Preparing for Finals

Follow this step-by-step approach when studying for finals.

Prepare Yourself

Prioritize - set realistic goals for your final grades. Without an agenda, you will mismanage your available study time.

Know the rules - talk to the professor about your current standing, and determine the exact score needed to receive the grade you want. Know the format of the final as well, so that there is no chance for a misunderstanding.

Accept your limits - be ready for a week or two of intensive studying, and plan accordingly. Remember to give yourself breaks and rewards - emotional preparation is just as important as intellectual preparation.

Plan Ahead

Determine workload - what needs to be done to prepare? Dealing effectively with unread material, reviewing notes/text, effective group study, attending review sessions, and working practice problems may all be part of your preparation. Research shows that tasks generally take twice as long as initially anticipated.

Make a schedule - create a weekly schedule with designated study and free time. Set up a timetable for completing tasks. Some principles to follow:

• Break larger tasks apart—make a project more approachable and reward even small successes.
• Take breaks—every 45 minutes after extensive review, or after every 15 minutes of shorter memorization.
• Follow your normal sleeping pattern—disruptions can affect your ability to think and perform regularly.
• Be sure to allow for exercise, eating, sleeping, and special interests.
• Attack the difficult tasks first; like a carpet stain, scrub out the unwanted mess before it stays forever.

Study Smart

Efficient and effective

• Library time - You can accomplish three times more in a classroom-like atmosphere than studying at home or in a dorm room.
• Quiet time - Eliminate noisy distractions: phone calls, roommate, music, computer and IMs, etc.
• Daytime - During the day you work 50% faster than in the late evenings; be more alert and receptive to information.
• Study actively - Set goals and reward yourself for hard work; the more interested you are, the more you will remember.
• Diversify - Use different study methods, (reading, practice problems, reviewing homework, group discussion, outlining, etc.) to keep you interested and to better learn the material.
• Over-learning - After you think you already know it all take a nice break and study for an hour more; research shows that "over-learning" continues to enhance academic performance.
• Note-cards - Proven to be one of the best methods for memorizing information, flashcards can be used at odd moments and work well with partners; start at the beginning of the semester and be sure to actually use them for studying, not just as a collection of sorts.

Finish the Basics—Review all material one time through. Deal effectively with unread material. Understand basic concepts, processes, organization and relationships. Try to develop understandable reasons for why or how something exists.

Analyze and Practice—College exams are designed to test your critical thinking skills. Students complain most that, "That wasn’t in our notes," or "We didn’t have homework over that!" Tests require comprehensive understanding of the material, beyond the scope of weekly assignments.

• Compare and relate different aspects of the course; anticipate new questions and ideas
• Try to add an extra dimension of difficulty to existing assignments
• Be sure to practice as much as possible; too many students arrive at a test with only a superficial understanding of the concept

http://www.utexas.edu/student/utlc/cs/preparing.html