Welcome to week 2 of The Freshman’s Guide to College! Today we’re talking about studying for exams!
Last week we talked about back-to-school shopping, your course schedule, textbooks, making friends, and how to be a great roommate. Now we’re getting into the nitty gritty of how to actually succeed in your academic life at college!
One of the scariest parts of your first semester of school is trying to figure out how to manoeuvre around the dreaded exam season. The workload becomes unbearable, and you’re burnt out after a crazy 3 months of your first college courses.
My first semester of college, I’ll admit—the first day of exam season I just curled up in bed and cried for like an hour. I was just so overwhelmed by it all. Then, after that hour, I buckled down, studied, and did well on my exams. I know that exams are a far way off, but feeling prepared for everything that will happen helps with my stress levels, personally. On top of that, being successful at exams requires working hard all semester, so it’s never too early to gain some good habits.
I have been doing university courses for 4 years now, so I have a few tips and tricks on how to survive exam season and achieve your best results!

1. Try to stay on track throughout the semester
2. Your syllabus is your exam Bible.
3. Study using flashcards
4. Find a good study space
5. Give yourself rewards
6. Study with friends
7. Make sure to take breaks

Remember: what you put in during the semester is what you get out of your exam! Work hard early on and you’ll see great results at the end. School isn’t a last-minute sprint, it’s a marathon all semester. That may seem scary, but trust me—it’s doable, and you’ll have a great time learning so much new material! (Ok, well if you’re as nerdy as I am you will 😉 )
I hope these tips work for you! What have you found works for studying for exams?
Enjoy this post? Check out the rest of The Freshman’s Guide to College:
- Freshman’s Guide to College Day 1: Back-to-School Shopping
- Freshman’s Guide to College Day 2: Choosing your Course Schedule
- Freshman’s Guide to College Day 3: Saving on Textbooks
- Freshman’s Guide to College Day 4: Making Friends
- Freshman’s Guide to College Day 5: Roommates
- Freshman’s Guide to College Day 6: Exams
- Freshman’s Guide to College Day 7: Packing for College
- Freshman’s Guide to College Day 8: Staying Healthy in School
- Freshman’s Guide to College Day 9: Time Management
- Freshman’s Guide to College Day 10: Staying in Touch with Family and Friends
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These are such great tips! Even though I’m not a freshman, I definitely will keep these in mind when exams roll around. Thanks for sharing!! (And I know I’m late, but love the new design!!)
Kendal | Life With Kendal
Thanks, Kendal! 😀 So nice to see you around again! And I’m so glad that you like the design! I love it. Definitely finding out what my brand is, for sure.
I had to stop and read this post in between studying for exams . . . Two more to go this week 🙂
You can do it!!! Praying for you, Melody!!
I bet staying on track is a huge help when it comes time for exams, just wish I could do that! I’m the worst when it comes to studying, but this semester I’m hoping to improve that. This post is great motivation 🙂
Honestly I was the same way until last semester! What I found works is just do the work for 1 course a day. Then you catch up on assignments on Saturday, and that’s all! It’s only about 3 hours a day of studying, nothing more!
I’m so glad you find this motivating 🙂 I’m rooting for you!!
I love that you’ve put all of these posts together. What an awesome resource! Whenever I am studying for an exam, there is a point where I just STOP. Cramming anytime about 12 hours before the test is not going to work, and usually just makes me anxious. So I set all my studying aside and go to the gym to get my brain juices flowing before I take it. 🙂
I’m so glad you think it’s helpful! And good point! I’ve heard that’s the case for some people! Myself personally, my best studying happens before the test, so that’s when I do all of my review. Going to the gym is a great idea! I should add that one if I do a re-vamp of this series sometime!