Studying

5 Ways to Prepare for Finals

5 Ways to Prepare for Exam Season

With exam season coming up, students all around the country are planning their game plan on landing a seat at the library, stocking up on ramen, and begging for Starbucks gift cards. However, it doesn’t always have to be hard! 

1. Make Sure to Keep Your Health in Check

Exam season is an incredibly stressful time for everyone. And let’s be real here, the cold weather doesn’t make anything better. While it’s easy to get lost in your own stress, always remember that it is important to make sure you’re healthy during this time. This includes not eating ramen for every meal, drinking the occasional water instead of coffee, and always making sure to get some exercise in even if it is walking for 5 minutes during your studying. 

2. Create A Schedule

Creating a schedule of what you need to get done each day is a good way to keep yourself on track and make sure you’re setting yourself up for success. This is also a great way to make sure you’re splitting up your time efficiently each day and not cramming it all in at the last minute. 

3. Find A Study Spot You Love

By finding a study spot you love, it makes it all the easier to feel motivated to study hard for your exams. Whether it be a certain area in the library, coffee shop or your own room, having an environment that helps get you focused is a great way to make sure that you ace your exams. 

4. Ask Your TAs for Help

Believe it or not, your TAs want to do more than slave away grading your assignments. They want to get to know you and they want you to use them as a resource. They’re grad students who have gone through the same struggles that you have been. By asking them for help during exam season, they may be able to show you another perspective on a problem or concept you don’t understand. Or they may be able to just ease your stress with some test taking tips. In any way, they’re a great resource to use during exam period! 

5. Explain Your Answers to Others

If you know you’re in for a long writing exam, it’s always good to look at the concepts and ideas and make sure you can clearly communicate your ideas. Many times, with writing exams, they’re looking for your opinion and analysis of the content. Most of the time, it doesn’t matter whether you’re right or wrong but whether you can back up your point with evidence. By first explaining your ideas to others, it’s a good way to practice your communication skills and make sure you clearly understand the concepts!