“Failing to plan is planning to fail.” If you just start studying without a plan, you are likely to overlook important areas and over-study unimportant subjects.

Before finals week, make a plan for each class that has a final. Use your class syllabus or outline to review the key topics you will study and review. If there are areas you have had trouble understanding, put those as top priorities. Your study times will be more effective and you’ll gain the confidence that you are ready to take your finals.  

During finals week, you must become a study machine. Any other activities should be done with the goal of refreshing you for the next study session. Basically, during finals week you should forget that you have a social life. Everything that is not absolutely necessary must be put on hold until finals are over.

Do not just start studying anywhere. Find a quiet, orderly place. Your dorm room is probably a bad place to study. With the familiar objects around, it’s too easy to get distracted, especially if your roommate is there.

If your usual study locations seem stale to you, find a new place to try—a public library or new coffee shop. Sometimes a completely new place will be mentally stimulating—just what you need to focus and learn. Keep ear plugs with you to reduce noise while you study.  

If you’ve made your study plan, follow it when you study and set a realistic goal for each session—perhaps to finally nail that one concept that’s been hard to remember and learn. 

Not all study time is created equal. A solid 60 minutes of study is less effective than three 20 minute sessions broken up with five minutes in between. Concentration levels and retention are increased when breaks are included to a study time. 

The short breaks should be purposeful. A short walk, some stretches and deep breathing can really clear your head and send much-needed oxygen to the brain. Rest tired eyes by looking into the distance and closing them for a moment or two. 

An excellent approach to task/time management, is explained in MEP's articles on Time Boxing. You can scroll down this page to find the two part series: Time Boxing or Time Blocking -- The Benefits, pt. 1 and pt. 2. 

Vigorous exercise help relieves the stress that makes finals week so…stressful! Brisk walks, runs, and other sports can be a good way to let off extra energy and regain your concentration. Just do not make your exercise breaks too long – keep them to 15 minutes at most.

With the shortage of time during finals, it’s easy to reach for whatever is quick and tasty, but not healthy. This is a big mistake. Junk food may give you instant energy, but it will decrease your concentration and memory. Eating healthy food will help you learn and retain what you learn. 

Lay in a supply of healthy foods for your meals and snacks. You’ll be glad to have something in your backpack to reach for rather than having to purchase something every time you need to eat.  

Finals week and all-nighters may go hand-in-hand, but skimping on sleep is a detriment overall. Your brain processes information while sleeping…the information you’re working so hard to absorb! 

Plan sleep into your finals schedule. You may have to shave an hour or two off your nighttime sleep, but try throwing in a 15 minute nap in the afternoon. It will certainly refresh you for another night of study. 

Many students are afraid to ask for help. This is a big mistake. If you do not understand something that you know you have to, ask someone. You can ask classmates and professors. Visit your campus success center for help. People will be glad to help because the goal is for everyone to pass their finals. 

Don't expect help from others to make up for work you should have done throughout the semester. At this late stage, you should know your subject. Help should now be for things that just haven't jelled for you after you've already done the work of studying and learning. 

If you are part of a study group that functions well and stays focused on studying, the group can switch to ‘exam prep’ mode for finals week. If everyone is working from the same outline, and the goal of exam prep is maintained, the group can be helpful. 

Starting a study group right on top of finals may not be the best idea. The time spent setting up goals, agreeing on a study approach, and scheduling the meetings is time lost from studying.

You might think this is unnecessary. Nevertheless, it has happened. When you are taking many exams in the same week, it is easy to confuse the times. Enter them into your smart phone calendar and set alerts. Write the times on sticky notes; put them on your refrigerator, computer, class books…anything that you will see on a regular basis.

Once you’re done with finals, treat yourself to something. You should celebrate that you made it through! It doesn’t matter if you want to hit the hay or hit the dance floor, take a break from the intensity of the past few weeks.

After a day or two, review you finals experience. What worked for you? What missteps did you make? When finals roll around next you can incorporate what you learned to make things go more smoothly.  

For some current military members and their spouses, CLEP exams are easily accessible and virtually free thanks to DANTES-funded CLEP exams. DANTES covers CLEP exam costs ($87 plus administrative fees) to eligible members. Check out this College Board information to find out if you’re eligible for DANTES-funded CLEP exams.

Unlike traditional college students, military service members have a lot of responsibilities to juggle, like military duties and family obligations. Finding the time and energy to further your education and earn college credit can be difficult when work and family take up so much time.

Fortunately, CLEP exams allow military service members to learn and make progress toward college credit while working their busy schedules. They can set their own study timelines and take their exam when they feel that they’re ready. Since there’s no set timetable, they can speed up or slow down the pace of CLEP progress to meet their day-to-day or week-to-week needs.

CLEP exams can be taken at on-base testing centers all over the world, and at over 1,800 colleges across the United States. CLEP exams also count for college credit at nearly 3,000 college and universities—so no matter your stage in the academic process, it’s likely that your current or future college will accept your CLEP credits and speed up your journey to your degree.

