Helpful tips and tricks for finals week.
Got a big exam coming up but struggle with study skills? Have trouble keeping focus while taking your exam? Do nerves creep up before or during your exam? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then congratulations, welcome to the life of a hardworking student!
Life as a student can come with its pain points, but check out a few of our study hacks that are sure to get your synapses sparking, nerves crushed, and your exams aced.
Gum and Candy For the Win
Don't put it under the desks folks, cause this minty savior could boost you a whole letter grade! Chewing gum or sucking on a piece of candy/cough drop can help alleviate your nerves during a test and stimulate your brain while taking your exam. This is scientifically proven; do some research! Your hippocampus will thank you for it.
Jog, Dance, Swim, Leap!
Work your brain by working your body! Take about 15 minutes to warm your body up by doing some form of stretches or exercises before your exam. Whether you jog, dance, yoga, swim, jump rope, the choice is yours. Getting your blood pumping will help wake you up and get your brain focused and ready for that big exam!
Puzzle Me This
Great for the early exams, solving puzzles such as Sudoku help center your focus and wake your brain up, especially if you're not a morning person. Mental exercise is just as important as physical.
Put it in Song!
Get your vocal cords ready. There are scientific studies that show there is a direct relationship between music and memory. Playing music in the background or coming up with songs, jingles, or rhymes can help you remember fun facts like "in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue" or how many elements are in the periodic table. Bonus points if you teach your classmates your song. Repetition is key in any form of practice!
Alyssa Del-Valle
Macmillan Learning
With a BA in Communications and Music and a "Mouseters" in all things Disney, when not writing fabulous articles this native New Yorker is either making up songs in her head about her daily interactions, practicing voice overs for the next hair care commercial, or munching on Doritos she couldn't resist grabbing at her local bodega. The purple bag is hard to resist.
