a little bit every day. Another reason why all nighters are bad is because memories are consolidated into long-term memory during sleep, so it is best to study material before you go to bed and then review it again when you wake up. The last, most obvious reason is that if you are running on no sleep you may not be able to recall or recognize information very efficiently during your exam. So be sure to space out your studying over the next couple weeks!
2. Elaborate upon the material you are learning.
By generating new examples and applying new material to other things that you know, that material is more likely to be transferred into long-term memory. When learning a new concept, think of ways that you can apply it to information learned earlier in the course to make meaningful associations that can be recalled later during the test. Or, make up new examples other than ones provided by your professor or the textbook so you can think back to those examples on exam day.
3. Generate information by testing yourself
I know that it is tempting to read a chapter in a textbook then forget about it until you start studying for the test. However, research in cognitive psychology has shown that testing yourself on information you have just learned makes it much easier to recall that information days later. In math or science classes, test yourself with questions provided at the end of the chapter. If those questions are not available to you, it may be helpful to come up with your own questions or have a friend quiz you on information from the lecture or text. This gets you engaged in the material and allows you to learn as you go along, rather than cramming all of your learning into the days before the test.
Everyone has his or her own studying routine, although chances are that there are ways in which yours can be improved. I have gotten by with cramming the night before a test, although I am much less stressed and perform better if I space out my studying. It's difficult to change a routine, although if you try a new method once and find it effective, you may end up sticking with that new method. By using the above tips, you can relieve yourself of some exam-time stress and get the grades you are aiming for!
Posts in Gator Minds appear on Wednesdays.
