How to Survive Exam Week

DEALING WITH TENSION

It is normal to expect a certain amount of tension preparing for finals. Actually, a little anxiety helps to
heighten your awareness and can enhance your performance.
1. Take time to relax. Cope with your excess tension before and between exams through rest, exercise and
deep muscle relaxation. For example, long walks and bike rides are excellent ways to release nervous energy
and maintain your stamina for the duration of your exam period.
. Adopt a positive approach. !o avoid becoming too anxious, look at the exam as the application step of
your study efforts, instead of a threatening new experience. "eplace all negative thoughts with positive ones.
#. Axiet! is "ota#ious. $eep away from people who are highly anxious before exams, because their
nervousness may tend to increase your own.
%. $la %ewards. &chedule a meal, a game, or a visit with a friend periodically throughout finals. 'lan a
treat when they(re all done. !hese help keep your spirits up.
S"HED&LE 'O% E(A)S
'repare a general schedule. )rite down the time of each exam and plan how much time you can allot to
studying for each course* remember that your hardest course will re+uire more time.
1. Start Earl!. &chedule your study periods to avoid last minute cramming.
. Allow lar#e *locks o+ time +or stud!i#. ,lock out at least %-. hours each day for getting down concepts
and basic relationships and take a 1/-1. minute break after each hour. &tudying each sub0ect more days per
week is better for memory recall, than fewer days per week and longer hours.
#. Allow short periods +or review. 1se the odd moments, ie2 walking across campus, for recall and review -
"un through the information fre+uently* this will ensure that you remember it and it will broaden your
understanding. 3on4t 0ust read and reread notes5 6ui7 yourself daily to identify what you know and don4t know.
%. ,ar! what !ou stud!. 3on(t study for two similar courses consecutively. It is better to break the pattern
with a completely different study approach. For example, study chemistry and then French instead of chemistry
and then physics.
.. Schedule *reaks. "espect your concentration span. 8specially if you haven(t studied much all semester, it
may be difficult to study for several hours at a time. &et a rescue timer2 something that will beep or vibrate after
a certain amount of time. !his will help you concentrate on the task at hand and let you take appropriate breaks.
9. Sta! with !our routie. &tick to your normal daily routine as much as possible. If you do get off your
routine and need extra time, avoid staying up all night* go to bed at your regular time and get up a couple of
hours earlier than you normally would, to continue studying. :ou will be able to understand and remember more
when you are rested than you would if you postpone rest.
THE NIGHT -E'O%E
As you approach the first exam, and the time between exams2
1. Sped !our last hours calml! reviewi# what you4ve learned. !ry not to tackle new material then.
. Avoid sta!i# up all i#ht. :our body needs sleep to help you clearly think and write what you have
learned on the exam.
#. "ram selectivel!. !he night before an exam when you are more anxious than usual is one of the least
effective times for study. :our ability to deal with concepts and synthesi7e material is greatly reduced, and even
your ability to memori7e is impaired by marked anxiety. Cramming only serves to make you more frantic about
the exam and, hence, less prepared to do your best. If you do come up to exam time unprepared, use your last
minute studying as a review of key concepts, instead of trying to learn it all. ,e realistic about what you can
accomplish2 set priorities based on what you expect to be emphasi7ed on the test. &tay calm.
%. Sta! o task. 3on(t get involved in any activities that might either interfere with what you have been
learning or make you feel so guilty that you come home to study far into the night to make up for lost time.
"eview and relax.
E(A) DA.
1. !ry to avoid conversations with classmates right before an exam. Chances are someone will say something
wrong about what they studied. :ou don4t want misspoken information to cause you to panic or increase your
stress level right before taking a test.
. :ou want to remain calm, so the information you know is easier to recall. !ake long breaths in your nose,
hold it for four seconds, and then exhale out your mouth. !hink positive thoughts5
TA/E "A%E O' .O&%SEL'
In addition to taking an organi7ed and calm approach to studying, you need to make common sense and
moderation a general life style during times of stress.
1. )oderate stimulats. Coffee, tea and Coca-Cola all contain caffeine and are relatively safe ways to help
you stay awake. 'ills, such as ;o-3o7, taken in recommended dosage, are fairly safe to help stay awake2 they
are concentrated caffeine e+ual to about one and a half cups of coffee. <owever, they are not recommended
since sleep is more important for memory recall and an overdose may cause 0itters and keep you from being
able to sleep even if you want to.