For many military veterans, CLEP is a great way to ease back into the academic world while they acclimate to civilian life. Many veterans, their spouses, and their dependents may be eligible for CLEP test reimbursement through programs like the Post 9/11 GI Bill, Fry Scholarship, Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (MGIB-AD), Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR), and the Survivors & Dependents Assistance Program.

Check with your advisor about these scholarship programs to make sure that you meet requirements for test reimbursement. If you do, you’re well on your way to saving money and accelerating your college career.

No matter your branch of service or where you are in your academic career, CLEP exams can help you save money and graduate faster. Making Education Possible education experts know the value they bring to service memebers who are pursing their degrees. In fact, MEP offers a special discount to SpeedyPrep.com, a CLEP preparation website. Join Making Education Possible to get started with all of the tools we offer to earn your degree in less time and for less money while continuing your service. 

Learn about the exam. It's is a perfectly legitimate question to ask your professor how the exam will be set up. Will questions be fill-in-the blank or multiple choice? Any essay questions? How long is the exam? How will different parts of the exam be scored? Having this information can remove unwanted nerve-inducing surprises on exam day. 

Practice basic academic discipline. Attend class. Take notes. Read your textbook. Complete and turn in all assignments on time. Nothing conquers exam nerves like knowing your subject and knowing it well!

Make a list of your academic progress and add to it every time you accomplish a study task. Watch this list grow throughout the semester. It is a visual reminder that you are learning what you need to know—reviewing it can help reduce test nerves when you see what you have accomplished.  

If you don’t keep up your learning progress, you can expect more test nerves and poorer grades on those exams. Day-in/day-out academic work is your foundation for good exam experiences.

Banish negative thoughts. Do any of these kind of thoughts run through your mind? 

“I’m not good enough.”   “If I don’t pass this test, I’m a failure.”   “There’s no way I can learn everything that will be on the test.”  

It’s time to replace those messages with new ones. 

Try this: When one of the negative, defeating thoughts about an exam creeps in, jot it down on a piece of paper. Then write a positive thought next to it. Practice saying them when the negative thoughts creep into your mind.

“I can do this!”   “I don’t have to get a A+, I just have to pass!.”   “I know the material and studied hard, so I will be prepared for this test.”

Get sleep the night before. If you are well-rested before exam day you will have the mental capacity to focus on your test and manage your nerves.

Be sure to eat. You can’t think effectively if you haven’t eaten. The brain needs balanced nutrition to work at its optimum. Be sure to have some protein, whole grain carbs, a little fat, and a little sugar source (fresh fruit is great) so your mind is sharp, and your energy is sustained.

Exercise a little. You don’t need a full workout, but a short brisk walk or dancing to some favorite music are a couple of easy ways to get your circulation going and oxygen into your system. A little exercise will also help release the tension that can trigger more test nerves.

Do a pre-test “Pep Rally”. You know how athletes psych themselves up before a game? The coach gives them a talk to rev them up. They shake out the nerves and hype up by chanting and jumping. You can do a little of this yourself. If there are other students in your class, you can try it together.

If that’s too out there for you, before you leave for your exam, you can give yourself a pep talk in your car or your room. Maybe even record a “You’ve got this and you’re going to have a great exam” message and play it back to yourself. 

Stop and focus before you start. Remind yourself to take on the questions one at a time.

Scan the exam to see how it is structured before you begin.

Smile. Smiling triggers a powerful chemical reaction in the brain that lifts your mood, lowers stress, heart rate and blood pressure. (Try smiling right now as you read this. Feel what a smile can do!)

Breathe. If you start to feel the nerves growing, breathe deeply to relax and regain your focus.

Read directions carefully. Be sure you understand them before beginning. 

Read questions carefully, too, so you know exactly what they are asking.

Prioritize. If you come to a question that you don’t know and your anxiety rises, skip forward and find questions you do know. Go back later to the questions you’ve skipped and try them again. Be careful to understand exactly what they are asking. More than likely, they will make more sense the second or third time through.

Congratulate yourself on your effort. If you prepared well, and put some of these tactics to use, your next test experience should be better. You’ll continue to build on that success in the future.

We hope that you find these approaches help you overcome test anxiety when it arises. 

Not all test anxiety is easily managed. If your test anxiety symptoms are severe and you are incapacitated by them, please reach out for professional help. Your school counselor will have advice and resources to help. 

Where to start? If your professor/teacher doesn’t give you a list of recommended online resources, you can do your own search for them. Use your class syllabus and/or textbook to choose the topics you want to study online. You might concentrate your search on topics you find harder to master with just your textbook and class lectures. 

When you start to scour the internet for credible learning resources and accurate information, you’re in luck—the internet is packed with the stuff! However, it’s also packed with misinformation, misleading claims, and misinterpretation. The key is to glean information from the right sources—more specifically, sources with established credibility, that are backed by empirical evidence, science, and data. These sources will be experts in their fields—whether individuals or organizations. They are not breezy bloggers or creators of social media clickbait. Reputable education resources are designed to educate, not to drive web traffic.  

