Looking to Reduce Stress About Final Exams? Try These Eleven Study Tips

AcademicAlly, LLC: May 1, 2024

AcademicAlly, LLC has dubbed the month of May, “Mayke It Happen”. This is the first of four editions that provides insider tips to end-of-the-year success.

Raise your hand if you are ready for summer! The season of freedom, you know, the one that offers allowances for edible delights like water ice and other frozen confections, sleepovers, baseball games, camp, outdoor concerts, and a slower pace, is just around the corner! The finish line for the 2023-2024 school year is in sight. All you need to do is push forward and cross it.

One of the keys to a strong finish is studying. For many students, studying is difficult under the best of circumstances, let alone at the end of the school year. Energy is sapped; focus is all but gone; and motivation is nowhere to be found. What’s a kid to do? Here are eleven proven strategies to boost your study habits and leave you ready for your last exams:

as we have discussed in earlier blog posts, creating a comfortable workspace is the foundation of your success every time you sit down to do your work. Whether you are spread out on the floor (yes, parents, I said “floor”!), curled up on a window bench, sitting at a desk with a bouncy exercise ball, or enjoying the view from the kitchen table, your physical comfort sets the tone for your work period. Eliminate distractions; create ambience with ambient noise like white noise or ocean waves; use essential oils or incense (do not leave the burning sticks unattended) to tap into your olfactory senses for a sense of calm. Make sure you have all necessary materials before you begin.

If you have the patience and enjoy writing, consider rewriting your notes. The physical act of writing is a necessary part of not only processing but storing important information.

your teachers did not create these materials because they had nothing better to do with their time. Chunk these study guides and calendar each chunk in your homework tracking tool (ie assignment book, online portal, hw application, etc). Give yourself plenty of time to complete each section so you are not rushed and so you have time to ask for help. Review these materials, making note as to which content does not make sense. Use color coding to denote that which makes sense and that which requires additional time for review. Go back later and delve more deeply into your notes to see if you can make sense of this confusing information. If not, make an appointment to meet with a friend or teacher for help.

reading any kind of material out loud facilitates auditory processing, which for many students, is the best way they understand and retain information. Use a change in voice to emphasize important ideas. Add melody to remember material as well as music makes retention easier.

whether you took quizzes or tests, these tools can be very useful for shaking off the cobwebs from the first half of the semester or the school year. Retake these assessments and see what you remember and need to refresh. Circle the questions you did not answer or with which you need assistance.

these cards can be very helpful. Some students prefer online tools like Quizlet, while others prefer hard copy index cards. Either way, list the concept or term on one side of the card and provide a personally meaningful hint just below it. One the back, write or type out the answer. Review these often, being sure to separate the material you know from that which you still need to review.

study with friends from your class. Some students like to take their study guides and divide them up among a few friends. Each student becomes an “expert” of their chunk and then is charged with teaching the rest of the group. Discussing the material among friends can make the material more tangible as kids frequently have cool ways to make personal connections with the content, making it easier to understand and retain. Be sure to establish goals of what you plan to accomplish before you begin each study session (ie today we will cover material from World War I through the Great Depression.)

you are not sentencing yourself to an entire evening of non-stop studying. Many students need to take breaks. Be intentional: schedule your breaks and use timers to mark a breaking point. Work for an appropriate period of time (anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes) and then take a break. Alternatively, take breaks based on task completion. If you have five sections to review in one night, aim to cover two and then take a break. During your pause, stay away from rabbit holes like texting, social media, and video games. Grab a snack; engage in some exercise; say hi to a family member; and then get back to work after 10 to 15 minutes. Set an alarm to remind you to return to work and honor that warning.

when it comes to taking exams, there is the physical aspect (studying the material) and the mental game. Think about it: Bryce Harper does not just step up to the plate and take aim at the ball blazing toward him. He mentally rehearses his at bat. Zach Edey, Purdue’s seven-foot-four-inch center, mentally rehearses his free throws every time he is at the free-throw line. You must do the same. Rehearse your test day from beginning to end. Walk in the classroom. Sit down at your desk. Take out your materials. Mentally look over and answer every question. Review your exam before you submit it to the teacher. Be sure to include bumps you might encounter: a question that does not make sense; a distraction in the classroom; or feeling tired halfway through the exam. By rehearsing, you build your confidence because you have “taken” your exam already!

in the days leading up to your exam, be sure to get enough sleep. Even if you are having trouble sleeping, it is important to allow your body and mind time to relax. A tired brain will not retain information or perform at its best.

on test day be sure you have something to eat. Even if it’s just a yogurt or granola bar, having something in your belly helps to fuel that machine that is your brain. Bring a snack with you for longer test days and make sure you have plenty of water.

Final exams can be stressful, but here’s the thing: there is a lot you can do to reduce that stress. Following these suggestions will lower the heat and enable you to not only master your material, but boost your confidence. These two factors alone will contribute to a strong performance and a solid finish to your school year!