Finals week is approaching fast and students will start studying for their final exams in the coming days. Studying for final exams can be difficult and stressful, but utilizing the following techniques can make things easier.
When studying for an exam, it helps to have a plan or an order of things to do to prepare. The order that I’ve found works best for me is to first do a brief review of the topics that will be present on the exam, then start testing yourself. According to the Weingarten Center from the University of Pennsylvania, “Testing yourself by recalling content and teaching it to others are effective ways to gauge how well you know something.” Additionally, they also note that students should utilize practice tests, as they give a good idea of the types of questions you might find on an exam. In my personal experience, doing the practice exams provided and understanding the questions and answers has helped me more than any other traditional review method.
Another technique that can greatly ease students’ stress is breaking down what you need to study into a more manageable plan. Students don’t need to study for every exam all at once. If they have three finals, they can spend a couple days on the first final, then a few days on the second and so forth. This can help students feel less overwhelmed with the amount of work they have.
Michigan Tech also has many resources for students who need assistance in studying as well. There are learning centers on campus for most undergraduate majors and students are highly encouraged to visit them if they need help with a course’s content.
