Acing the Final Exam

Apr 13, 2009

By Amanda Dervaitis, B.Ed.

While the spring weather is a pleasant sign that the end of the school year is just around the corner, it is also an indicator that the most grueling part of the year for high school students is close by. Yes, I am talking about dreaded exams. Just the thought of them can be stressful for even the most successful student, but it does not have to be. It is possible for EVERY student to be successful on their exams if they take the necessary steps to prepare. But preparation takes time and that means that students must start now if they want to be ready for June. Pass these tips along to your teens to help them ace those final exams.

Get organized. Have all of your notes, textbooks and old tests organized and ready to review. If your teacher gives you an exam outline, use it! Are you missing anything? Ask your teacher or classmates for any notes or materials you do not have. Also, have a comfortable, distraction-free area set up where you can study, equipped with everything you need from coloured pens and highlighters to blank paper and your dictionary.

Use an agenda. The agenda is one of the best tools you have for time management and organization. Divide your study time amongst your classes and write it in your agenda. Use your exam outline to determine how much time you may need to study for each class. (Note: do not spend time studying what you already know well!) Once you have a schedule set you should stick to it, but you may have to make changes along the way. Use any and all methods of scheduling organization that work for you; monthly calendars, daily calendars and ‘to do lists’ can all be helpful.

Don’t Cram. Cramming for tests and exams does not work. When you cram, you do not have enough time to process and understand the information. At best, you will memorize bits of disconnected information and you will be lucky if it stays with you long enough to write the exam. Breaking study material into small sections makes learning lots of information more manageable. Studying regularly, for as little as 20 minutes a day per subject, over only a few weeks will be much more effective than cramming for a couple of days before the exam.

Don’t just memorize information. Make your own notes—in your own words. Memorizing information defeats the whole purpose of learning. When you memorize, you are simply remembering sequences of words, but you are not processing and understanding the information. It will not stay with you for the long run. Take the time to read your notes, stop and think about the key points, and then rewrite the information in your own words. You will be amazed at how much you understand and remember. It takes more work in the beginning to make the notes, but trust me, you will be saving yourself lots of study time because you need to review them less.

Thanks to contributing author Amanda Dervaitis. Amanda has been an educator for 9 years and is the director at Oxford Learning in High Park. For information about exam preparation programs call the Oxford Learning Centre at 416-762-4447.

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