5 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Final Exam Studying

You’ve done it! You made it through the majority of the second semester. Now, with just one test standing between you and summer vacation, it’s time to start studying hard and get ready to ace your finals! Here are five tips to get the most out of your final exam studying so you can be confident that when exam day comes around, you won’t have any surprises waiting for you.

1) Study with a friend

By meeting with a friend and discussing the material together, you can bounce ideas off each other and help push one another along. This is also useful when the class has been going over material that is complicated or if it just generally seems hard; having someone there can help break down the concepts and make them seem more manageable.

2) Take practice tests

Taking practice tests gives you an idea about what types of questions they'll ask on the exam, as well as how much time you should allot for each section. If a full-length practice test is unrealistic due to time constraints, take smaller sections of a practice test. If your exam has four sections with three questions per section and one hour allotted for each, try completing 60 questions in 45 minutes in order to simulate conditions at testing time.

3) Revise your notes before you revise your textbook

One study suggests that if you want to really remember something, you need to practice it at least three times. So the best way to study for your final exam is by reading your notes before going through the textbook; since you’ve already written out the information in your own words, revising your notes will help you focus on main points while reading the textbook. Not only does writing things down more thoroughly enhance memory retention, but taking notes also helps improve comprehension.

4) Write key points in your own words

The information you learn in class is stored in your memory much more effectively when you write it down and create your own summaries. That’s because the words you write are yours — they are part of your personal knowledge, so they stick with you much better than words that someone else told you.

5) Put away your phone

A distraction as simple as a notification or a new email can make you take your eyes off what you’re studying, even if just for a second. Whether it’s taking your mind off what you’re studying or forcing you to scroll through Instagram, being on your phone can disrupt your focus and decrease your productivity when studying.