Have an Exam Period? Find Out How to Combine It with Usual College

Ask any student what the hardest part of the semester is, and they'll probably tell say finals week and midterms. That only makes sense. After all, there isn't anything quite as stressful as being tested on a semester's worth of information.

However, it doesn't have to be unbearably stressful. There are a few things that college students can do to help make exam periods a little more livable and a little less stressful.

Study Ahead of Time​

A common mistake students make is that they leave exam studying to the last minute. Instead of considering a little bit over time, many students end pulling all-night cram sessions to try and get a handle on the material they need to know at the last minute.

Instead, students should take the time to study throughout the semester. If you find yourself struggling, don't be afraid to seek help. Using campus tutoring service or seeking college essay assistance can help you stay on top of the material you are learning. Once again, though, don't wait until exam time to take advantage of this help - seek it out as soon as you find yourself struggling.

Another studying idea that helps many students is to use study groups. This way, you can test each other on the material and pool your knowledge. Besides, it can be useful to hold each other accountable rather than just trusting yourself to find the motivation to study regularly.

Don't Be Afraid to Take Breaks​

While studying becomes extra essential around exam time, it's important to make sure to give some breathing room too. In other words, take breaks from studying and make sure you get enough sleep during these high-stress periods.

Think about it this way - when a student is continually studying and never sleeping or taking a second to relax, they are bound to get burnt out. When a student is too tired and stressed to focus, their a performance on exams will fall, and it isn't ideal for their health either. 

A great way to relieve stress and get away from studying for a minute is to spend some time outside on a beautiful day or go to the gym. Exercise and a little sun can go a long way to boost your mood.

Plan Ahead​

While high school can be peppered with pop quizzes and tests with little notice, this is less common in college.

In college, most professors give out a detailed syllabus at the beginning of each semester. Many of these not give dates for tests and quizzes but also the times during which the class will be covering what material. 

With this information, students can plan their studying. Also, this information can be used to help students stay on top of the class. For instance, reading the textbook and other material ahead, like the example of lab report and different types of assignments, it can help a student understand what's going on in a lecture and ask questions they might have about the content coming into class. All in all, it can help students to have a deeper understanding of the material they need to know.

Take Things One Step at a Time​

The hard truth about college is that students are usually taking several heavy-duty courses at once. This can be stressful and tempt students to try and tackle multiple tasks at once.

Don't do this!​

Trying to multitask several tasks at once will probably only end up taking more time than it would make to do each project individually. Also, when it comes to studying and completing coursework, multitasking can mean you don't dedicate the time each task needs. This means that you won't have as great of a grasp on the material and coursework won't have as much effort as it needs.

Conclusion

Exam time is stressful, but it isn't unmanageable. The best thing you can do is to plan and take your time. Don't leave things to the last minute or try to do too much at once. Most of all, though, don't move all your studying to the night before the exam.

While you are studying, make sure not to get burnt out. Instead, take a few minutes between studying each subject or working on each task to take a walk. This will go a long way in helping you stay focused and on top of your game.