Finals week can be a stressful time for all studentsI know it is for me.

So, knowing how to properly prepare for finals is the key to avoiding
stress and acing every single one of your exams. Of course, all students
would love to relax by receiving massages or by the healing power of
dogs before finals (I sure would!).
But, we all know this isnt really possible. There needs to be a uniform
way to assess our performance as students and it has to happen at some
point (hence, finals). So how else can we lower stress and know that
were on the right track to excel in each course? Well, here are some
proven methods that will have you focused and better prepared for final
exams.
1. Say NO to cramming: Study in intervals! Studying in 20-50 minute
increments and giving yourself 5-10 minutes in between is more
beneficial than cramming. Distributing learning over time typically
benefits long-term retention more than a short period.
2. Say YES to cardio: Science says that just 20 minutes of cardio can
improve your memory. Whether youre dancing, jogging or busting a
sweat by walking, exercise will increase your energy level and reduce
the effects of stress. Very important!
3. Eat superfoods/antioxidants: Everybody knows you should eat
breakfast the day of a big test. Research suggests that high-carb, highfiber, slow-digesting foods like oatmeal are best (oatmeal is more
fulfilling than cereal). But what you eat a week in advance matters, too.
When 16 college students were tested on attention and thinking speed,
then fed a five-day high-fat, low-carb diet heavy on meat, eggs, cheese
and cream and tested again, their performance declined. The students
who ate a balanced diet that included fruit and vegetables, however, held
steady, says Cameron Holloway, a senior clinical researcher at the

University of Oxford. When you study, your brain consumes glucose, so

take a five-minute break every hour to let your body produce more fuel
for your studying. Eating a healthy snack is very beneficial and can
make a significant difference (almonds, fruit, and yogurt are good
choices).
4. Alternate study spots: Shake up your finals routine! Spending all night
in the library can be draining. According to the New York Times, simply
alternating the room where a person studies improves retention. In an
experiment, psychologists found that college students who studied a list
of 40 vocabulary words in two different rooms one windowless and
cluttered, the other modern, with a view on a courtyard did far better
on a test than students who studied the words twice, in the same
room. Why? Supposedly, the brain makes subtle associations between
what it is studying and the background sensations it has at the time. Try
alternating your study spots between the library, a study room, and a
quiet coffee house.
5. Time management: Cramming causes anxiety, which lowers your
ability to retain information. By creating a balanced study plan and
schedule, you will be able to study each subject in its entirety and
ultimately boost your test performance.
6. Avoid the all-nighter: Almost every college student pulls an allnighter, but it is a bad idea. Based on a 2008 study by Pamela Thacher,
Associate Professor of Psychology at St. Lawrence University, allnighters impair reasoning and memory for as long as four days. As a
result, you will receive lower grades. But thats not all; you would then
be forced to wake up earlier than expectedand thats bad too. According
to Dan Taylor, director of a sleep-and-health-research lab at the
University of North Texas, this will interfere with rapid-eye movement

(REM), which aids memory. So, get a good nights sleep and expect to
perform better on tests. (Quick tip: Review the toughest material right
before going to bed the night before the test. It makes it easier to recall
the material later, adds Taylor!)
7. MINIMIZE distractions: Research shows that while many teens prefer
to study while listening to music, texting friends, or watching television,
they are less likely to retain information that way. If you must listen to
music, stick to instrumental music and consider downloading these study
tools to keep you focused!
8. MAXIMIZE practice-testing: You may have thought highlighting, rereading and summation would be effective ways to study. Think again!
A 2013 study, Improving Students Learning With Effective Learning
Techniques, found that these techniques do not consistently boost
students performance. Practice testing through the use of flash cards, or
taking practice exams was observed to be a highly effective studying
technique.
Decide when to begin. You must start the process with at least a full
nights sleep between you and the exam. Your brain needs time to
subconsciously digest everything youve put into it, so you cannot try to
cram it all in an hour or two before the exam. The best time to start the
process is between the morning and early afternoon of the day before
your exam, a good 24-36 hours prior to the start of the test.
Read through the entirety of your notes that will be on the exam. If
its two pages or twenty pages, this is important. It will refresh you on
the subject matter and help you remember what you learned. It will also
help to make you aware of all the little bits of information and where
they are located within your notes so that you know where to find them
when you begin to organize the information.

Once you have a sense of where everything fits together, you are
going to want to start thinking about how you can group all the
information into relevant sections. You will also want to think about
how you want to group them, be it based on a specific theme,
chronology or by concept.
When you have identified the major themes, now is the time that
you can use Wikipedia or other online sources to fill in the gaps of
information that either you missed or which wasnt explained
clearly. You can now use the theme that you discovered to guide your
research and help you determine what information is relevant to the test.
By now you should have all the information that you will need to
study written out and divided by topic onto separate pieces of paper.
This is the point at which you can begin creating a narrative from the
information and indexing it in a way that it can be easily remembered on
the day of the exam
The method if indexing information can be thought of like creating
an information tree. Write the major themes of the exam you came up
with onto separate piece of paper. Those are the first branches of the
tree. Underneath the themes (which you just determined) are subthemes, which are the more refined groupings of information within
each theme. Below the sub-themes write the topics
As you start memorizing, concentrate on one major theme at a time
until you know it well. Once you have the theme and all the
information below it pretty well memorized, you can move on to the
next one until you have committed to memory everything you need to
know for the exam.

