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The Freshman’s Guide to College Day 6: Surviving Exams

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!

Your first exam season can be scary, that's for sure, but it doesn't have to be! Here are some great tips to prepare you for exams whether it's your first year or your fourth!

1. Try to stay on track throughout the semester

Obviously, you’re going to do better on your exams if you don’t cram last minute. At the beginning of the semester, print off the syllabus for each course and use it as your study guide for the rest of the semester. Try to never get more than 2 weeks behind and you should be good!

2. Your syllabus is your exam Bible.

Your professor puts the information for everything in those few pages, so make sure to read them well! One class may have a better and more organized syllabus than another, but they all have valuable information in them! Read through the syllabus the first week, and then review it two weeks before every assignment and test to make sure that you keep all your courses straight before it’s too late!
My first year I had a microeconomics course I was taking as an elective and didn’t realize until I sat down to take the test that it wasn’t a cumulative exam! I had studied 8 extra chapters! Don’t make the same mistake that I did and save yourself lots of time and stress.

3. Study using flashcards

This has been my #1 tip that has made my exam season 20x easier. I’m in psychology, so I make flashcards for all of the key terms for the entire semester. After I go through them 2 or 3 times I feel ready for the exam!
I find that if I’m just studying from notes it’s easy to read without truly absorbing the information. With flashcards, you’re testing yourself so it forces you to think about the material!

4. Find a good study space

For me, the library is my place. I get distracted at home by Netflix and Pinterest, whereas if I’m sitting in a desk at the library I’m more able to buckle down and get the work done.
My roommates from the last two years, on the other hand, loved to study at the dining room table at home, keeping each other accountable. I can’t study with other people because I want to talk instead of study, but it works for them! Find what works for you.

5. Give yourself rewards

Studying during exams can last for hours at a time. Often I’ll lock myself in the library from 10 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon, studying the whole time. The way I manage to keep going the whole time is motivation. I freaking LOVE Rolo chocolates. I know, I know—I shouldn’t be rewarding myself with chocolate. But you know what? It works. And I’ll take that higher GPA over losing 2 pounds any day.
I split each chapter up into thirds, and after every third I let myself have 3 Rolos. That’s all it is! It works for me. Figure out what motivates you—youtube videos, reading blog posts, a different kind of food, etc.

6. Study with friends

This one I state with caution. I can get chatty when I’m with friends, so I wouldn’t recommend studying with friends for the majority of your study time if you’re like me. That being said, after I’ve gone through my flashcards a couple of times on my own, I find it very helpful to have a friend to discuss the topic with so that I fully understand the material to the point that I’m able to carry on a conversation about it. (Studying with friends is especially important if you’re studying languages!) I like to meet up with my friends from the class the day of the exam or the night before, depending what time the test is, to all review the material together after we’ve all studied to our hearts’ content!

7. Make sure to take breaks

Your first exam season can be scary, that's for sure, but it doesn't have to be! Here are some great tips to prepare you for exams whether it's your first year or your fourth!Motivation and talking to friends isn’t enough to keep my energy levels up, though, when I’m studying for exams. After every two hours, I take a 20 minute break to keep my energy levels up. I physically put my books away while I go get a coffee, watch an episode of the Big Bang Theory, or just goof off on Pinterest. For those 20 minutes, don’t let exams even exist in your mind! I set an alarm on my phone timing my 20 minute break and once it goes off I’m back and force myself to study for the next two hours again!
Honestly, exams can be really rough and studying for exams can be long, arduous, and stressful. The great thing is, though, that it only lasts for 2 weeks and then it’s done! So when you come up to exam season, just remember these tips and stay strong!

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?

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Comments

  3. 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 🙂

    Reply

    • 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!!

      Reply

  4. 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. 🙂

    Reply

    • 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!

      Reply

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