My first semester in college is coming to a close and I thought it would be helpful for all of us if I talked about how to study for finals...while procrastinating on studying for finals. I took a lot of very challenging classes and if I hadn't learned how to study properly, I would have failed every single one. Everyone has different learning styles (mine are visual and musical) so some of these tips may not be super helpful for your learning type. However, I'll do my best to talk about as many different styles as possible.
1. If you don't already know your learning style, figure out which ones you relate to best. Most quizzes only test for three of the eight different learning styles, so this is a description of all eight. Use this post to figure out which learning style/s belong/s to you.
2. Quizlet is an amazing way to make notecards quickly by copying and pasting questions and answers. I highly recommend it for visual learners. After making the set, there are also games you can play to look at the information in another way. If you aren't a visual learner, this may not help you remember anything.
For musical and kinesthetic learners, try writing a little song with dance moves to remember large amounts of related information.
Verbal/linguistic and social/interpersonal learners should have a conversation with someone else that is on topic with what you need to study.
Logical learners might want to try creating graphs and charts to get a grasp of all of the facts.
An intrapersonal learner should lock the door and get away from people before trying to study anything. Once you do this, make a learning journal or log to completely understand everything.
A naturalist should make notecards while outside in a comfortable chair or hammock. If you get frustrated, take a break looking at the world around you. Try to relate things that you're studying to nature in general.
3. I believe something that helps everyone is staying on schedule with your studying. Make sure you have the right dates for tests and quizzes. It's easy to put studying off until the last minute but that only makes testing more stressful. It's scientifically proven that stress can make us forget the things we usually remember. So we want to make the learning process as stress-free as possible.
4. Get everything together and prepared for studying about a week before your exam. This means you should finish creating all of your study guides, stories, songs, notecards, drawings, or whatever else you use to study by the week of the test. While making these materials, try to color code, highlight, or organize in whatever way works for you. That way your brain already associates certain groups of information together.
5. In the week leading up to the test, review all of your materials right before you go to sleep and right after you wake up. Long story short, your brain processes all of your memories and experiences from the day when you sleep. If you're studying right before you go to sleep, you make a stronger impression with the information you're trying to remember. Studying the next morning helps to lock the information in.
6. Helpful resources for all types of learners and for various subjects:
Crash Course (all subjects)
The Amoeba Sisters (Biology and other life sciences)
Learn French with Alexa (French)
The Organic Chemistry Tutor (SAT Math, stats, chemistry, physics, and many more)
Khan Academy (all subjects and standardized test prep, their videos are also on youtube)
MathbyFives (lots and lots of math but explained in an entertaining way)
SuperTutorTV (standardized test prep, college apps, and general testing advice)
Study with Jess (linked to her playlist with general studying advice)
Typing Academy (learn how to properly type, you will thank me later)
Duolingo (free language learning)
Let me know if there are any other helpful tips or resources you think I should share! Until I write again, bisous!
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