Essential studying tips to help for finals week

Liban Mohamed
staff writer

Finals week is approaching fast, here is a list of tips to help you maximize your efficiency. 

Tip 1: Pomodoro Technique

Studies by Francesco Cirillo, in the late 1980s, show that squeezing a large amount of information in, with no breaks, can result in poor retention. To reap the benefits of all your hard work, try the “Pomodoro Technique,” which suggests studying in intervals. Study for 25-30 minutes, take a five minute break, and then continue that pattern. 

Avoid eight to 10 hour study sessions, and extend the study session over multiple days. Your brain is better at absorbing information into your synapses in smaller, repetitive study sessions. This technique is useful beyond studying, but helps to gain a skillset such as the ability to play instruments, sports, etc.

Tip 2: Forming Habits

Set a specific time to study, and continue to study at the same time each day. Humans are creatures of habit. After studying at the same time consistently, studying actually becomes easier. Your brain starts to train itself to learn during those moments in the day.

Tip 3: Organizing

The third tip is simple, organizing. This one may seem obvious, but is an essential tip to keep in mind. Some suggestions to help organize your materials are; keeping track of your schedule, making sure your notes are neat, and assuring that your materials are organized in a way that suits you. When keeping track of your schedule try using one of the following, Google calendar, Outlook, or simply a planner notebook. Google calendar and Outlook may be your best bet since one of the features they include is sending notifications. A great way to keep your notes neat and easy to find is using folders, tabs to mark pages, and binders. These items help you separate notes from different classes. They also help separate chapters, sections, or however you would like to divide your notes to make it easier to use.

Tip 4: Teach others

Once you feel you understand the topic for which you are studying, try to find a peer or classmate to teach it to. Teaching something you just learned helps solidify the information and helps with retention.