56 replies to this topic

[thoragon]

Physics, Math, and English finals upcoming sigh*... I've been studying like mad and I'm so stressed, any advice or methods to deal with these situations? (Yes, I'm a "keener", but without confidence) :'(

[luvsmyncis]

My advice: Know the material before taking the test.

[123321232122]

When I got stressed during my finals, I just dropped all my books and spent the rest of the day with friends. I find whenever I study too much, I begin to doubt the stuff I know and that adds to my stress.

[Donaldmax]

that video is how i survived. 12 hours of white noise. cancels out all sounds and helps you concentrate. take breaks by going outside every 2 hours or so and breathe fresh air. play some basketball or something active for 30 minutes and then go back to studying. dont just sit down and watch tv or go on internet.

[Neoquest]

Eat egg rolls. They are the source of all happiness.

[thoragon]

When I got stressed during my finals, I just dropped all my books and spent the rest of the day with friends. I find whenever I study too much, I begin to doubt the stuff I know and that adds to my stress.

actually haha thats not a bad idea. something to ease my mind so when i get back to studying it sinks in easier.

[123321232122]

actually haha thats not a bad idea. something to ease my mind so when i get back to studying it sinks in easier.

I hope it works. Good luck with your finals!

[ilovepolkadots]

Advice:
get off the internet

[Ladida]

My finals start next week. White noise always helped me, especially with math. Like ilovepolkadots said, get off the Internet I should be following that advice too. Well, I just finished studying a topic, so I'm kicking back with Invader Zim for a while <3

[ilovepolkadots]

My finals start next week. White noise always helped me, especially with math. Like ilovepolkadots said, get off the Internet I should be following that advice too. Well, I just finished studying a topic, so I'm kicking back with Invader Zim for a while <3

"I put the fires out!"
"You made them worse!"
"Worse... or better...?"
<3

"LETS SING THE DOOM SONG! - doom doom doom doom doom doom"

[iargue]

Advice:
get off the internet

What kind of life is that?

[sharky]

Feed your feelings and keep studying. You don't deserve to relax until you get good grades. That's what I'm under the impression of, anyway.

[iceberg2477]

getting laid is anyways a good stress reliever

[Melchoire]

Have you ever tried not giving a fuck?

[giraffe]

I find that mild aerobics helps me get back in the game. I mean stuff like jumping jacks and running in place, which get the blood flowing. That always really helps me to buckle down again and study some more.

[Random]

I went to the gym and worked out in between studying. Always worked for me.

[Frank274]

Say fuck it to the exams.

Because no matter how much you study, the professor will always fuck you over when it comes time for the test.

/rant.

[WharfRat]

I think the best advice for you is dependent upon how well you actually know the material... If you didn't pay a bit of attention all quarter/semester/year you need to continue to study as much as your brain can handle to take in... My advice in this scenario is to pay attention better next time around!

If you paid attention in class then I'll give you the advice that I personally follow. I look over my material a few times throughout the day and just go over the highlights and say "Do I understand this part?" If yes; move on. If no; Make a notation and go back into that section a bit more in depth later on. The key to this is to not overwhelm yourself. Once you have your list of items you need to go over a bit more to instill them further into your mind, take it slow and go over them at a leisurely pace. Trying to cram the information into your brain will actually do more harm than good, imo. So take your time and just go back over the areas you need the most help in. Take plenty of breaks and don't be afraid to come back to it in a few hours...

The key is to remain as calm as possible and not to stress yourself out about it all. Do enjoy some meals... spend a couple/few hours with friends or watching television or whatever it is that helps you relax.

The biggest piece of advice for test taking I can give you is this: Get plenty of sleep! Get a good 7-8 hours of sleep. (6 is acceptable as is 8.5 anything beyond this range is unacceptable. ) Wake up with enough time to eat a good meal. Minimally, you should have some cereal and toast with fruit jam, but I would recommend toast with jam, along with sausage or bacon, and some eggs. Getting your blood sugar to a normal level along with some protein and carbs for the day will keep your brain at an optimal level for the following few hours. During breakfast/directly after breakfast go back over the list you made of things you needed to work on a bit. Look over the sections you needed help on for a final time again without stressing... the point of this part is because your memory will store a lot of this in short term function for you so you can recall it during your exam.

I don't want to hear any excuses as to why you shouldn't follow my strategy. I'm an excellent test taker who has maintained a 4.0 GPA in university and scored a 34 on my ACT without the use of a calculator. I have been diagnosed with chronic insomnia and have been taking medication for this for the past 5-6 years so I do know about sleeping and how it will effect your performance. My strategy has proven highly effective on every exam I take using it and it is also the approach that is the least stressful.

As an added bonus, do try to get some caffeine in you about 30-45 minutes prior to your exam. Stay away from energy drinks if you can as they can boost your blood sugar too high and leave you with a crash during your exam that will fuck up your memory/mood. Coffee is good. If you do take an actual caffeine supplement, I wouldn't recommend going over 200mg. (200mg may be a bit too high if you do not consume much caffeine on a regular basis.)

I hope that you do employ my test taking strategy and that you are very successful. If you only take something out of this post, just remember to get a solid night's sleep and to eat a good breakfast in the morning. Glance over the material during/after breakfast and don't stress too much. I'm sure you'll do solid.

-Cody

[RWS]

My advice: do not pull an all-nighter before your test. No matter how much you think you have left to study, the best thing you can do is make sure you get at least 7 hours of sleep before your test. Any material that you try to cram in right before, you will not retain anyway.

[Ladida]

I would never dare pull an all nighter before a math exam, or any exam which involves calculations. For midterms, if I'm not ready, I'd go to sleep around 9 or 10, and wake up by 2 or 3. Then study all the way through til the time of the test. It'd be murder to do that for a final though, there's just too much at stake if sleep gets the better of you, and your brain gets super fuzzy.

[thoragon]

Have you ever tried not giving a fuck?

HAHAHAHA JON LAJOIE?!?! that guy is hilarious

[FrankP]

I'd say to just take one at a time. I just got done with the most stressful finals so far. The only thing I can say is to study as much as you can. Dont overdue yourself and you'll end up alright. Finals are important, but no more than the rest of the semester. Be confident and you'll have a great start.

[Volition]

sleep well. I just finished my IB exams today, chemistry high level and history higher level

[rhexis07]

Currently studying my ass out for 2 papers I have on Monday and Wednesday, that requires me trying to memorize and understand about 250 pages of words.

The worse thing about one paper is that the 2 parts of 1 question, about (6) out of (25) marks each, would be something from 1/3 of the page out of possibly 40 that you study. So if you memorized the other 39 3/4 pages, but missed out on that, you're pretty much doomed.

I'm stressed out as hell right now, and the more I study, the more afraid I get for missing out certain points. It's been a month since I actually gone out to relax myself. Exams sucks.

But I think the best remedy is to take a break in between the many hours. Go play a game or something on your xBox or Playstation, or go out for a walk. Calms the nerves down a little.

[thoragon]

I'd say to just take one at a time. I just got done with the most stressful finals so far. The only thing I can say is to study as much as you can. Dont overdue yourself and you'll end up alright. Finals are important, but no more than the rest of the semester. Be confident and you'll have a great start.

haha yeah, i find when you don't take enough breaks and put all effort into non-stop studying it does affect how much you can contain with so mcuh pressure built up.