. -eware o+ taki# dru#s. !his includes pills that were prescribed for other persons. 3iet pills, for
example, should be avoided, as it is possible to get an overdose of thyroid and a lethal dose of digitalis. A33
medicine will not work the same for people who are not diagnosed with A33. ;ever take other people4s
medicine5
Amphetamine preparations such as speed, ,en7edrine and 3exedrine increase mental processes, but they can
cause other bad effects. A student under the influence of amphetamines can cram and scan more information,
but retention may be reduced.
Te Traps o+ Stud!i#
1. 0I Do1t /ow Where To -e#i2
= !ake control - >ake a list of all the things you have to do.
= ,reak your workload down into manageable chunks. 'rioriti7e5
= &chedule your time realistically. 3on4t skip classes near an exam or you may miss a review session.
= 1se that hour in between classes to review notes and interrupt study time with planned study breaks
= ,egin studying early, with three hours of study for every one hour in class two weeks before the exam
and then increase study time as the exam approaches.
. 0I1ve Got So )uch To Stud!3Ad So Little Time2
= 'review - &urvey your syllabus, reading material, and notes.
= Identify and focus on the most important topics emphasi7ed, and areas still not understood.
= Adapt this method to your own style and study the material, but remember, previewing is not an
effective substitute for reading.
#. 0This Stu++ Is So Dr!4 I "a1t Eve Sta! Awake %eadi# It2
= Attack5 ?et actively involved with the text you read.
= Ask yourself, @)hat is important to remember about this sectionAB
= !ake notes or underline key concepts. 3iscuss the material with others in your class and study together.
= &tay on the offensive, especially with material you don4t find interesting, rather than reading passively
and missing important points.
%. 0I %ead It5 I &derstad It5 -ut I 6ust "a1t Get It To Sik I2
= 8laborate - )e remember best the things that are most meaningful to us.
= As you are reading, try to elaborate upon new information with your own examples.
= !ry to integrate what you are studying with what you already know.
= :ou will be able to remember new material better if you can link it to something that is already
meaningful to you.
.. 0I Guess I &derstad It2
= !est :ourself - >ake up +uestions about key sections in notes or reading.
= $eep in mind what the professor has stressed in the course.
= 8xamine the relationships between concepts and sections.
= Cften, simply by changing section headings you can generate many effective +uestions.
= For example, a section entitled @,ystander ApathyB can become2 @)hat is bystander apathyAB, @)hat
are the causes of bystander apathyAB, and @)hat are some examples of bystander apathyAB
9. 0There1s Too )uch To %emem*er2
= Crgani7e - Information is recalled easier if it is represented in an organi7ed framework that will make
retrieval more systematic.
= )rite chapter outlines or summaries* emphasi7e relationships between sections.
= ?roup information into categories or hierarchies, where possible
= Information >apping - 3raw up a matrix to organi7e and relate study material
For example, if you were trying to understand the causes of )orld )ar I, you could make a chart listing
all the ma0or countries involved across the top, and then list the important issues and events down the side.
;ext, in the boxes in between, you could describe the impact each issue had on each country to help you
understand these complex historical developments.
D. 0I /ew It A )iute A#o2
= "eview - After reading a section, try to recall the information contained in it.
= !ry answering the +uestions you made up for that section.
= If you cannot recall enough, re-read portions you had trouble remembering.
= !he more time you spend studying, the more you tend to recall.
= 8ven after the point where information can be perfectly recalled, further study makes the material less
likely to be forgotten entirely.
= In other words, you cannot over study.
= <owever, how you organi7e and integrate new information is still more important than how much time
you spend studying.
E. 0-ut I Like To Stud! I -ed2
= Context is crucial - "ecall is better when study conditions Fphysical location, as well as mental,
emotional, and physical stateG are similar to the test conditions.
= !he greater the similarity between the study setting and the test setting, the greater the likelihood that
material studied will be recalled during the test. 3on4t make a relaxation area a study area5
H. 0"rammi# -e+ore A Tests Helps /eep It 'resh I )! )id2
= &pacing is essential I &tart studying now5 $eep studying as you go along.
= ,egin with three hours of study for every one hour in class two weeks before the exam and then increase
study time as the exam approaches.
= "ecall increases as study time gets spread out over time.
1/. 0I1m Goi# To Sta! &p All Ni#ht &til I Get This2
= Avoid mental exhaustion - !ake short breaks often when studying and rest your mind before a test.
= )hen you take a study break, and 0ust before you go to sleep at night, don4t think about academics.
= 1nwind mentally and physically so your breaks will refresh you and you can sleep well that night.
= It4s more important than ever to take care of yourself before an exam5
= 8at well, sleep, and get enough exercise.