how to survive final exams
an informational masterpost by @briellestudies
- you remember material better if you physically interact with it as opposed to just scanning it over with your eyes
instead of merely reading a page of notes, go through it with a pen/highlighter in your hand. underline/circle/annotate things as you review the material
- make a study schedule. include which days you want to study for each subject, deadlines (e.g. “finish essay by tuesday”, “study guide for physics should be done today”), any study sessions you might have with others, and time for sleep
finals season often overwhelms students because of the sheer amount of work facing them. by breaking things down into a schedule and focusing on smaller portions of work day-by-day, things appear much more manageable
- use mnemonic devices to help you remember things (when applicable)
i like to use them for memorizing groups/orders of things - for example, when i took a class on dinosaurs, i had a lot of trouble keeping the paleozoic/mesozoic/cenozoic and triassic/jurassic/cretaceous orders straight until i realized that both were in reverse-alphabetical order
- different study methods work better for different classes
flashcards are best for classes where you have to memorize lots of information (without providing further explanation), e.g. introductory psychology
mind maps are good for organizing thoughts and seeing how ideas fit together, e.g. english and literature classes
practice problems/practice tests are usually the best way to prepare for STEM classes, e.g. math and chemistryÂ
optimizing your performance/productivity
- try to get some sleep. try.
you probably won’t be getting your full 7-8 hours during finals season. fine. completely understandable. but a couple hours here and there throughout the day will do wonders. your brain doesn’t work at optimum levels when you’re sleep-deprived, so while you may not have time for solid 8-hour blocks of sleep, it’s in your best interests to get 1-2 hour powers naps in when you can. aim for at least 4-6 hours of total sleep time per day
- finals week is not the time for junk food. if you’re going to push your body to its physical and mental limit (as so many of us do), you’d better make damn sure you’re at least giving it the best possible fuel to run on
- you should be aware of your study habits by finals season. take them into account and use them to your advantage
more productive in the morning? set an early alarm and get yo ass up
procrastinate a lot? bitch me too!! it’s not necessarily a bad thing - some people do their best work under time pressure. try this thing i like to call “productive procrastination”: if you wanna procrastinate on something, do so by working on another assignment/studying for another class. this way, you fulfill your desire to procrastinate but you’re still being productive and not completely fucking yourself over
more productive when working with others? try to organize study sessions (or you’re the opposite like me and prefer to study alone, don’t feel guilty about declining requests to work with friends/classmates)
- there’s an app called “self control” that blacklists or whitelists websites for a given amount of time (that you set yourself). it forces you to stay focused if you can’t help but peek on social media sites every so often when working on your laptop
- prioritize! know which finals will require the most effort on your part and plan accordingly
give more priority to finals that are worth a higher percentage of your overall grade
calculate the minimum score you need on the final that’ll still get you the overall grade you’re aiming for - generally, you should be spending more study time on finals that you’ll need a higher grade on
- if you finish with extra time, go through your test again and attempt to answer every question you left blank (unless you’re penalized for guessing, of course). the potential for partial credit is better than definitely receiving no credit
for multiple choice, use process of elimination and then make your best guess
if you don’t know the answer to a short answer/essay-style question, then answer around it. for example, if you don’t know the significance of caliban’s soliloquy in shakespeare’s the tempest, talk about the character of caliban in general and/or the role soliloquies are meant to play in shakespeare’s works
if you’re stuck on a math problem and have no clue how to even begin, just start manipulating numbers and applying formulas
- dress in layers so you’re comfortable no matter the room temperature
- always answer the questions you’re sure of first
- don’t be afraid to ask the proctor if you’re unsure of what something on the test is asking of you (i.e. questions for clarification)
- pay attention to the questions on the exam - sometimes one question may hint at the answer to a different question
e.g. 2) what year was x fossil discovered? and 31) who discovered x fossil in the early 1930s?
try to get everything you need (calculator batteries, scantrons, blue books, writing utensils, etc.) the weekend before exams start. this way, you’re not freaking out right before a test because you’re missing something
try to time your coffee/lack of sleep crashes such that they don’t happen during a final exam (see tip about scheduling above)
if you’re pulling an all-nighter, set alarms periodically throughout the night (e.g. every hour and a half) so that if you accidentally fall asleep, you won’t sleep through the whole night
also set an alarm 20-30 minutes before each final. just in case ;)
bring an extension cord to the library if your school always seems to be short on outlets during finals week
always use the bathroom right before sitting an exam (even if you don’t feel like you really need to) to avoid getting up and wasting time during the test itself
turn off your motherfucking cell phone before your tests omfg
a note on adderall, a popular “study drug” students take during finals season:
i personally advise against the use of any study drugs that are not prescribed by a medical professional, but the fact of the matter is that students are going to use them regardless of what i say. when they don’t know what they’re getting into, they put themselves into very dangerous positions - often ending in trips to the emergency room or rehab. so in the interest of promoting safety (well, as much safety as is possible given the circumstances) and knowledge, here are a few things you should know about adderall if you decide you want to use it:
addy is very addictive and can make the user dependent on it
if you take it, you’ll start to sweat. a lot. dress accordingly
addy will make you lose your appetite. don’t listen to your body when it says it’s not hungry. you gotta force yourself to eat bruh
it’s also really easy to get dehydrated on addy - not only do you sweat a lot, but lots of people tend to pee a fuck ton while they’re on it. stay hydrated
addy is a stimulant. you won’t be able to sleep until its effects wear off
and just like other stimulants (e.g. caffeine, ecstasy), you will experience a “crash” afterwards. the crash is more pronounced than one you would get from coffee or even caffeine pills
there are two “kinds” of addy: IR and XR
IR means “immediate/instant release” - whatever dose you take will be released into your system all at once
XR means “extended release” - there will be an initial release of the drug into your system and then small amounts thereafter over an extended period of time
always err on the side of caution with dangerous drugs - when in doubt, start with a lower dose
as a parting note, i would just like to remind you all to keep in mind the importance of self-care and finding balance. there is a fine line between making temporary sacrifices and being self-destructive. sometimes it’s good to push yourself - “no pain, no gain” as they always say. but analogously, you also gotta recognize when it’s time to dial it back a bit - allow yourself a nap or an hour break to grab dinner with some friends every once in a while. trust me, you deserve it. good luck!
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