In my second year, I was hit with a doozy of an exam schedule—all 4 of my finals, crammed into a 30-hour period over the very first 2 days of exams.
My schedule was technically just outside of the requirements to receive an exam hardship (3 exams within 24 hours), so my professors weren’t able to offer me another time to write. I had to buckle down and work through the situation.
I was concerned about reviewing all the material in time for my finals, but also about just getting through the 2 days themselves. How was I going to be able to stay focused enough to write 4 exams in a row?
When I finally walked out of my very last exam, I was a little dazed after the adrenaline rush that had come over me, but overall pretty proud of myself. I put in some hard work that paid off and allowed me to get through the 2 days.
Here’s some insight that you can follow if you have a tight exam schedule:
1. Prioritize and plan
I had 3 days to study between the end of classes and the start of my exams. There was absolutely no way that I could get all of my studying in then, so I had to start studying while classes were still in session.
I won’t lie and say that this was an easy experience, but having a plan and sticking with it helped. A couple weeks before my exams, I started dedicating an extra hour to studying each day. It wasn’t an unreasonable amount of time, but it did mean that I had to cut out time for my “fun” activities, like watching TV. Fitting that extra hour in actually helped me manage my time in the future, and think about how much downtime I really needed to feel refreshed.
I also looked for alternatives to keep my grade up, no matter how well I did on the final. In one of my classes, there was an extra credit project that I made sure to complete. In another, we had the option to hand an essay in early, get feedback, and revise it for a final mark. Being proactive boosted my mark so I had some extra leeway if my exam didn’t go well.
If you struggle with time management like I do, try the Pomodoro Technique to keep you focused! It uses 25-minute study increments followed by short breaks to keep you on task and is really helpful when you have some longer study sessions.
That all being said, sometimes life happens and you run out of time to study. If that's the case, check out these tips for studying on a time crunch!
2. Sleep
This is the most important tip for me, as I can't function well without a solid 8 hours of sleep. Coffee just tends to accelerate my heart rate and make me lose focus, so I have to use alternatives to keep my energy levels up. Getting a good night’s rest is the most effective!
A lot of my friends were surprised when I said I wasn’t going to pull any all-nighters before my exams. I knew that by doing so, I would have become irritable, unfocused, and groggy, which would have canceled out any benefits of the extra study time.
Do what’s right for you—if you do have to pull an all-nighter, make sure you listen to your body and rest when you need to. Grades are important, but your health always has to be your no. 1 priority.
3. De-stress in between exams
Even if it’s just 15 or 20 minutes, give your brain a rest between your exams. I used the hour between my exams each day to sit outside, eat, and watch some YouTube videos. I felt a lot better after being able to laugh and relax a bit, and therefore better prepared to dive right into another exam afterward.
I find that it’s rarely productive to study in the hour or two before a test, anyway. I’m usually too worked up to concentrate, and most of the information I go over vanishes by the time I open the exam booklet.
Taking a break really helped lessen the stress I was feeling and allowed me to stay motivated. While it's normal to be a bit stressed before an exam, there are lots of ways to manage it, or even use it to your advantage. As long as I’m making sure to give my brain breaks, I can turn my stress into motivation to work hard.
4. Be gentle with yourself
I realized early on that I wasn’t going to ace every exam, and that was ok. I knew there was going to be a lot of stress and fatigue over the 2 test days, and no matter how early I started studying, I just wasn’t going to have enough time to be as prepared as I wanted to be.
Admitting this to myself was helpful in managing my expectations. It actually made me more motivated to do the best I could in the situation, instead of stressing about sticking to high standards.
Hard work pays off
In the end, I was happy with all my exam results!
Did I watch Titanic after my last final and cry a little? You bet I did! But I felt really good about the work I put in, and I had an extra-long winter break to enjoy after.
