Preparing for Final Exams

A Study Skills SeriesPresented by General Studies

Things to Take into Consideration

• Managing Your Time

• Making Academics Your Top Priority

• Reducing Anxiety

• Using Active Study Strategies

• Avoiding Cramming

Manage Your Time Efficiently

• Identify the days and time of all your exams

• Create an End-of-Semester calendar

• Know when the Last Class day and “Dead Day” are

Make Academics Your Top Priority

• Some students slack off because it is close to the end

• You have worked so hard why give up now?

• Calculate course grade to determine the impact of final exam

• Push Hard• Put forth some extra

effort to help bring up your grade

Set Priorities

• Reevaluate your goals for each class

• Look closely at where you stand in each class

• Consider all your options

Attend ALL classes

Reduce Anxiety

• Don’t let final exams panic you

• Get enough rest so you won’t feel stressed or worn out

• Eat well

Use Active Study Strategies

• Review lecture notes the same day you take them

• Write and recite information to move it to long term memory

• Test your understanding of the material by using flash cards, self-test, and recitation

Stay Motivated

• If you get tired or discouraged, give yourself a pep talk

• Plan rewards that will help you stay on task

• Surround yourself with other motivated people

Work Hard During Each Exam

• Don’t be in such a hurry to finish your exam

• Use problem-solving strategies to find the correct answers

• Concentrate only on one exam at a time• Don’t allow your performance on one

exam to interfere with your studying or performance on another

Monitor Your Progress

• Look over notes and text after your test to check your answers and predict how you did

• Look over your exam, if the professor allows it, and determine whether or not your study plan was effective

• Even though the course is over and your grade is already assigned, this could benefit you in the future

Reasons to Set Up a Final Exam Plan

• Helps to avoid cramming

• Enables you to utilize time more efficiently

• Will enable you to maintain your motivation throughout exam week

Reasons to Avoid CRAMMING

• Cramming is an inefficient use of time

• Leads to feelings of frustration

• Results in memory interference

• Especially ineffective if you have more than 1 exam on the same day

• Gives you less opportunity to organize, practice, and test your ability to retrieve information

How to Set Up Final Exam Plan…

1. Make a Final Exam Study Plan

-look at syllabi or final exam schedule several weeks in advance

-create a *Reminder Sheet for each exam that includes: 1. name of course

2. day, time, and place of exam 3. any materials required for

exam

*Put Reminder Sheet on a bulletin board or door, where it can be easily viewed

2. Set Up Final Exam Study Plan

Don’t start to prepare too early Preparing for exams several weeks ahead of

time can cause you to forget the information before the exam

Space your study to aid retention Crucial for getting information into long-term

memory in a logical and organized manner Study 1 chunk of material at a time, then

review to monitor your learning

Set Up Final Exam Study Plan

Split your day when preparing for several exams Requires planning and perseverance Enables you to create 3 to 4 two-hour blocks

of time each day to prepare for exams

Create a Final Exam Planning Calendar Helps you keep track of your available study

time

Creating a Final Exam Planning Calendar

• Each study block needs to be followed by at least a 1 hour break

• The break gives you time to rest and allows the information to “sink in” before you begin again

• Color Code your Calendar– Pick a different color for each exam – Highlight each study block for that exam in

the designated color

What is a COMPREHENSIVE final?

• A final that covers material that was previously tested on, as well as new material

How to Prepare for Comprehensive Finals:

• How to prepare for comprehensive finals is determined by what percentage of the final is comprehensive

• Finals are usually 25%, 50%, or 75% comprehensive

• The percentage of comprehensiveness determines the amount of time to devote to studying the old and new material

25% Comprehensive Finals

• Spend only 25 % of the time you’ve set aside to study for this final for studying old material

• Spend the remaining 75% studying the new material

• Example: If your final consists of 100 multiple-choice questions only 25 of them will be from old material and 75 will be from new material

50% and 75 % Comprehensive Finals

• For 50 % comprehensive finals an equal amount of time should be divided between studying old and new materials

• You may need to spend more time on old material as a way of refreshing your memory

• For 75% comprehensive finals more time is required to study old material

• So few questions will be taken from new material so be sure to study the old material 75% longer than the new

Quick Reminders on Preparing for Finals

• Good time management is a necessity

• Two weeks before exam make academics your FIRST priority

• Evaluate your current status in each course, to determine how much the final will affect your grade

• Use a study planning calendar to stay on task

• Develop a strategy to stay motivated throughout finals

• Put forth your best effort on all finals

• AVOID CRAMMING!!!

GOOD LUCK on Finals!!!