As a freshman who stresses over every exam they have, learning about finals terrified me.  People told me about how difficult their finals exams were or how finals will only hurt your grades. I would stress about getting a good grade and making sure I was well-prepared.  Because of this, I learned some ways to ease the stress and be more successful with finals.  Here are some of my favorite tips for memorization and studying. 

1. Active Learning/ Recall: Learn and retain new information after each chapter or section by summarizing what you read into your own words. This technique reinforces understanding and memorization of a certain topic. I like to pair this technique with self-assessment and quizzing. This allows you to identify areas that could be more attention.  

1. Spaced Repetition: Set a schedule for yourself to study, but increase the time between revisiting the topic. Start by studying for 30 minutes with a 10-minute break, then review. As the time goes on, the time you spend reviewing should get shorter, but the breaks in between get longer. This increases long term memorization without cramming.  

1. Set clear goals: Set goals before beginning studying. These goals should be achievable within each study session. Setting these goals creates a sense of accomplishment making you more inclined to study more often. 

What study tips are successful for you?  

5 scientific study techniques: Interleaving, spaced repetition, retrieval practice, metacognition, chunking – Cognition Today 

3 Important Tips to Prepare for College Finals – William Peace University 

7 Practical Ways to Apply Active Recall When Studying | Goodnotes Blog