Dead Week, or the week right before finals, can be one of the most stressful weeks for students. During Dead week, thousands of students flock to the library at all hours of the day and night to study for upcoming exams and perfect final projects.
Here are 7 tips to help you study for finals (without having a nervous breakdown.)
- Make a plan (and stick to it)
The first step to exam success is creating a detailed schedule of all upcoming exams and project due dates. Then, once you know when your exams are, you can begin planning when you want to study for each class. Remember to give yourself more time to study for harder classes and make sure to schedule in your study-breaks and time for you to eat.
You can easily design your create your own study schedule on paper or online. If you choose to create your study schedule online, you can use an easy website like GoConqr.
- Divide and conquer
Trying to study an entire textbook in one night can be an intimidating and overwhelming task. Instead, divide up your study material for each class into smaller, more manageable parts. For example, you can study chapter 1-3 of a textbook one night, and chapter 4 and 5 the next night.
Help yourself stay on track by writing what materials you want to study each day on your study schedule.
- Ask questions
One of the best parts of Dead Week is that all Iowa State Professors still have mandatory office hours.
If you’re struggling with a topic or have questions about the test format, don’t hesitate to stop by your professor’s office hours to ask them questions. If your class offers supplemental instruction sessions, they can also help you review for your exam and answer any questions you may have.
- Take breaks
Studying your exam material is important, but so is taking regular breaks. While studying, you should take a 10-15 minute break every 20-50 minutes. Those breaks will help your brain absorb information and help lower your stress levels.
The best way to relax during Dead Week is to play with therapy dogs for free at Parks Library! You can find the Barks@Parks dogs in the upper rotundra of Parks Library from 1 to 5 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Go for a walk
Exercising doesn’t only help you stay healthy or reduce your stress levels; it can even help you do better on your exams. According to this article on active.com, exercising for 30 minutes a day can help improve your memory and increase your problem-solving abilities by 20%.
Just by going for a walk around campus you can improve your ability to remember information and do better on your exams.
- Avoid cramming the night before
A lot of students in college try to cram for a big test the night before, but cramming can have negative effects on student’s grades and stress levels. Cramming, or trying to learn large amounts of information quickly before a big test, is one of the worst ways to memorize information. It also generally causes people more stress and keeps them from getting a much-needed sleep.
- Get Plenty of sleep
Getting enough sleep the night before a big exam is one of the easiest ways to improve your grades. Sleep helps you absorb the information you’ve studied and it reduces your stress levels. If you can, try to get enough sleep before you study as well. You’ll thank yourself later.
Do you have any study tips you’d like to share? Comment them below. We’d love to hear them!
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