Tips From an Irvine Tutor Ace Your Finals the First Year of College

Tips From an Irvine Tutor Ace Your Finals the First Year of College 4 Tips From an Irvine Tutor to Ace Your Finals the First Year of College Finals week is just around the corner and it can be a very stressful time for any student, especially if its their very first year in the college environment. College finals are different than those given in high school and students will need to avoid distraction while they focus on one of the most important weeks of the school year. Freshman might be studying as part of a group or they might be preparing solo, they may be writing final papers or studying for multiple choice exams, regardless of the specifics there are some universal tips and tricks that can help college students ace their finals while still maintaining their sanity our private Irvine tutors will help you prepare for your college finals. 1. Peace and quiet While students prepare for finals week they need to have peace and quiet in order to concentrate on the task at hand. They should find a quiet place to study so they are not disrupted but they also need to shut out any unnecessary tasks during this time. This means social gatherings can wait, social media should be avoided, and students should aim to keep the week as stress-free as possible. Once students have completed their final papers and exams, they can go back to their normal schedule but they need to focus on getting good grades right now because college level finals can be worth up to 25% of the overall class grade. 2. Effective study habits College students need to handle their study time efficiently and prioritize whats most important. The first thing students need to do is read their syllabus and any pertinent communication from their professor or teaching assistant to find out what will actually be on the final exam. If the syllabus explicitly states that the final exam will only cover the second half of the semester, then students dont need to be focusing on things they learned the first couple weeks of the term. Its essential for students to make an outline ahead of time so they know everything they need to study and how long its likely to take them to finish. Students who are organized have a much better chance of getting a high grade on any final exam. Our in-home Irvine tutors will help you develop your effective study habits. 3. Time management College-level exams are much harder than those completed during the high school years. Eventually, students learn how long it takes them to study for a particular course but college freshmen wont yet have this luxury. First-year students are encouraged to double the amount of time they studied in high school in order to successfully cover all the material necessary to ace a college-level final. Students who have been struggling in a particular class may want to leave even more time. Students who dont yet know how to structure their time during finals week should call their one-on-one tutor and set up some time so they can get organized and focus on important material (READ: Irvine Tutoring Tips: 4 Finals Week Pitfalls to Avoid). 4. Balance Many college students get used to cramming, meaning they avoid studying until a day or two before the exam and then try to complete everything in one session. This almost always results in a subpar paper or a mind that is overly fatigued and ill prepared to take an important test. Rather, students should strive to find a level of balance were they can focus on material for a couple of hours at a time and still get enough sleep, exercise, and healthy meals even during finals week. That might mean beginning study sessions two or three weeks before finals but its definitely worth it to have a rested brain that can ace any exam. Stressed about finals? TutorNerds is here to help. Call us today to book your experienced Irvine tutor. Click here to learn more about our private Orange County tutoring. Members of the TutorNerds team and our private tutors write every blog post. If you have any questions about our blog, please email us at pr@tutornerds.com.