As the semester comes to an end, academic stress is at an all time high. Worrying about final exams and grades can get the best of some people. Learning how to cope with stress and manage your time is key to success when taking tests. There is so much pressure on students now to do good on all their finals. Peer pressure, fear of failure, and high expectations are all factors that can contribute to this anxiety, so managing these feelings will help you succeed. Here are five good approaches to take when studying for finals:
Put Away All Distractions
When distracted by technology and other things, getting things done is nearly impossible. So if your phone is distracting you, put it in a different room, or if the room you are in is too noisy, try moving to a quiet place or listening to music.
Take Healthy Breaks
Tackling all of your studying at once can be overwhelming, so taking healthy breaks is a necessity. Set goals for yourself. Study for 45 minutes then take a little break and repeat until everything is finished. Breaking your work into chunks will make it more enjoyable and manageable. When on your breaks, go outside and get some fresh air or go talk to someone, it is important to keep your spirits up.
Get Good Sleep
Sleep may be the most important part of finals preparation. You need time to rest and recover after long days of studying. Staying up late to cram the night before is not going to be very helpful once you get to the final, so make sure your body is fully rested and prepared to take your test.
Work Together
Studying alone can get boring after a while. Working together with peers or a study group is a good solution to this. When in a group, everyone can work together to get more done faster, questions can be answered that helps everyone get a better understanding of the topic.
Switch It Up
The last strategy is to switch up your study topic every once in a while. Working on the same thing for a long period of time may make you frustrated, so spending time on multiple subjects will keep you focused for longer.
These tactics are good for studying, but calming nerves is also important. Studies have shown that being around a service animal will help you realize when you are in distress and help calm you down before you carry on.
Bellarmine does their best to live out this practice. This is done through the presence of a service dog. The dog, Titan, is available throughout the finals week to comfort students. Having this emotional support animal is good for calming nerves and distracting yourself from the upcoming tests. Junior Anya Moravek said, “I personally love the service dog that always comes; whenever I see him I always make sure to stop by.”
Bellarmine students are comforted by the presence of a service dog, and these fluffy friends make finals week a little easier.
