Do you have any posts/tips for studying effectively for semester finals?
My best tip is to target your study for the exam you’re taking.
So what does that mean?
1. Practice Past Exams.
There’s no point in memorising notecards or making study guides if you can’t tailor the content you’ve learnt to answer the question at hand. The short answer to the masses of students who say something to the effect of, ”I don’t understand why I only got X grade when I studied for 14701863 hours” is that “you failed to answer the question”. So get familiar with the type of questions in the exam, make sure you’re learning content that relates to said questions, and then understand how to command what you’ve learnt into an answer that addresses the question.
An easy way to do this is to grab a marking guide/ your syllabus and physically tick the relevant points/words/concepts you’ve included in your practice answer. You’ll be surprised - sometimes you think you’ve answered the question, when in reality, you haven’t.
2. Get a basic ‘birds eye view’ of the course before diving into the detail.
Don’t get caught up on little details. Understand the broad concepts that are examinable. Once you’ve got a working understanding of all of that, go back and fill it in with the detail (e.g. examples, case studies, specific applications of a formula). Why? The art of diminishing returns. Moreover, the first 50% of the marks allocated to a question are the easiest to get.
3. Do what you need to do, for you.
Look, just because you didn’t study from day 1 - day 100 doesn’t mean you’re going to fail. It’s not all or nothing; there’s a huge gap between an A+ and an F. Arguably those with that ‘fatalistic, catastrophizing mindset’ are on a one way track to demotivation town.
So if pulling an all nighter is how you study, then pull that godamn allnighter. If you’re the type to wake up early to study, then set your godamn alarm for 5am. If you need to rest and recouperate and spend a good 12 hours on tumblr procrastinating, then do it.
You’re not going to fail just because you don’t have the fancy notes or stationery your friend does. You’re not going to fail just because your friend studied for 4 hours last night while you marathoned gilmore girls.
Stand proud of your own study techniques that have ensured your success to this point.
+ on a side note, If you’ve fallen behind, here’s a few tips here.
Here’s a few tips from around the community:
A Complete Exam Study Guide by @strive-for-da-best
Study Tips For Finals by @attackonstudying
How to study for an exam by @chemistrynerd2020 (working link by @elkstudies)
5 Ways to Prep for Finals by @thedailyharoldblog
How to make a study schedule by @mindofamedstudent
The Really Big Studying Masterpost by @academla
Study Methods by @etudiance
All the best for your finals anon!
