Since finals are slowly creeping up on us, now is a better time than ever to get ready for them. Finals can be overwhelming for many, but with sufficient preparation you can get through them. If you are not sure what to do for finals, don’t worry.
Here are five ways that you can prepare early so that you can crush your finals when they come around:
Review course material
Going back through your textbook and assignments is arguably one of the most important parts of being prepared for finals. Many people may hold off on reviewing course material because there is still content to cover in class that will be on the final. However, going back through and studying the material you’ve already been taught can allow you time to cover the newer content when it comes out, without worrying about cramming.
You can also focus on the parts of the course that you didn’t understand so that you can catch up on anything that was confusing to you when it was taught during the semester. It’s better to focus on the content you don’t understand rather than the stuff you already know so you’re not wasting valuable time on material that you will remember.
Look over your syllabus
The next thing to take into account is your course syllabus. The syllabus can be an important tool for finals because they often tell you information about projects or exams, detailing how grading will work for each. It can be useful if you need to raise your grade so that you can work on or study the most important material.
The syllabus can also tell you information about your finals, so you can create a study guide based around it. If the course has been around for a while, there may be a study guide for the final exam found on Quizlet or other study sites. It’s always a good idea to check online if people have taken the exam before you and see if they have provided any tips on how to do well on it.
Listen to relaxing music
Listening to music can help take your mind off the pressure of finals. Being stressed can make it difficult to remember and retain information so finding a distraction can ease that feeling of anxiety. Having a study playlist can make it easy to focus on studying without needing to go through your phone to set a new song each time one ends.
It’s important that the songs you choose aren’t too exciting, since being overly excited makes it difficult to focus on study material. Lofi songs have a strong reputation for being the genre you can go to if you want to study.
Plan out your final projects
If you have final projects in your courses, it’s best to start them early. Many professors advise that you start on final projects right as the semester starts, but students often wait until the end of the semester to start. Although getting started as soon as possible is difficult because final projects commonly use material that is taught throughout the class, making a plan on how to do it can save you time when it comes to finally getting around to working on it.
With group projects, it’s best to find a platform where you discuss ideas to group mates. GroupMe, Microsoft Teams and even your Ohio University email are good ways to start communication with your group. You can also talk about who does what in the project, so you won’t need to worry about people contributing to the project. Poor or little communication is something that slows down efficiency greatly, so constantly talking with your group about your plans or ideas is important to make everything go smoothly.
Email your professor with questions
After you’ve done everything previously mentioned on this list, it’s best to email your professor about any questions, comments or concerns you may have about exams or projects. Sometimes, the professor may forget to add something important on the syllabus so getting in contact with them can help lower any stress you have about a specific topic. Professors are more than happy to help you, but finals week can be a busy time. By emailing your professor early, you can give them more than enough time to respond to any inquiries you have.
