Preparing for Finals: Study Methods for University Students
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The inevitable time of year has come around again: finals season, the time when it seems like almost every student is sleep deprived and running on pure adrenaline alone. While exams can definitely put a damper on excitement for the holidays, there are some ways to prepare in order to make the season a little less stressful.
In this article we will go through different study/preparation methods to help you prepare for your exams this semester. If you feel like your previous methods haven’t been working that well for you, take a look below and see if anything could revive your study schedule!
Study with Friends/Classmates
There’s a reason why the saying “misery loves company” is so well known! Jokes aside, studying with other people can be extremely beneficial. If you’ve been stressing out on your own, talking about your confusion can help you feel less stressed and more confident in what you do know. By discussing the information with others, you are more likely to discover your weak spots within the class material.
Additionally, if there are gaps in your notes from missed classes or mid-lecture naps, now is your time to ask someone else to fill those gaps! Finally, meeting up with friends can make studying more bearable and pleasant. As long as you don’t let the meetup become a significant distraction from studying, there are major benefits to be gained by meeting up with classmates for exam prep.
While studying on your own is an essential part of test/exam preparation, adding a few hours of studying with a group of people helps to diversify your study methods.
Pre-Test
Before you start looking over your notes, there is a strategic benefit to first testing your own knowledge and understanding as a study method. Although it might feel a little stressful to realize how much you actually don’t know, going through practice test questions helps to identify the topics you need to cover. Often a quick google search will give you a Quizlet or two relating to your subject of study. If not, you could look over previous tests, see if practice questions are provided in your textbook (if your particular class has one), or ask your Professor if they could direct you to a resource.
It’s been demonstrated through studies that pre-testing yourself is an effective method of test preparation. In a New York Times article, Benedict Carey argues how pre-testing helps to gear and prepare our brains for the content we’re studying, helping us to make better connections when reviewing the material. Because of this, pre-testing actually helps you study more efficiently and effectively.
If you combine taking a pre-test with reviewing the material, you will have put yourself in great shape for exam day!
Active Recall & Practice Questions and/or Exams
At some point during your university career you have probably heard about the active recall study method. How it works is that you essentially test yourself while you’re reviewing, but it doesn’t have to be as formal as writing a practice exam. When you challenge yourself to remember and regurgitate certain pieces of information, that is active recall. Active recall can be done through speech, writing information down, using flashcards, etc. The benefit of this method is that you can find out if you remember anything from when you were looking over your lecture notes. Additionally, active recall helps you to remember and preserve what you studied.
Following this, practice questions or using a practice exam are also beneficial tools when incorporating active recall in your study routine. As referred to above, Quizlet is a fantastic resource to find flashcard sets or to make your own. You can even practice active recall when you’re studying with your friends by asking each other questions based on the material.
Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technique is a more structured way of studying/accomplishing tasks than simply sitting down and working for hours on end. You select the task you wish to work on, work for twenty-five minutes, then take a five minute break. After you have completed four twenty-five minute work sessions, you get a longer fifteen to thirty minute break. This is repeated depending on how much work you need to complete.
Although it may seem uncomfortable and unpleasant to use a more rigid method of studying, the Pomodoro method helps you to avoid distractions. I mean, how many of us have told ourselves we would only scroll for five minutes, then ended up losing an hour or two? (I definitely have!) This method is also motivating, because you only see the next twenty-five minutes rather than the next three hours. Because of the relatively short time frame, you’re motivated to get as much done as possible.
Finally, the Pomodoro Technique can be adapted and changed according to the needs of each individual. Perhaps stopping for a break after twenty-five minutes completely disrupts your work-flow, and is counterproductive. Maybe one hour of work and a ten minute break works better for you, or some other time combination? Don’t be afraid to take this technique and make it your own!
If you’ve never used the Pomodoro Technique or an adaption of it before, why not give it a try? At least you’ll be making your next study session a little bit different than the last one!
Studying over an Extended Period
Finally, the last study technique/tip is extending your studying over time, rather than having a last-minute cram session. According to a Washington Post article by Sanjay Sarma and Luke Yoquinto, spreading your studying over a longer period of time helps to ensure that what you are learning establishes itself into a long-term memory. The article goes on to explain how this is especially important when practicing memory retrieval (similar to active recall), because it is at its most beneficial when the memory is established and not recently acquired.
While cramming does appear to work when studying for an exam that is in the near future, studying over an extended period to develop long-term memory connections is essential for future success. For many disciplines, the knowledge gained from one class is the foundation for a later class. Additionally, if you intend on using the skills/knowledge you learned in your university classes when entering the workforce or graduate school, remembering that information is crucial.
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Conclusion
Hopefully these study techniques have inspired you to sit down and hit the books! However, it is important to emphasize that grades are not everything and do not define you. If you find the build-up to finals is affecting your mental health, reach out to SMU’s Counselling Centre by emailing counselling@smu.ca or calling 902-420-5615 (hours are 8:30am-12:00pm; 1:00pm-4:30pm Monday-Friday). Looking after your mental health and well-being is most important.
Exam season is definitely a challenge, so remember to be gentle with yourself and give yourself as many breaks as needed. As a final note: although there may be some ineffective methods of studying, there is technically no ‘right’ way. Ultimately, what matters most is finding the study methods that work best for you.
If there are any university topics you would find useful and would like to see an article on, feel free to reach out to me at julia.yurchesyn@smu.ca. I would love to hear from you!
References
https://medium.com/@MyLeanMBA/8-benefits-of-studying-with-friends-d974bc34947c
https://www.edutopia.org/article/5-research-backed-studying-techniques
https://e-student.org/active-recall-study-method/
https://aliabdaal.com/activerecallstudytechnique/#active-recall-theory-and-evidence