Finals week is coming up, and with it comes a mountain of stress. Vacation is right around the corner, so close that you can almost taste it. Before you can relax too much, however, you have to finish out strong. Not to worry! Here are nine easy-to-implement strategies to help you master your finals.
#1: Prioritize Your Tasks
Sometimes, half the battle with exam stress is not knowing how to go about it. The process can go like this:
I have so much work and only one week before my exams. I don’t know what to do.
Maybe I’ll try X class first.
*studies difficult concept for ten minutes*
This is too difficult. Let me try something else first.
*brain is in panic mode, starts looking at something else*
I’m screwed. This is pointless.
*All-nighters and panic ensue*
If you want to master your finals, this is not the way to handle things. Is it common? Yes. Is it something that you might do at one point? Yes. But it’s not the right thing to do.
What you need to do is prioritize your tasks.
You can go about this in a few ways:
- Most urgent task to least urgent task
- Highest weighted grade to lowest weighted grade
- Most time consuming to least time consuming
- Easiest to hardest
And so on. Ideally, you’ll do a mixture of these. Let’s say that you have four classes: math (final is an exam), economics (final is a project), English (final is an essay), and biology (final is an exam). You want to look at the requirements or materials for each one. Then you’ll want to take inventory of your strengths, the work you’ve already done, the due dates, and the weight of the grades.
For example, let’s say that you’re awesome at English. The final is an essay on a book that you loved, it’s worth 10% of your grade, it’s due in three days, and you have a third of it done. Your English grade is awesome at the moment.
On the other hand, you suck at math, your exam is in five days, and you’ve barely looked at the material. Your exam is worth 20% of your grade. Your math grade isn’t where it should be, so you’re stressed.
Now you need to make a decision that will minimize your stress and maximize your time.
If you’re like me, you’ll want to knock the easy tasks out of the way first. English is more immediate, but you have less to lose. Math is a bit further away, but you need to work harder on this. You can approach this in a few ways:
- Get the essay out of the way today and dedicate a certain amount of time each day to math
- Work on both each day, while dedicating more time to math
- Do a mediocre job on the essay and focus entirely on math
This depends largely on your personality and the other tasks that you have to do. If it was me, I’d get the essay out of the way so that it’s one less thing to stress about. However, you need to decided what works best for you and write down your order of priority. If you’re interested in how to prioritize things, check out this link.
#2: Make a Schedule to Master Your Finals
By now, you’ve prioritized your tasks. You’ve determined what needs the most attention and what you will attack first. Now you need to figure out how you will fit it into the time that you have left.
Get out your planners, Google Docs, spreadsheets, reminder app, or whatever keeps you together.
After you’ve found your tool, you need to put something in writing. As I mention in this article about getting organized, it is absolutely critical to have your tasks visible to you and written down so that you can see them. If you don’t have it in writing, you risk forgetting it.
Now that you are ready to write, your next step is to block out time for each subject. Using whatever tool you prefer, write out specific times to work on the task. Do not just write “1) math, 2) English, etc.” You need to make it actionable and specific. For Day 1, this might look like:
- Study Ch1+2 in math (10-11)
- Break (11-11:30)
- Do body paragraphs of essay (11:30-12:30)
- Break (12:30-12:40)
- Study Bio notes (12:40-2)
- Lunch + house tasks (2-3)
- Study Ch3+4 in math (3-4)
- Break (4-4:10)
- Work on Econ project (4:10-5:30)
- Finish essay (5:30-6:30)
And so on and so forth.
The idea is that you build in breaks and focus your time to maximize efficiency.
If you look at this schedule, there’s not a lot of time to panic. You’ll have to stay on your game to stay on track. Additionally, you’ll be able to relax because it is very clear that you have a plan to master your finals. You know how you’re going to attack each problem. Now you can do it.
#3: Find an Accountability Buddy
As I mention in this article about goal planning, an accountability buddy is a great tool in reaching your objective. Humans are social creatures. We hate to lose face. By telling someone your objectives, you’re more likely to reach your goal. Additionally, this person can help keep you on track, especially if they need an accountability buddy too. A roommate or friend is the best person in this situation, as they have their own tasks that need to get done during finals season. However, if you don’t have someone like that, a parent, sibling, or coworker can also help.
My Honors College at SDSU adopted an African proverb as its mantra: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. When it’s finding an accountability buddy to help you master your finals or master a sports skill, this remains true. Together, you accomplish much more.
#4: Work Together When Possible to Master Your Finals
Going off of the idea of an accountability buddy, take advantage of the social thing. If you know some other kids in your Bio class, set up a day and time to go over materials. In teaching, we have the idea of the Learning Pyramid, an idea created by Edgar Dale that posits that participatory learning helps you to learn much faster than passive learning. Dale says that you remember 90% of the material by teaching others. Discussion isn’t quite that high, but the numbers are still in your favor. Seeing as that’s the whole point of a study group, it is a good option to help you master your finals.
