Finals week, the last hurdle before summer/graduation has finally arrived. Don’t worry though, you’re almost finished and either soon to be graduating or at home relaxing for a few months. Here are our four study strategies which can be used to tackle late-night study sessions and to make finals week a breeze.

Set a specific, Achievable Goal – For example, write the following phrase: “I will do nothing else until I ____.”

This specific, achievable goal helps you stick with what you are setting out to complete and allows for you to visually see what you want to get done before you can relax or catch up on Netflix.

Make a schedule

You have a goal for studying this evening after dinner? Great! Make a schedule of how much time you are going to spend on studying, writing your essay or making notecards. For example, this structure might work for you:

• ●  40 minutes: Complete a task. This might be re-reading a chapter, going over problems, running through that 100 stack of flash cards or finalizing your essay. Try to stick to a one or two tasks in this time period so you don’t overdo it. Also, don’t cheat and check the internet. You got this!
• ●  5 minutes:  Aww yeah! Check your phone/social media! Get your tweet on.  Be sure to set your timer for this and don’t exceed the allotted time.
• ●  4 minutes: Step away from your work desk to get a snack/drink. Get a quick stretch in and make it a ‘break.’
• ●  Repeat as needed – I find sticking within an hour limits you to what you wish to get done. If you take the above structure you set yourself to a pattern that sets you up for success.

Find a study buddy

Pick a friend who’s equally committed to studying and getting work that isn’t afraid to seriously work and be studying for a couple hours. This person should be motivate your own work session and help you stay focused.  For finals, said buddies can help you with essays, reviewing note-cards or asking you questions from your study guide. Additionally, study buddies help you

Find the right study environment

This can be your special area in the library (for me it was in the corner window of the library), a quiet place in the coffee shop with minimal background noise, or your bedroom (your study materials are easily at hand). Wherever it may be, make sure it’s good for you so that you can study and focus at the task at hand.

What are your study strategies to tackle finals? Let us know by discussing it on our blog