How to Survive Exams
By Danielle Lorenz

Why that time is nearly upon us again; the time of insane stress, no sleep and…stress. Of course, I am talking about exams. And I realize some of the things in my previous sentence probably weren’t all that encouraging; but unfortunately it is true, to at least some extent. The largest exam I have ever written was one worth 68% of my final grade; and this term I will be writing my smallest, one worth only 15%. The weighting of exams varies from year, to course, to individual subject; however the better you do the more it will influence a better grade at the end.

<hr>FORUM: DISCUSS YOUR EXAM SCHEDULE HERE!
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By now, you will have gotten your exam schedule; so you know the days you are writing. Good, now you can start to plan. Just like with the midterms you just took, planning is key to success.

Try and write out some sort of schedule, which outlines when you will be studying for what subject, for how long, and with who if applicable. Then stick with it. If some classes are more difficult than others, make sure you allot yourself more time for them.

We are not yet at the point in the term when profs will tell you what is on your exam. They will give you at outline similar to what they did during midterms. It will have the format of the exam (multiple choice, short answer, a combination, etc), the length of the exam (anywhere between one and three hours), and what you need to know. Some profs simply say “everything” (which is damn annoying), but many give you key subject areas to look at. Also, if it was a topic covered on the midterm, it is possibly it could pop up again on the final. Many will give sample questions from previous exams, which I have found to be quite helpful in the past. You will also be told what you need to write the exam. Make sure you bring it (story about this at the end).

All of this will happen on the LAST DAY OF CLASS. So, I really suggest you go. If you have tutorials for your classes, many will have exam reviews which will help as well. If there is something you do not understand from the class, seek help NOW. Waiting until you are studying for your exams will make it more difficult to learn, and cause you more stress.

Generally, you’re going to want to study for your exams chronologically, unless your last exam happens to be preceding a bunch of other exams in a relatively short time span (a few days, and with little to no break in-between). If you study for it first, you will retain some of the knowledge when you go back to it at the end.

As for how to study there are many different methods. Individual study versus group study; quiet study versus social study (Club Mills!); simply reading the notes and the text versus making summaries, or organizing your notes into definitions, themes, subjects etc, or making flash cards. Find a method that works for you and stick with it. Some people find that studying for an hour and then taking a ten minute break is effective; others study for a few hours at a time and then take a break for an hour. Again, it all is dependant on your own preferences.
Besides all of these, there are other important things you must take into account. Probably the most important is getting enough sleep. If you are sleep deprived, you will not have the ability to retain information. So either get a solid six to nine hours a night (it all depends on your body and your needs), or get a few hours of sleep then study for a few hours, then nap for a few hours, then repeat. Again, it is whatever works for you. I know I said earlier that exams are the time for little-to-no sleep. It can be true, but hopefully you won’t get yourself caught in that trap.

Take time to de-stress. If all you do is study you are going to burn out, and go a little bit nutty. Go for a walk, watch a movie, read a book (for fun), creep on Facebook, go to the gym, go out for dinner, call a friend, go out for coffee, do a crossword, write in a journal. Whatever it happens to be, make sure you do it often. Just be wary that this time is not taking over all of your study time.
Finally, make sure you eat well! Eating a lot of crap food will not only cause you to gain weight (and who wants to gain weight before Christmas? The goal is to gain weight DURING the holiday break!), but your body may get mad at you. For instance, lots of carbohydrates will give you a burst of energy quickly, but when the energy wears off you will crash. Lots of greasy foods can give you an upset stomach…or worse. Even convenience food can be healthy; put veggies on your pizza, bring fruit for a snack, etc. Alternatively, you can cook in advance and put stuff in the freezer if you have the space.

Best of luck to all who are writing their first exam, and good luck to the rest of us who have written far too many by now (this will be my eighth semester of exams…). Just think, we actually get the same amount of time off this year as all the other universities and colleges do! Even if you finish on the last day you get over two weeks off! Woohoo!

And now for my story. I’m sitting in IWC 1 (aka the big gym) getting to write a particularly difficult three hour exam. I’m sitting in my row with my pencil and eraser out for my multiple choice, and some pens ready for my short answer and essay questions. In the row beside me is a first year geo exam. The girl beside me is freaking out. She asks to borrow my calculator, a pencil, and an eraser because she’s not sure if she’s going to need them. I ask her if her prof told her if she needed any of them, to which she said no, but wants to have them just incase she needs them. Don’t be this girl. Do not piss off upper year students.