What are your Tips, tricks, and techniques to perpare for (university) finals ??

[littlegohan]

I am in my first year and I dont any experience on how to study for my finals.
My first exam will start in 1 and a half week, and my math final is in 2 weeks


I think calculus is quite difficutl, and I will place most of my time in perparing for the math final

Anyways, beside doing old final exams and text book questions, what are other ways that i can study for math??

How about courses that involve more mermorization, like economics? and techniques in how to study for that class?

Is studying the same subject for 10 hours straight less efficient then studying 2 subjects for 5 hours each?

thanks

(from now till the end of finals, my free time will be alllllllllll used for studying...........)

later

 

[Yomicron]

Is studying the same subject for 10 hours straight less efficient then studying 2 subjects for 5 hours each?

yes, it is better to take a break every once and a while.

Be sure to get a good nights sleep the night before the test and try to eat well.

 

[Supermercado]

Originally posted by: littlegohan
Is studying the same subject for 10 hours straight less efficient then studying 2 subjects for 5 hours each?

Yes, definitely. One of my physics teachers put it well. He said something to the effect of "It's much better to study five times for an hour each time than to study one time for five hours." I agree wholeheartedly. Don't even spend five hours on two different subjects all at once. It's better to study for say, 90 minutes, then take a 15-20 minute break (supposed to help you absorb what you've learned or reviewed), then go back and do more if more is necessary.

 

[littlegohan]

Whenever I have a math midterm or final, I panic, which affects my performance on the test

is there any way to solve this problem?

 

[notfred]

Show up on time. don't forget a scantron and a #2 pencil.

 

[Shockwave]

The weekend before, i do something to really relax. In the summer, I camp out at the lake and go jet skiing. in the winter I try to go snowskiing. Anything to really relax and get my mind off of finals. Most people study study study. My feelings are, if ya dont knwo it by now, you aint gonna learn it by finals!! Naturally, I take a few hours to brush up on some stuff I'm unsure about, but on the whole, the final is just all the stuff you've already done. By now, you either know it or you dont.

 

[EvilYoda]

littlegohan, are you fully prepared when you take the exams? If you're fully prepared and know that you did all you could, then you shouldn't be panic-ing, since it is then out of your hands, essentially. If it's just nervous energy, maybe meditation techniques, or doing some running/push-ups/sit-ups before the exam?

As for studying...I don't completely agree with the 5 one hour sessions as opposed to 1 5 hour session. Sometimes when I study at length, it gets easier, since the material that's being compounded upon is still fresh in my brain, whereas if I did 5 separate sessions, I'd be backtracking more than I would otherwise. When it's exam time for me, I pretty much spend every waking moment at the library...I bring plenty of music, drinks and a novel to read as well.

Everybody has their own habits, maybe you wouldn't do well to study all day, but just try out different regimens and see which ones don't leave you entirely drained, and you still learn a lot.

Good luck!

 

[quirky]

just make sure youve covered all bases of material. the key is to dedicate each and every day to studying; even out the work as much as possible.

 

[weezergirl]

talk to people who have taken the class before and get their old exams. many professors are lazy and will reuse the same questions. note these are not the same as the "practice exams" a prof might handout before the test.

also, always go over lecture notes very carefully....most of my profs always get at least one problem from the lecture. for math, do as many problems as you can. for memorization, flash cards if you have time. if profs are holding review sessions..GO TO THEM. some of mine give major hints. and people who are too lazy or feel that studying on their own is a better use of their time are so wrong.

 

[littlegohan]

There are some greate advices here


anybody else want to post their tips?

many of you have been to a college or university