Beyond the practical benefits, it’s also more enjoyable than going through a book by yourself, and it could be a great way to make friends!
#5: Use the Resources Available to You
Sometimes, TAs or professors will set up study sessions. This is a fantastic opportunity to not only participate in a study group, but to also participate in a study group that is structured and informed by the people proctoring/grading the exam. When I was in college, the head of the ISCOR department at SDSU would constantly organize study groups before exams. The professor would attend, as would 1-4 TAs. This was incredibly useful, as they led us through a discussion of the study guide, allowed us to ask questions, and gave examples of how they would grade.
Even if your professor doesn’t lead study groups, it’s worth going to their office hours. They are there to answer your questions, and they want to help you master your finals. Some professor even offer to review your essay, give feedback on potential short answer responses, or help you through the study guide. While it does depend on the professor, I would highly recommend checking in with them.
This not only helps you, but also shows that you are trying!
Some professors take this into account when grading, so it could help you in the end.
Additionally, beyond your professor, consider what other resources you have. Are there tutors on campus? Do you have friends who already took the class? Roommates who excel in a subject? Youtube tutorials you can watch? Don’t limit yourself. Take advantage of what your university and the internet have to offer.
#6: Build in Time to Rest
If you want to master your finals, you will have to rest. Your brain functions horribly without sleep, and it’s not healthy. While all-nighters might be a common college trope, they are not that beneficial. Instead of saving yourself time, you decrease your efficiency the next day and have to suffer through brain fog and lethargy, which actually makes you less productive.
While the solution is obviously to budget your time far in advance, that is not always possible. Instead, following your schedule, make sure that you write in the time to rest and take breaks. Whether you follow the Pomodoro Technique or simply decide on an amount of time, do it and don’t let yourself go under or over the allotted amount.
On a personal note, if you’re doubting whether or not it’s possible to make it through college without pulling an all-nighter, take my word that it is. I never once lost significant sleep during my undergraduate, credential, or Master’s programs, and I had a 4.0 in each one. It’s all about preparation and optimizing your time.
#7: Take in Information Through a Variety of Methods
In education, we have Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. This posits that there are multiple different ways that people naturally take in information best:
- Visual
- Verbal
- Logical/Mathematical
- Kinesthetic
- Musical
- Natural
- Interpersonal
- Intrapersonal
Essentially, you might have an inclination toward learning better when it’s occurring in a particular method, such as working with others or moving around or listening to your notes being read to you. By figuring out which one(s) work best for you, you can come up with new studying tactics. This might look like:
- Putting your notes into a song
- Reading while exercising
- Speaking your notes into a voice memo and then listening to them
- Going out into nature and working there
- Drawing out pictures/illustrations to help you remember
In the long run, you can save time as you aim to master your finals by working smarter, not harder.
#8: Find a Study Space That Works for You
A little on the obvious side, but this goes beyond just your physical location. Naturally you want to figure out whether a library or a coffee shop or a study room or a bedroom works best for you. Beyond that, however, you want to look at what’s going on around you. Is there a roommate you’re feuding with who will distract you? Does your phone light up every three seconds? Are you only thinking about chores at home? Is there too much noise?
Take all of these into consideration as you pick your study space. Don’t be afraid to change locations if it doesn’t work for you.
#9: Set Reasonable Expectations
Finally, set reasonable expectations for yourself. As any athlete knows, performance and your mental game are closely tied to each other. If you’re putting an unhealthy amount of stress on yourself, it’s going to work against you. There isn’t an easy fix for this, but be aware of it and aim to work on it (including when it’s not finals season). One thing that helps is to put things into perspective. Will it matter in six months, a year, or five years? What’s the worst possible thing that can happen, and what will you do if that happens? What’s the likely outcome of this? Give yourself some credit.
Additionally, if you’ve put in zero effort for the entire semester and currently have an F, take a logical approach. Yes, there is the possibility of passing the class still. However, are you expecting a miracle? Are you putting in the work? Are you expecting to end up with a C when you’re not doing anything?
Expectations are critical to both outcomes and happiness. You want to set expectations high enough to succeed, but not high enough where they are unrealistic and cause you stress and/or impossible standards to reach. If you want to master your finals, finding the balance is key.
A Final Word
It’s no easy feat to master your finals, but it is possible. Through developing a strategic study approach, maintaining self-discipline, and setting yourself up for success, you can do it. Above all, take a breath and believe in yourself. You’ve got this. Good luck!
