It’s quite common to see people who haven’t sleep in days and on the edge of a nervous breakdown right before exam week. But not because it’s common means it’s normal. College students who can’t concentrate easily have a really hard time during finals and quizzes. But it doesn’t have to be that way! If you’re looking for techniques to study and do a perfect exam without losing your mind keep reading.
Mind Maps
The most stressful part of studying, for both people who can’t concentrate and people who can, is the fact that the information is spread all over the book or at least in several pages. Memorizing stuff is much harder when you have to be changing pages looking for a specific word. Creating mind maps is a way of cramming all the important information in one page while simplifying concepts and definitions. To make a useful mind map start by following textbook guides so you make sure you won’t leave out something important. Use colors and be as creative as you can so it’s be easy to learn.
Flashcards
Probably the most used personal studying method among college students, flashcards are proof that repetition works like a charm. A flashcard is a small piece of paper that contains only one question, and the other side contains the answer. You memorize both questions and answers and repeat them until you master them. It’s great if you can make your own flashcards, but even if you don’t have the time you can still look for premade ones and get your studying game on.
Study in parts
Two powerful methods when studying are categorization and time management. Concentrating on the later, using your time wisely to study is essential to avoid saturating your mind with information that -we assure you- won’t stay there for long. The moment you know the date of your exam mark it on your calendar and start setting up a couple of hours a day so you can study a few topics at a time. Give yourself the proper space and time to focus on small amounts of information and you’ll notice how it’s all sticking better.
Study Groups
This is by far the most sought out studying methods for college students because of the big loads of information they handle on each subject. Getting together with other students and dividing topics, or helping each other with the things each one struggles the most can help you ace your exam. If by some reason you’re not able to gather with a study group there’s still several online student forums that post homework solutions and other popular questions on every subject.
It doesn’t matter if you like to study on your own or you prefer to do it with somebody else, all of these techniques can easily be adapted. If you want a classmate to quiz you on your flashcards or you want to share your mind maps with other, the important thing about studying is that you do it with enough time and a positive attitude.
