How to Study for College Final Exams
Prepare for Finals with Reviews, Study Cards, and Study Groups
Mar 28, 2009
In order to earn good grades and graduate from college, students must successfully pass final exams. Many final exams in college are comprehensive tests that cover the material from the entire term. While an entire term's worth of material might seem overwhelming when preparing for a final exam, there are several ways students can efficiently review these materials – some of these ways might even help to eliminate students' stress.
Skim the First Few Sentences of a Paragraph
Most final exams incorporate the reading material that had been assigned throughout the term. Since most students don't have enough time to re-read all of the material, they can skim the topic sentences, or key sentences.
Key sentences are typically the first few sentences of a paragraph. This is typically where the main idea of the paragraph is described. It's also helpful to read the sentences that contain bold words, as these are important terms or phrases.
Review Tests, Quizzes, and Homework Assignments
Many comprehensive final exams include some of the same questions from the tests and quizzes taken throughout the term. Therefore, it's important to review the questions and answers from these tests and quizzes.
Sometimes the questions from homework assignments are also included on final exams. Students should also skim through their homework assignments. If a student is unsure about the answer to a question on any of these documents, then he or she can ask a classmate or the instructor.
Create Study Cards
Most students are probably familiar with flashcards from elementary school. These types of cards are helpful when learning how to read and add numbers, and they are also quite useful in college. Students can create study cards to better prepare themselves for final exams. The cards can be used to study important terms and concepts, formulas, and even quotes from reading assignments.
Writing the material on the cards helps students to remember the information during the exam, and the cards are easy to transport for quick study breaks throughout the day.
Form a Study Group
Study groups can be great resources for students who need help studying for final exams. Students can help each other with difficult concepts or problems, they can compare notes, and they can help each other identify the correct answers from past quizzes and tests.
Each student can bring in two practice questions and the group can work together to answer the questions and review the accompanying material. However, students should be careful that they are not misguided on any information. If the group is unsure of something from the course, then they should seek outside help.
Explain the Course Material to a Friend or Roommate
Friends and roommates can also help students prepare for exams. A simple way for a student to review for an exam and check his or her understanding of the material is to practice explaining the concepts to a friend or roommate.
If a student is able to explain a concept or formula to a friend, then he or she most likely comprehends the material. However, if a student is unable to explain a concept, or cannot do so clearly, then he or she can identify the information that needs to be studied.
In addition to explaining the course material to a friend or roommate, there are several other ways college students can prepare for final exams. Skimming topic sentences, creating study cards, and forming study groups are all effective ways to study for exams. Most importantly, these methods help to reduce a student's study time, and possibly stress.
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