When Ahna Holzinger prepares for finals, she occasionally makes up songs or catchy sentences to help her remember terms and concepts.

The senior psychology major said she usually tries to focus on one test at a time. Before a final, she goes over her notes and writes out important information.

The strategies for studying for finals vary, but some students may benefit from a few general guidelines, said Eric Rosser, a graduate assistant with the Learning Assistance and Study Skills Lab.

“The first thing to do is decide what grades you want, and find out what you need to do to get them,” he said.

Rosser recommended setting short-term goals and scheduling study times in advance. He encouraged students to use practice tests if available and to think of questions that professors could ask, especially if essay questions could be part of the final.

“Also, don’t just memorize terms and definitions,” Rosser said. “Try to understand the concepts well enough to apply them. Imagine explaining what you’re learning to a younger brother or sister.”

Shevawn Eaton is the director of the Access Office, which provides tutoring and other support for students.

She encouraged students to break massive amounts of information into smaller chunks and to budget for distractions. A person’s brain gets tired after 45 minutes of concentration, she said.

“The hardest issue of finals weeks is learning how to manage time,” she said. “If you want to watch ‘Friends’ on Thursday, do it. Otherwise, you’ll probably just be irritated and waste a half-hour anyway.”

Rosser said to be sure to study in a place conducive to learning.

“A lot of students think they can study in their rooms, but they get sidetracked by all the distractions – the TV, radio, computer, invitations from friends to go out,” he said.

Holzinger said she often studies late into the night the day before her finals.

Staying awake studying until morning is a common practice during finals, Eaton said. Students need to know their limitations, though.

“Everybody crams, but everyone tells you not to,” she said. “If you can’t solve calculus problems when you’re awake, why do you think you can solve them running on caffeine and two hours of sleep?”

So how does a student go about “cramming,” or trying to learn a lot in a small amount of time?

Rosser advocated looking at review questions and summaries at the end of each chapter covered in the course and reading lecture notes. Efficiency is the key to cramming, he said.

Eaton recommended reading the first sentence of each paragraph of the material and learning all the bold-face terms.

“Whatever you do, be sure to keep a positive mindset going into a final,” she said. “During a test is not the time to worry about what you didn’t study. All you can do is all you can do.”

Some help may be available for those struggling in certain classes.

The Access Office will offer tutoring from 6 to 11 p.m. today, Tuesday and Wednesday at Douglas Hall and Grant Towers North.

The classes to be tutored are posted on the office’s Web site at http://www.tutoring.niu.edu.