With finals just a couple of weeks away, you might be feeling anxious or stressed about your exams. Fear not! Here are five fast and easy study tips to help you crush your finals.

Take breaks

You can only stay focused for so long so remember to give your brain a break. Allowing yourself to take some breaks will provide greater ability to concentrate and better quality studying. According to a study conducted by the University of Illinois, you should take at least a 5-minute break for every 30 minutes of work. Remember to reward yourself during your breaks by grabbing some coffee or taking a walk.

Make a study guide

Create a study guide for each class that has all of the information you need to study. Having it in one handout will make it more easily accessible. The Academic Success Center at Purdue University has a great handout that explains how to make a study guide that works for you.

Try the egg-timer method

If distractions are your biggest challenge during your study sessions, you may want to try the egg-timer method. In this technique,  you focus on studying and you set yourself a timer for 30 to 45 minutes and when the timer goes off you take a break. This productivity hack allows you to break up your study sessions to increase your concentration and minimize distractions as you only need to focus in short bursts.

Start studying ahead

With a week to go until finals, you have plenty of time to study. Starting to look over notes not only makes the final cram session easier, but less stressful! If work, family, or other school commitments make it hard to plan ahead there is always the 24-Hour Study Hall hosted by The Joe Crowley Student Union.

Sleep

I’m sure you have heard this before, but sleep is so important. Getting a good night’s rest makes all the difference in the world. It may not be worth staying up all night to have a cram session if you’re too tired to remember the material the next day.

 

Sources

Henry, A. (2014, July 02). Productivity 101: A Primer to The Pomodoro Technique. Retrieved from https://lifehacker.com/productivity-101-a-primer-to-the-pomodoro-technique-1598992730

Thayer, K. D. (n.d.). Making And Using Study Guides-Aids To Preparing For An Exam[PDF]. University of Illinois.

Yates, D. (n.d.). Brief diversions vastly improve focus, researchers find. Retrieved December 3, 2018, from https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/205427