How to Create a Study Schedule to Prepare for Final Exams
Pick a calendar for keeping track of your schedule., Print out your exam schedule., Print out your school break schedule., Calculate how much time you have., Prioritize your exams., Decide when you’ll study., Schedule everything., Set realistic...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Pick a calendar for keeping track of your schedule.
Before you can actually create a study schedule for finals week, you need to decide what exactly you’ll use for scheduling.
You might prefer paper calendars or planners, or you might want to use the calendar app on your phone, and download an actual study app.
It doesn’t matter which type you prefer, as long as you have something., Before you even begin crafting a schedule, make sure you have all of your exam dates in front of you.
This will make creating your schedule a lot easier because you won’t have to stop and search for information or, even worse, have to start over because you forgot about an exam.
Some schools schedule all finals during a finals week.
In this case, the time for your final might not be on the same day or at the same time as when your class normally meets.
Make sure you note if that’s true.
Some teachers might schedule your final during regular class time, even if your school has a devoted finals week.
Make sure you have that information, too., If you have breaks between when you start drawing up your study schedule and finals week, you can use them to devote more time to studying since you won't have to attend class.
Depending on how long your classes usually are per day, consider adding extra study sessions for those courses during their regularly scheduled meeting times.
This gives you some extra time to study without really disrupting your normal schedule. , How much time you have to study for finals will depend on when in the semester you start drawing up your schedule.
Once you’re ready to set your study schedule, calculate how many days you have between now and when your exams are.
This will obviously be a different number for every exam.
When you're calculating how much time you have, keep in mind hat you probably won't be able to study every single day before finals.
Subtract days that you have a lot going on and won't be able to study.
This gives you a more realistic total number of days you have., Once you know how much time you have to study for each exam, prioritize them.
List your exams in order, starting with the one you have to take the soonest, and ending with your last exam.
You might also want to consider prioritizing by how hard the exam is likely to be.
Say, for example, you have a final for math after you have a final in English, but you know math is harder for you.
You might want to move math up above English on your list so you know you have enough time to study for it., Some people study better at night, and other people are more alert in the morning.
Schedule your study time for a time of day when you know you’ll be the sharpest – this will help you retain information more easily., Before you create your study schedule, make sure you add the non-studying stuff you have to do – classes, doctor’s appointments, etc – so you know what time you actually have available.
This prevents you from scheduling study time and then realizing that day you had an appointment you forgot about and have to miss your study time., Don’t schedule study time for eight hours of the day on top of the other stuff you have to do, too.
The more realistic you can be, the more productive your studying will be.
You should also be realistic about what you can get done in each study session.
Don't schedule studying 5 chapters, writing a paper, and working on a project all for the same two-hours block., Research shows that after about two hours, we are less able to focus on a specific topic or task, and our concentration and ability to retain information declines.
Scheduling your study time in two-hour blocks not only prevents you from setting unrealistic goals, it also helps you make the most productive schedule.
This doesn't mean that you can only schedule one two-hour session per day.
Depending on how much other time you have available to study, you can schedule one or two two-hour sessions in the morning and one or two two-hour sessions later in the day.
If you're going to schedule multiple sessions per day, try to schedule them for the time when you work best.
If you work better in the morning, try scheduling to sessions before noon
- with a good break in between.
If you work better in the evening, schedule one session before dinner and one after., In each study session, studying one subject at a time can help you focus on the material better and therefore retain more.Splitting your time between multiple subjects per study session doesn't give you enough time to get deep enough in the material to really retain anything.
Some change is good when you're studying.
Studying one topic for one study session and then switching to something totally different for your next session can keep things fresh and keep up your efficiency and energy., When you’re setting up your times to study, make sure you build in ten or fifteen minutes to quickly review what you studied the day before.
It keeps things fresh in your mind and will remind you of the connections between what you’re doing and what you already did., While you’re scheduling time to study, it’s also important to build breaks into your schedule.
Research suggests that you should take a break for 10 – 15 minutes every hour.
You should also schedule larger breaks – like time to exercise or see friends or watch TV.
Giving your brain and your body a chance to relax will make you more productive in the long run., As you’re scheduling your existing appointments and obligations and your study time, color code each type of activity.
This gives you a better visual representation of what your week will look like and can often help you see how much time you really need to spend studying. , Try to study at the same time (and possibly the same place) every day.
This can make studying become almost automatic. -
Step 2: Print out your exam schedule.
-
Step 3: Print out your school break schedule.
-
Step 4: Calculate how much time you have.
-
Step 5: Prioritize your exams.
