Professors, students offer exam study tips

As it gets closer to the end of the semester, more and more students become nervous about final exams. While dealing with sleep deprivation and overdoses of caffeine, students also have questions about how to study.

Both professors and students have their own suggestions for how to study during finals week.

John Carini
Associate professor in the physics department

Tip: Practice exams

“I think that especially if the exam is comprehensive, it is good to retake any midterms. Students need to sit down and do the same questions that are on previous exams as a sample.”


Anthony Nussmeier
Associate instructor in the Department of French and Italian

Tip: Talk to your professor

“Students should try and seek out the professor and fully understand the expectations. Knowing what is expected is helpful.”


Anne Goldrick
Senior

Tip: Start early and get some sleep

“I had too many all-nighters, caffeine. I ended up being tired from cramming and was late for one of my freshman finals.”


Sarah Woods
Sophomore resident assistant

Tip: Prioritize

“I usually study for the one that comes first and the one that is harder. If, let’s say I have an easy final the same day as a hard final, I would study for the hard final first before the easy one. I probably spend three to four hours for normal classes, like 200 and 300 classes, and one hour for the easier classes and four to five hours for 400 classes.”

Tip: Use note cards

“If I have a note page, I get distracted. But if I have cards, I can focus on all the information a bit at a time.”