MAKE THEM. CATCH THEM. RIDE THEM.
COLLEGE ADVICE / TIPS
How To Study For Final Exams
By: Tim Kolodziej
Pulling an all-nighter.
Cheating.
Full-on panic.
The pressure to excel on a college final exam can sometimes take us down
undisciplined, or even dark, roads. Morgan Mihalic knows the feeling all too
well.
“I really didn’t study much in high school, so once I got to my first final in
college, I had to teach myself how to study,” said Morgan, a senior at West
Virginia University. “I tried to cram and pull an all-nighter, but that didn’t
work out.”
Dr. Ralph Phillips, Academic Dean and a professor of Biology at Portage
Learning, has witnessed that scenario again and again during a career that
has spanned nearly five decades. But he’s also noticed another trend:
Students who follow some simple steps enjoy the greatest success during
finals week. And if you drop these tips into your backpack, we’re confident
you will, too.
See the big picture — Go back through the course material to get an
overview of what was covered during your semester, and make sure you
have a good feel for how the information flowed. Don’t simply memorize your
material, Dr. Phillips advised, but really try to understand it. He suggests
going through your notes, emphasizing key points, and then rewriting them
to keep them fresh in your mind.
Study your exams — Review tests and quizzes you’ve completed and
explore the questions you missed. The final exam will likely include questions
you’ve already covered at some point in the course. They might not be
worded in the exact same way, Dr. Phillips pointed out, but they will be
similar. Morgan agreed with that advice. “If I knew I had a harder class to
study for,” she explained, “I would prioritize that class and the modules I
needed extra help in.”
Act like a professor — Teaching the information to another person is one
of the best ways to truly understand the topic — but it can also have another
effect: While instructing others, you may find areas where you don’t fully
grasp the material, which will give you extra time to brush up on the
information before your final. “My favorite tip,” Morgan noted, “is to teach
myself the material out loud. It really helps it stick.”
Phone a friend — Another option is to study for the exam on your own,
then meet with a friend to review the topics together. It helps to have
another set of eyes so you don’t miss anything.
Keep calm and keep moving — Experiencing a mild form of anxiety
before a final exam is normal, but there’s one form of stress you don’t want
to feel — being unprepared. If you’ve done the work and you’re still unsure
about your ability to achieve success, Dr. Phillips recommends taking a deep
breath before starting. Then once you’re immersed in the exam, skip over
any questions you can’t answer and work ahead. Often times, there are clues
in those questions that can help you with previous prompts.
“In all these cases, don’t be shy to ask for help,” Dr. Phillips counseled. “Your
professors are usually more than happy to answer any questions you might
have.”
So, how does Morgan motivate herself for finals?
“It helps to remind myself that final exams are just one week of the college
experience,” she explained. “Once I get through it, then I can go home and
celebrate.”
Here’s to you doing the same.
(Need to catch up or get ahead on your college credits? Winter break is a
great time to take an online course with Portage Learning. Check out our list
of course offerings here.)
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