Finals Week

Final Exam Preparation Checklist

• Find out what your entire final exam schedule is so that you'll know how many finals you will have on each day.
• Prepare a written schedule for yourself indicating when you will study for each test. Leave some time in your schedule for exercise and relaxation, too.
• If the professor offers a study guide, use it.
• If the professor offers a review session for the exam, go to it.
• If you study well in groups, form a study group.
• Know if the final is comprehensive (covering everything since the beginning of the semester or quarter).
• Find out what kind of exam it will be. You'd study differently for a multiple-choice (Scantron) final than an essay (blue book) one.
• If the final will be taken online, find out if you have to go to a specific computer lab on campus at a specific time, or if you'll be allowed to take the final on your own computer. Also find out how many chances you will have to take the final. Assume it's just one chance unless you hear differently from the professor.
• If you have your previous exams available, scour the exams for things that you think will be on the final. Flag your notes by highlighting or using Post-It notes.
• Don't pull an all-nighter. (Though some people are successful with studying all night and then taking a test with no sleep, I wouldn't recommend you try it for the first time on a final exam.)
• Calculate your grades in the class. Determine what score you will need to get the grade you're hoping for in the class. You may discover that you can't possibly get an A, no matter how well you do on the final, but to get a B, you only need to get a few questions right.
• If you're an auditory learner, record yourself reading your notes aloud, then play the recording back several times.
• If the exam is an open-book exam, this does not mean that you don't have to study at all. In fact, one of the most challenging exams I ever took as an undergrad was an open-book essay exam. Flag your textbook based on where you believe the questions will come from.
• Consider creating a detailed Final Exam Battle Plan.

Tips courtesy of Public Relations Matters, at http://publicrelationsmatters.com/2010/11/30/26-tips-for-studying-for-final-exams/

  Finals week is approaching, and students are beginning preparations to pass exams.

  Study sessions and groups, along with the Success Center, will be heavily used during these times.

  Unlike midterm exams, classes have ended for finals week and students are given the entire week to prepare for their exams.

  "Reviewing old notes, tests and quizzes will help me prepare for finals," said first-year Cooper Conrad.

  These two weeks before exams provide an opportunity to get with the teachers and learn more about the material you don't understand.

  "Some of my teachers are giving me study guides/handouts to fill out, that will have most of the material on it," said Conrad.

  There might also be a time in class where you will be put into groups to go over the review session. This will become a big help to some students because they work better and learn more by being around other people.

  "I haven't been a part of many study groups, but I would say I learn the best in study groups because I retain more knowledge," said Conrad.

  A key to success for passing final exams is to go to every study session possible.

  "I went to the Success Center before my midterms and I did pretty good on a few of my exams," said first-year Denny Ardman. "So, looks like I'll be going there again for my finals."

  For a lot of students, starting early is helpful.

  "I want to try to get started this up-and-coming weekend just to get everything organized," said Conrad.

  Teachers stress to their students that using note cards is possibly the best way to study for your exams.

  The studying techniques used can also affect the outcome of your exam grade. Unlike high school, more detail and thought are put into the questions and although the teachers taught you the info, they still want you to be able to think deeper about the question.