What is the best way to prepare for finals?

Answer 1

do short notes.....repeat what u revise......do some past year questions( this is to be done only if u have time ).......eat balanced food and do get enough sleep....good luck

Answer 2

Well, it is too late to do anything about your grades previous to this time, as someone suggested.
If you have little time to study and need to organize: What I do (I have a max 18 cr load) is first figure out my grade in each one of the classes and what I would need to get on the final to keep it at that grade or better if it is on an edge, say B or A- . I find the mininium I can get on that final and get the grade I want. If I only have to get a D or a C on the final to stay at the grade, it is not going to get much study time.
If it is a 4 credit class over a 3 credit, that gets priority as well. Once I have a list of what classes are "worth" more, I will start studying.
The absolute best way to study is by groups for most classes. My friends and I will quiz each other back and forth for a couple hours. You can bounce ideas and concepts around, as well as pick up on any thing you might have missed from a skipped class.
The group sessions are usually right before the test itself.
Before that, I start about a week early and pick two topics a day to study by looking over my notes and rewriting things I don't know. Everything that I don't know or don't think I will remember goes on to one sheet, and from then on, I study off of that sheet for the class. For math and science courses- work through homework problems again. Once it is finals week, my two topics are usually the test that day and the one the next day. By this time, you should have looked at enough of your notes to be able to remember most things.
This method works great for me because there is no way I could do the bulk studying that others can do. 2 hours on one topic is my very max, or I get really bored and stop remembering things. I will always do something in between the study periods. Whether it is go to work, go out to eat, watch some TV, etc.
Good luck on Finals, and I hope this helped!.

Answer 3

The best thing to do is visit your professors during their office hours. If you show an interest, they will often give you helpful tips and hints for doing well on the exams. They may tell you what to focus on and which materials to study up on. I've even had professors give me sample exam questions. I think having a personal contact always helps.

After you do this, the next best thing is to just go over class notes and any lecture slides etc. Go over any old quizzes if the final is cumulative.

As a last resort, or in some special circumstances, read the book. However, I have had very few courses which actually tested on book materials. Don't waste your time reading it at the last minute unless your class specifically requires it.

Answer 4

Start day ONE.

Take notes during the lessons, review the materials at home, make sidenotes in the book or on file cards for yourself. Do the homework, rehash the notes. Go to lesson two...same way.
For the final, you should ask if this is a comprehensive or if it is certain sections only...re-hash all your notes, and concentrate on the "covered' sections of the final...
Practice throughout especially any questions that stumped you on previous exams.

Do not "cram" the day of the exam.
Spread your "cram" over one week, in small amounts, the night before, read thru all your notes. Remind yourslef of the important points.

The day of, do quick read thru just the "big" items, those you have a tough time remembering...then 10 minutes before...eat a snickers bar...the fat, the sugar and the potein in there will help your brain function! Do not confuse yourself with too much stuff just before the exam....

Answer 5

As a graduate from a very difficult College I can tell you, you cannot trust your success to the finals, you must have such excellent grades that the finals don't get you.
I mean if you have understood the subject, the finals are piece of cake!