Maybe the most feared moments of our college life are the final’s week; during these days (and the days before those) you’ll have to sink in books and notes if you want to pass all your classes successfully. If you don’t want to feel overpowered by stress you must learn how to survive all the exams.
In the movies, we usually see college students studying like crazy, on the verge of tears and in-between nervous crisis due to stress of exams and tests. You might think they’re overreacting but it’s actually a pretty accurate description of what happens in real life.
The thing is you have to be prepared to face these tests no matter how good you belief you are in one particular subject. That’s why we’ll give you some advice to lessen your suffering.
Change your mindset
First things first, you must change the way you approach this infamous period. How? Well, accepting the fact that exams are not necessarily the most important thing in the world and neither are your grades. Yes, you have to invest all the time and effort you can to achieve the best results but this shouldn’t consume you.
If you get a bad grade in one exam it will not be the end of the world and you shouldn’t add more pressure over your shoulders. Study so you can learn things and not only to pass a test and then forget everything. Once you’ve let all these old thoughts go and change your mindset, productivity will come naturally without feeling stressed 24/7.
Creating your own study plan and structure it by class and topic can help you hold back information longer. If you overload your brain reading hundreds of pages nonstop you won’t understand a thing and will waste your time; but if you break it up into smaller pieces and give yourself breaks in between them you’ll truly learn.
Yes, you need to pass your classes but more importantly you need to learn how to take care of yourself while moving forward on your college education. You’ll feel rested, fresher and willing to learn new things without frying your brain.
Do the practice questions!
If you have a question guide of any kind, pay attention! They’re there for a reason and will help you understand what you’re studying. Really, you need to understand what you’re reading and stop memorizing everything just for the test. If you want to become a real professional you’ll have to go further to standout.
And we’re not saying it only because of the educational value; it’ll also be easier for you to approve your exams. When you genuinely understand every topic answering the questions will come out more naturally and your study process will be less of a trauma.
Make sure you make your own calendar where you specify which classes need more time and according to the date of your exams, when should you’ve studied everything. And make sure you carry it out working on your discipline; if you need to go to bed a little bit later or to stop doing certain things in order to fulfill your schedule then do it.
Make sure to invest some extra time in the most complicated courses and resolve all the questions, exercises or tests you can.
Relax!
Finals season can last over 2 to 3 weeks and if you lock yourself up during the whole time exclusively studying it’s more likely you won’t understand a thing of what you’re reading or you can get sick because of the stress. Can you imagine being sick while giving your exams? No way!
Taking a few breaks or hang out with your friends it’s much more needed than you think so take a time where you can forget about all the exams you need to pass and have fun. You’ll have a more oxygenated brain while you eliminate all the stress of your body.
Get organized, give yourself some time to breathe and find all the motivation you need to be successful in your education and actually enjoy the ride. Once you take the first step, the rest will come easily.