The year is coming to an end and summer break is just around the corner. All of our classes are wrapping up, there are less assignments, and we’re also excitement for summer, but this also means final exams. There are many tests taking place during the end of the year like AP exams, SAT’s, MISA, MCAP, Unit Tests, Finals, and even more. It is pretty hard to study for some exams like MISA, but for final exams or unit tests, studying can be really helpful and pretty necessary. Here are some strategies to help you study.

1) Spaced Studying

I know procrastination is something very easy to do and very hard to stop doing, so rather than cramming the night before, try spacing out your studying. If you know you have a test on the 15^th, try studying every other day before then or maybe every 3 days. Try studying for an hour a day for a week or two before your test or whatever works best for your schedule. Also make sure to take breaks; try studying for 15 minutes then taking a 5-minute break to help you refocus.

2) Examples

When you are studying things repetitively like definitions, it can be helpful to make examples for them. When you repeat definitions over and over again it can actually be harder to memorize and stick in your head. When you have to memorize a certain concept, trying to get an example can be helpful because you can associate them.

3) Paraphrasing

Have you ever read a paragraph or even a whole text and realized you didn’t actually remember anything you just read? Well paraphrasing what you read can really help you memorize what you are reading. Try breaking up what you’re reading so you can catch important facts, data, or quotes, and try rewriting them in your own words. Also, trying to relate what you’re learning to other things you’ve learned, reflecting, asking/answering questions about what was just read, and trying to explain what you’ve read to a 5-year-old can all help you remember what you’re trying to learn.

4) Taking Notes by Hand

The study “The pen is mightier than a keyboard”, has shown that writing things when studying can help remember them rather than typing it on a computer. When your teacher is speaking and you are taking notes, taking them by hand allows you to paraphrase what they say in your own words. A study in University of British Columbia has concluded that red and blue are very effective in helping with memory. Red more so than blue has shown to be helpful in memory retention and detail-oriented tasks. Try taking your notes in red pen or marker or highlighting key information in red.

5) Music

How is it that people all over the world can memorize lyrics to songs but remembering names can be extremely difficult? Music connects to many different parts of the brain and that helps remember lyrics. Listening to specific types of music can help motivate you to study. A quick YouTube search can help you find an educational song, replacing words of a song to memorize vocabulary or facts, or making your own song are all super helpful ways to help you study

I hope these tips can help you ace all your exams and can come in handy when your studying!