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With Finals Week fast approaching, many students are rushing to study for final exams. And although there are many ways to study for exams, certain psychological methods can improve students' success.
Academic Learning Services Instructor Amy Nuetzman said one way to become more successful at exams is to designate a spot for studying.
"People tend to study best if they have a specific study place," she said.
It is generally better if that place is away from home because that atmosphere can be too distracting, she added.
She said every student is different, which means certain places can work better for different people. Students may be more comfortable studying in libraries or coffee shops, but wherever it is, Nuetzman said it should be the same place every time.
Even the slightest distraction can hinder studying, Nuetzman added, such as room temperature and noise level. She said she knows a student who can't concentrate when he is around shiny objects.
Sophomore Krista Durham said she prefers to study in the same area of the Knight Library.
"I try to sit in the same chair every time," she said. "If someone's sitting there, usually I'll try to wait until they leave."
Durham said she's not sure if it helps her study, but it's a habit she has gotten used to. She said she thinks it is a "comfort issue" that helps her concentrate.
The Psychology Department's Head Undergraduate Advisor Pam Birrell agreed this method can help students concentrate better.
"It's conditioning yourself to doing only that activity in that place," she said.
Changing study habits before an exam can also affect concentration.
Nuetzman said although she doesn't advocate drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes, if that's what students do while they study, it's not a good idea to stop doing it just before an exam.
"Any habit change can throw you off," she said.
Birrell said this is called "state-dependent learning," which is useful for connecting studying with exams.
"You want to make sure you're in the same kind of psychological state," she said. If students do not normally drink coffee when they study, they should not drink coffee right before an exam because it alters their state of mind, she added.
As a study skills class instructor, Nuetzman has heard of some interesting habits she said can be useful for exams. She said she knows students who chew the same flavor of gum while studying and then again while taking the exam.
"That can actually trigger the memory on recreating context," she said.
She said taking an exam in the same seat as the class lecture can also ease test anxiety by making students feel more comfortable.
"The psychological conditioning is really useful," she said.
Nuetzman also recommends active studying. Rereading notes and textbooks isn't necessarily the best way to retain information, she said. More active methods include summarizing chapters, writing essay questions and even forming quizzes.
"Any time students are using the information ... they're generally more successful," she said.
She said students tend to think rereading is a good study habit, but it's a passive method that does not allow students to absorb the material.
"People oftentimes construe a very low level of thought as studying," she said.
Birrell said repeatedly reviewing material over a period of time is more beneficial than cramming the night before an exam.
"Memory doesn't work if you cram," she said. Information needs to make it to a student's long-term memory to be recalled later, she added.
Birrell also suggests taking a lot of breaks while studying.
"When your mind gets tired, you don't absorb the information as well," she said.
Nuetzman said students often find they have studied the wrong information once they begin an exam.
She suggests students attempt to predict test questions by examining the syllabus and the course objectives to see what the professor emphasizes.
One of the most basic and important tips she recommends is to stay healthy. She said eating well and getting enough sleep can help students with their finals.
"Taking care of one's self is so important," she said. "Your brain can stay a little bit more awake."
Contact the higher education/student life/student affairs reporter
at chelseaduncan@dailyemerald.com.
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