Hello Green Hope! Felicity Falcon here. As finals season is just round the corner, we have made a list of helpful tips to help you prepare for your upcoming exams!

Prepare ahead of time

A classic but helpful tool, spreading out studying to maintain better retention and to avoid cramming helps you the best in the long term. Preparing as soon as possible for finals is always the right call. Identify what method best helps you to review course material, such as visual learning, rereading notes, or actively practicing through multiple choice questions. Recognizing this earlier on makes studying more efficient and easier as finals get closer.

Gather your notes & summarize units

When preparing, gather all your notes before the exam! Whether that be hard copy notes or digital ones,compiling your notes together will help keep you organized and promote studying behavior. As you read through each unit or topic of the material given, be sure to summarize the main points of what is written. Use bullet points, keywords, and add extra notes to get the overarching message so that it is easier to remember its content.

Take notes of the most important points

More often than not, slideshows made of 100+ slides can be overwhelming and you instinctively write down too much information. This causes you to focus on parts that are not as important to passing the class. By immediately narrowing down the information given to the bare essentials, you have more of a chance to remember them and feel more confident about the class. 

Have a study room

Oftentimes studying is best done with little distractions, preparing a place to study is extremely helpful when getting yourself into a flow state. Turn off all necessary devices and notifications and find an environment that is as quiet as possible. If you need music to get into a helpful mindset, classical background music that is soft and not too loud is the best way to go!

Do practice questions

Provided by teachers in the form of a study guide or through an online source, google and other search engines are helpful in finding ways to actively practice content. Being on the lookout for content on Khan Academy, Quizlets and other online quizzes helps build long term memory on the material studied.

Watch Youtube tutorials & lessons

As stated, online resources are often free and easily accessible for many courses.If you are a visual learner or need some sort of guidance on a lesson, youtube is a great source to find summarized videos on topics learned in class. It is best used as a refresher of material.

Ask questions

Though many students are reluctant to ask questions on reviewed content, it can oftentimes be extremely beneficial when preparing. Knowing what your strengths in the material are in comparison to your weaknesses will help you on final exams. Don’t hesitate to ask teachers, tutors or friends for help! Additionally, ask your fellow classmates too and be on the lookout for student tutors within Green Hope as well!

Join a study group

Having a quiet study room is important to stay focused, but studying in groups may also help some. If you have friends who can stay primarily focused, working together on practice problems can help you retain information better. 

Take breaks

The most important thing of all is taking breaks. Tying this point back in with the first, avoid cramming all your information in at once. This includes long hours of studying in a day. When reviewing content it is best to take a break to refresh your mind and memory. Eliminate as much unwanted stress as possible, and remember that being nervous to an extent is normal for these exams. Believe in yourself, and take care of your needs and wants. Try rewarding yourself after studying and schedule your studying in as healthy of a manner as possible.