Welcome to our Weekly Study Tip post! This week, we're talking all about how to prepare yourself for finals - and yes, you should be starting to think about these exams now! When final exams are cumulative -- which most of your life science ones will be -- you've got to review a whole semester's worth of material. Read on for more tips on how to be at your best for finals week!
You can check out our weekly YouTube video here, and we'll also give you a link to some printable May calendars here.
1. Map it Out
You'll have a much better sense of the month of May if you create a calendar for yourself that lets you see your schedule at a glance: exams, due dates, and finals! This will help you understand how to spread out your studying or efforts put towards assignments.
2. Work Backwards
Once you know how many days you'll have to prepare for an exam or assignment, you can work backwards from there. Create a checklist of everything you want to review or revise (think: re-do all quizzes, look at past practice exams, use textbook review sections, etc.) and then add each task to your schedule, breaking things down into daily lists and checking them off as you go. There might be days when you know you'll have more time to devote to one class, or perhaps less time, since your priorities will shift throughout the month depending on what exam or due date is coming up the soonest.
3. Strategies to try Alone or in a Study Group
a) DIY Test: write your own practice test using previous tests and quizzes, practice questions/problems, and what you've seen a lot in class. Swap with a friend or take it by yourself!
b) Re-Draw It: re-draw diagrams or charts from memory and then use your slides/textbook to correct them. You'll gain a much better understanding of how much you actually know.
c) Use Learning Objectives: especially for courses in biological sciences, you'll find that your professors' learning objectives from the slides (or others you can find in your textbook) are exactly what you need to be focusing on for big exams!
This Week with CNMS Advising:
Monday 5/6
2-3 - Study Hall in TLC (UC115) with CHEM102 PRACTICE EXAMS
Tuesday 5/7
11:30-12:30 - Study Hall in TLC (UC115) with BIOL141 FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDES AVAILABLE & CHEM102 Practice Exams
Wednesday 5/8
11-12 - Study Hall in TLC (UC115) with BIOL142 FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDES AVAILABLE & CHEM102 Practice Exams
12-1 - The End is Near: A Finals Survival Guide workshop
3-4 - Study Hall in TLC (UC115) -- all final exam practice materials available!