Preparing for Exams

When you only have four exams for a class in a semester, each one counts significantly toward your grade and you cannot afford to blow any off. Make you are prepared to take your exams by having the right supplies and enough study time.

Prepare by always having the right supplies. Many professors will inform you in class, or list on the syllabus, the specific materials you will need for their exams. Since each professor may have difference preferences, it’s important that you always have the right scantrons, bluebooks, and writing utensils on hand. If you wake up on test day and realize that you have the correct scantron, but bought the wrong blue book, rushing to the bookstore 30 minutes before class can throw off your concentration. You will also be able to concentrate better if you are able to get a good breakfast or lunch in before the exam. Your body needs the right amount of vitamins and minerals to be able to concentrate and absorb information. Make sure you stock your pantry ahead of time so you don’t read a question incorrectly because you were distracted by your growling stomach. Be sure to eat healthy in the days before the exam and not only the day of. It’s important that you are getting the energy to study from the proper types of foods, and not just a bunch of sugar and energy drinks, which will most likely cause you to crash later.

You can prepare by studying ahead of time. Doing well on an exam means not cramming all of your studying into the night before. You will be able memorize and understand information better if you space it out and learn it in smaller segments. If the exam is going to cover the last five chapters of your textbook, start studying five days beforehand and focus on one chapter each day. But don’t just go over reading material, review the lecture notes that went along with each chapter and look at main concepts, processes, vocabulary, and important events and people. Also, if you know that you are going to have a project due the same week that you have a big exam, try to finish it ahead of time. You will be able to concentrate better and have more time to study if you are not worried about finishing those PowerPoint slides for your next speech presentation.