It’s hard to believe that exam week is nearly here at Belmont, but that’s exactly where we find ourselves as we close out this shortened semester.

Here are seven tips to help you ace your final exams.

1. Know your schedule.

It’s important to figure out your exam schedule well in advance of the exams actually taking place. It will allow you to plan your studying and ensure that you don’t let an exam slip your mind.

I like to look at the Belmont final exam calendar and translate it into a weekly calendar with just my exams on it. That lets me know when I have free time during the week to either study or unwind after difficult tests.

2. Know your format.

While you may not get an answer as to the exact content that will be covered on an exam, virtually every professor will explain the format of an exam in advance of the test if you ask. Knowing the format of an exam can make sure you direct your preparation efforts in the right direction.

For example, preparing for an exam that will be mostly essay-based probably should be handled differently than preparing for a multiple-choice test.

Knowing the format in advance will also allow you to be more comfortable during the exam, as nothing required of you will catch you off guard.

3. Know your professor’s policies.

This is a new one for the digital world we’re living in!

It’s important to know the answers to a few policy-related questions about each exam you’re going to take in advance. Here are a few:

• Is the exam open-note or closed-note?
• Do I have to take the exam during the period listed on the schedule, or can I take it at any time during the day?
• Is this an exam that I can work on ahead of time, or will all the work have to be done during the scheduled test day?

As with the second point of advice, knowing the answers to these questions will allow you to maximize the effectiveness of your preparation efforts.

4. Take advantage of study guides.

In some classes, professors will give you a study guide to help you prepare for an exam.

From my experience, if you know every concept and term on a study guide, you are almost guaranteed to get an “A” on the exam.

While, understandably, not every professor offers study guides, the ones who do want to take the guesswork out of exam prep for you. Study guides tell you exactly what you’ll need to know for the test, and utilizing them is a must.

5. Give yourself a refresher.

While cramming for exams on the night before or the morning of is typically a bad idea, giving yourself a quick refresher is not.

Especially if it’s material you’ve already been studying for a while, looking back over your notes or study guide within the hour leading up to an exam will make sure that the material is fresh on your mind when taking the test.

It’s a good way to avoid that awful moment we’ve all had when we can’t think of that one answer that we definitely studied.

6. Avoid having to rush.

If you have an exam that begins at 10:30 A.M., the time to cut on your computer and log into Blackboard is not 10:28.

One of the best ways to keep yourself relaxed and mostly stress-free during an exam is to make sure that you aren’t feeling rushed at the beginning.

You should give yourself plenty of time to log into whatever system your professor is using and enough of a window to where a technical difficulty isn’t the end of the world.

It’s also important to pace yourself during a test, especially if it’s timed. If you have to answer 50 questions in two hours, you shouldn’t be checking your watch for the first time when there are only 10 minutes left in the test.

Instead, check the time throughout the exam to make sure you’re on pace to complete it in time. Doing so will let you know if you need to speed up well before it’s too late.

7. Sleep!

Finally, make sure you’re getting enough sleep!

With four whole days to take five or six exams, there’s practically no reason why anyone should be pulling all-nighters. Not only do you have a lot of time while the sun is up to get your studying done, but being exhausted is a major disadvantage when taking a test.

I know that, when I’m tired, my cognitive functions don’t work nearly as well as they do when I’m wide awake. Getting a reasonable amount of sleep, however much that is for you, will improve your recall and lead you to exam success.

Cover image: EdPsyched