Finals: they are almost here. All our work this semester comes down to this. Studying for finals can be overwhelming, but here are some tips to make your hours more worthwhile. 

1. Do not cram, create a plan.

Yes, it is self-explanatory and you know how you are not supposed to cram but every year many students find themselves feeling a little helpless cramming the night before. Unless you are Iron Man, you should probably set up a study schedule for finals week.

2. Turn off the phone and block social media.

Getting distracted is the easiest thing with the internet at your fingertips, so make use of a website that blocks social media for a certain amount of time. This website for Mac users or the free Chrome extension, StayFocused are perfect for keeping screen time focused. When you are studying, stick to studying, or you will tire yourself out thinking you have spent three hours on an essay that you have only really worked on for 45 minutes.

3. Break the work up into small increments.

One hour increments switching up what you are working on will keep you from getting too burned out. Plan out your breaks and stick to them. If you know you can only study for a half an hour, plan a five minute break and do not stop working until those 30 minutes are up. Also, switch up what you are working on. If you have three classes to study for, find out if studying one thing for a long time works for you, or if switching between classes to keep things different is more your learning style.

4. Use the tools you are given.

Whether you are given a study guide or review questions at the end of a chapter in your textbook, highlight the most important ones and make sure you can answer them. This helps to know that you can track what you’ve learned from the beginning of the study session to the end of it. Seeing progress is encouraging.

5. You can do it!

Believe in yourself! Work for that grade and then go and get it. You can do it.