You’ve worked hard all semester, and it’s finally here! Your classes are finished, and only one more week stands between you and the well-deserved winter break!
But that one week is pretty intense – FINALS WEEK.
Today is ETSU’s University-Wide Study Day, a day dedicated to preparing for final exams.
A final exam might be a regular exam, testing you on material covered in class since the last regular exam. A final might be a paper you need to wrap up, polish and turn in. But most final exams are cumulative, testing you on the entire semester’s worth of material.
“Finals are often weighted heavier than regular exams and so have a greater consequence on final course grades,” said Jake Alspaugh, director of ETSU’s Center for Academic Achievement. “Finals may be longer than regular exams and contain a wide variety of question types – multiple choice, problem-solving, short answer or essay.”
Alspaugh offers the following tips as you dive into your course material today and continue studying throughout the weekend:
- If your exam is cumulative, go back over earlier chapters or units to ensure you understand the entire course content.
- Use a variety of study techniques, such as reviewing and summarizing notes, creating flashcards, predicting and answering test questions, and solving practice problems.
- Study in small chunks of time – perhaps an hour or two each day – rather than “cram” in a marathon study session the night before the exam.
- In between study sessions, engage in something that helps you manage stress, whether exercise, mindfulness techniques or other calming activities.
- Throughout Finals Week, stick to a healthy diet, get plenty of sleep and engage in positive self-talk.
“You got this!” Alspaugh said.