-
Step 6: Decide when you’ll study.
-
Step 7: Schedule everything.
-
Step 8: Set realistic goals for your study sessions.
-
Step 9: Limit your study time per session.
-
Step 10: Focus on one topic at a time.
-
Step 11: Build in time for review.
-
Step 12: Build in breaks.
-
Step 13: Color code your schedule.
-
Step 14: Stay consistent.
Detailed Guide
Before you can actually create a study schedule for finals week, you need to decide what exactly you’ll use for scheduling.
You might prefer paper calendars or planners, or you might want to use the calendar app on your phone, and download an actual study app.
It doesn’t matter which type you prefer, as long as you have something., Before you even begin crafting a schedule, make sure you have all of your exam dates in front of you.
This will make creating your schedule a lot easier because you won’t have to stop and search for information or, even worse, have to start over because you forgot about an exam.
Some schools schedule all finals during a finals week.
In this case, the time for your final might not be on the same day or at the same time as when your class normally meets.
Make sure you note if that’s true.
Some teachers might schedule your final during regular class time, even if your school has a devoted finals week.
Make sure you have that information, too., If you have breaks between when you start drawing up your study schedule and finals week, you can use them to devote more time to studying since you won't have to attend class.
Depending on how long your classes usually are per day, consider adding extra study sessions for those courses during their regularly scheduled meeting times.
This gives you some extra time to study without really disrupting your normal schedule. , How much time you have to study for finals will depend on when in the semester you start drawing up your schedule.
Once you’re ready to set your study schedule, calculate how many days you have between now and when your exams are.
This will obviously be a different number for every exam.
When you're calculating how much time you have, keep in mind hat you probably won't be able to study every single day before finals.
Subtract days that you have a lot going on and won't be able to study.
This gives you a more realistic total number of days you have., Once you know how much time you have to study for each exam, prioritize them.
List your exams in order, starting with the one you have to take the soonest, and ending with your last exam.
You might also want to consider prioritizing by how hard the exam is likely to be.
Say, for example, you have a final for math after you have a final in English, but you know math is harder for you.
You might want to move math up above English on your list so you know you have enough time to study for it., Some people study better at night, and other people are more alert in the morning.
Schedule your study time for a time of day when you know you’ll be the sharpest – this will help you retain information more easily., Before you create your study schedule, make sure you add the non-studying stuff you have to do – classes, doctor’s appointments, etc – so you know what time you actually have available.
This prevents you from scheduling study time and then realizing that day you had an appointment you forgot about and have to miss your study time., Don’t schedule study time for eight hours of the day on top of the other stuff you have to do, too.
The more realistic you can be, the more productive your studying will be.
You should also be realistic about what you can get done in each study session.
Don't schedule studying 5 chapters, writing a paper, and working on a project all for the same two-hours block., Research shows that after about two hours, we are less able to focus on a specific topic or task, and our concentration and ability to retain information declines.
Scheduling your study time in two-hour blocks not only prevents you from setting unrealistic goals, it also helps you make the most productive schedule.
This doesn't mean that you can only schedule one two-hour session per day.
Depending on how much other time you have available to study, you can schedule one or two two-hour sessions in the morning and one or two two-hour sessions later in the day.
If you're going to schedule multiple sessions per day, try to schedule them for the time when you work best.
If you work better in the morning, try scheduling to sessions before noon
- with a good break in between.
If you work better in the evening, schedule one session before dinner and one after., In each study session, studying one subject at a time can help you focus on the material better and therefore retain more.Splitting your time between multiple subjects per study session doesn't give you enough time to get deep enough in the material to really retain anything.
Some change is good when you're studying.
Studying one topic for one study session and then switching to something totally different for your next session can keep things fresh and keep up your efficiency and energy., When you’re setting up your times to study, make sure you build in ten or fifteen minutes to quickly review what you studied the day before.
It keeps things fresh in your mind and will remind you of the connections between what you’re doing and what you already did., While you’re scheduling time to study, it’s also important to build breaks into your schedule.
Research suggests that you should take a break for 10 – 15 minutes every hour.
You should also schedule larger breaks – like time to exercise or see friends or watch TV.
Giving your brain and your body a chance to relax will make you more productive in the long run., As you’re scheduling your existing appointments and obligations and your study time, color code each type of activity.
This gives you a better visual representation of what your week will look like and can often help you see how much time you really need to spend studying. , Try to study at the same time (and possibly the same place) every day.
This can make studying become almost automatic.
About the Author
Christina King
Brings years of experience writing about crafts and related subjects.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: