Preparing for Final Exams

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Preparing for Final Exams

• A Study Skills Series
• Presented by General Studies

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Things to Take into Consideration

• Managing Your Time
• Making Academics Your Top Priority
• Reducing Anxiety

• Using Active Study Strategies
• Avoiding Cramming

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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

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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

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Set Priorities

• Reevaluate your goals for each class
• Look closely at where you stand in each class
• Consider all your options

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Attend ALL classes
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Reduce Anxiety

• Dont let final exams panic you
• Get enough rest so you wont feel stressed or
  worn out
• Eat well

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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

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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

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Work Hard During Each Exam

• Dont 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
• Dont allow your performance on one exam to
  interfere with your studying or performance on
  another

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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

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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

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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

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How to Set Up Final Exam Plan
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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

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2. Set Up Final Exam Study Plan

• Dont 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

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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

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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

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What is a COMPREHENSIVE final?

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

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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

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25 Comprehensive Finals

• Spend only 25 of the time youve 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

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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

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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!!!

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GOOD LUCK on Finals!!!