For the first major theme, start at the top and just read through the
tree. After you have refreshed yourself with a general understanding of
the information, focus on learning "phrases" for each topic that will help
you recall what that information was about.
After you feel confident that you know every theme, put down your
studying and take a break from the subject. The idea is not to try to
cram everything at once into your short-term memory. You want to give
your brain time to subconsciously internalize all the information you
shoveled at it. For this reason its important to start the process at least
the day before the exam.
On the day of the exam, set your alarm at least two hours before the
test. An hour and a half before the exam, start running through all the
themes and sub-topics in your head. Like always, check your notes if
you get stuck. This is when its time to cramtry as hard as you can to
commit all the tiny details to short-term memory. Youll want to try to
memorize everything youve prepared, but 15 minutes before the exam,
stop! In the last few minutes you should not be thinking about the exam
at all. Relax and take a few deep breaths, if you follow the steps above
everything should be fine!
Preparing for exams? Give yourself the best chance with these top ten
study tips.
Give yourself enough time to study:

Don't leave it until the last minute. While

some students do seem to thrive on last-minute 'cramming', it's widely accepted that for most of
us, this is not the best way to approach an exam. Set out a timetable for your study. Write down
how many exams you have and the days on which you have to sit them. Then organize your
study accordingly. You may want to give some exams more study time than others, so find a
balance that you feel comfortable with.

Organize your study space:

Make sure you have enough space to spread your

textbooks and notes out. Have you got enough light? Is your chair comfortable? Are your

computer games out of sight? Try and get rid of all distractions, and make sure you feel as
comfortable and able to focus as possible. For some people, this may mean almost complete
silence; for others, background music helps. Some of us need everything completely tidy and
organized in order to concentrate, while others thrive in a more cluttered environment. Think
about what works for you, and take the time to get it right.
Use flow charts and diagrams: Visual aids can be really helpful when revising.

At the start of a topic, challenge yourself to write down everything you

already know about a topic - and then highlight where the gaps lie. Closer to
the exam, condense your revision notes into one-page diagrams. Getting
your ideas down in this brief format can then help you to quickly recall
everything you need to know during the exam
Practice on old exams: One of the most effective ways to prepare for exams is

to practice taking past versions. This helps you get used to the format of the
questions, and - if you time yourself - can also be good practice for making
sure you spend the right amount of time on each section.
Explain your answers to others

Parents and little brothers and sisters don't have to be annoying around exam time! Use them to
your advantage. Explain an answer to a question to them. That will help you to get it clear in
your head, and also to highlight any areas where you need more work.
Organize study groups with friends:Get together with friends for a study

session. You may have questions that they have the answers to and vice
versa. As long as you make sure you stay focused on the topic for an agreed
amount of time, this can be one of the most effective ways to challenge
yourself.
Take regular breaks

While you may think it's best to study for as many hours as possible, this can actually be
counterproductive. If you were training for a marathon, you wouldn't try and run 24 hours a day!
Likewise studies have shown that for long-term retention of knowledge, taking regular breaks
really helps.
Everyone's different, so develop a study routine that works for you. If you study better in the
morning, start early before taking a break at lunchtime. Or if you're more productive at
nighttime, take a larger break earlier on so you're ready to settle down come evening.
Snack on 'brain food'

Keep away from junk food! You may feel like you deserve a treat, or that you don't have time to
cook, but what you eat can really have an impact on energy levels and focus. Keep your body
and brain well-fuelled by choosing nutritious foods that have been proven to aid concentration
and memory, such as fish, nuts, seeds, yogurt and blueberries. The same applies on exam day eat a good meal before the test, based on foods that will provide a slow release of energy
throughout. Sugar may seem appealing, but it won't help when your energy levels crash an hour
or so later
Plan your exam day

Make sure you get everything ready well in advance of the exam - don't leave it to the day before
to suddenly realize you don't know the way, or what you're supposed to bring. Check all the rules
and requirements, and plan your route and journey time. If possible, do a test run of the trip; if
not, write down clear directions.
Work out how long it will take to get there - then add on some extra time. You really don't want
to arrive having had to run halfway or feeling frazzled from losing your way. You could also
make plans to travel to the exam with friends or classmates, as long as you know they're likely to
be punctual!
10. Drink plenty of water

As a final tip, remember that being well hydrated is essential for your brain to work at its best.
Make sure you keep drinking plenty of water throughout your revision, and also on the exam
day.