Time of Terror
The semester is coming to an end, and that means the dreaded finals are here. Some students are lucky and don’t have any finals. Other students might be experiencing finals for the first time.
As many students get ready to study for exams they might want to consider using all the help they can get in order to achieve acceptable grades.
Here are some tips students can use to improve studying habits:
* Study the material over time – You don’t want to wait until the last minute to cram all the information into your brain. Your brain remembers better if you study in small increments over time.
* Study sufficiently every week – The National Council of Educational Statistics (NCES) reports that students coming in from high school report on average that they usually studied about five hours a week. Depending on how many credits you have, it is suggested that a college student should usually study anywhere from 18-30 hours a week.
* Study effectively – Determine what’s really important when studying. If the material isn’t important, or you already know it, don’t study it. Also, most professors don’t want memorized studying. They want students to apply and analyze what they learn.
* Set up a plan when studying – When studying for finals, it is suggested that students prepare a five- to seven-day study plan. The Study Smart Starter Kit at www.usu.edu/arc/ explains how to do this.
* Get sufficient sleep the night before the test – This might be difficult to do because of nerves or feeling unprepared. However, getting a good night’s sleep the day before the test will help improve clear thinking attentiveness in exams.
* Don’t wait until the last minute – Never assume quality studying for a final exam can be done one day or even a few days before the test. Students should be studying every day, if not every week at least, throughout the semester for upcoming tests, especially finals.
– Information gathered by Ronald Wallace