Unfortunately, the line between credible and false information grows more unclear by the day. What do you do if you’re not sure the information you find is accurate and credible? In that case, it’s best to make like a journalist and double-check—no, triple-check—the information in question. If your information is corroborated by a few credible sources, chances are it’s the correct information.

We get it—this one is easier said than done. At first, you’re just checking your social media outlets as a “quick study break.” Then, about 45 minutes later, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook have sucked you in and your study session is shot. 

Social media is designed to intoxicate you—to keep you engaged so you share, like, comment, and retweet to your heart’s content. Unless you’re blessed with incredible willpower, there’s a very small chance you’re only going to spend a minute or two on social media—so while you’re studying, it’s best to stay off social media completely. 

First, keep that Facebook tab closed when you’re using online study materials. Next, turn off push notifications for social media outlets on your phone, and keep your phone on silent during study time. The constant “ping” sound from your iPhone will only serve as a distraction to your study success. There are a number of apps and extensions that can temporarily block access to social media outlets while you’re in study mode. Install and use them.  

When you’ve had a solid study session and turn back to your social media, you can enjoy it guilt free, knowing you are in control of it rather than social media controlling you. 

If you are using online resources to study, here are a few tips to help your learning permanence.

Read your material out loud. Hearing the information helps reinforce it in your mind. Make your own notes, handwritten with paper and pencil/pen. The act of writing creates a mental connection with what you jot down. If the format you are studying in gets a little boring, do your own web search on a topic to watch a video or read an article about it. When you go back to the program you are using, it will seem a fresher to you.  

Using various online study sources—a quick video, an article, online quizzes and study notes—can really help you learn a topic thoroughly. We hope you feel empowered to find great online sources to help you achieve academic success!  

Study Tips for Visual Learners

Visual learners need to see or read information in order to learn it. Learning by just listening is difficult. Visual learners use mental imagery to remember things. Visual learners can try these study strategies.

The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) awards college credit when you pass their exams. There are 33 to choose from in a variety of subjects. Anyone, of any age, can take a CLEP exam. 

You don’t have to be enrolled in a college or even accepted into one when you take a CLEP exam. CLEP exam results are held for 20 years by the College Board and are applied when and where you choose to send them. If you’re a high school student and pass a CLEP you can finish your high school career, take some time off to work, and walk into college with credits earned—entire semesters of college can be completed with CLEP.  

If your high school has dual credit, AP or IB classes that you take, great! You may still find that CLEP can be added to those credits, covering additional subjects. If your school doesn’t have college credit granting classes, CLEP exams are your ticket earning them on your own.

What are the benefits of CLEP? Well for one, you don’t have to take the college class! No lectures, no assignments, papers, projects or exams. Think of the time saved. CLEP exams are 90 minutes in length. You will spend some time preparing for the exam, but in total it will be significantly less than the typical 120-160 hours spent in a semester course. 

Another benefit is the cost savings. Would you like to save $1,610? 

Today, the average cost-per-credit-hour is $574. A typical college class is 3 credit hours. That’s $1,722 for one class, before you buy the textbook.  

A CLEP exam fee is currently $87. The testing center where you take the exam will charge a proctoring fee that averages $25. This makes the testing cost $112. $112 vs. $1,722. What would you rather pay?  

If you already know a college you’re interested in, you can calculate your CLEP savings this way: Get the cost-per-credit hour for the school, multiply by 3 and then subtract $112. The result is the savings on one passed CLEP exam.

Taking CLEP exams in high school can make the college experience easier as well. Let’s say you pass five CLEP exams during your high school career, and all five count for college credit. That’s at least 15 college credits (basically an entire semester) earned before college even begins! 

Be sure that you check with your prospective college(s) and make sure the CLEP exams you’re going to take will count as college credit. With an already busy high school schedule, it might not be worth your time to pursue a CLEP exam that isn’t going to earn you college credit.

If you’re vying for spots in competitive universities and degree programs, every extracurricular activity and extra effort counts. In a sea of applicants with similarly stunning GPAs and ACT/SAT scores, you need to boost your application with accomplishments that go beyond honor’s society and community service—that’s where CLEP can help. Successful CLEP results show university admissions officers that you are dedicated to furthering your education, expanding your range of knowledge, and most importantly, working hard to achieve your academic goals. It will set you apart from all the other 4.1 GPA, three-sport athletes and student council officers who are vying for those college placement slots.

If you want to try taking CLEP exams while you’re still in high school, you’ll need to study so you gain the college-level knowledge to pass them. One good approach is to leverage what you’ve learned in high school already. For example—after your high school algebra class, study up in order to pass the College Algebra CLEP.  

We hope that you will be inspired to graduate high school with college credit already earned through CLEP exams. High school students are one of the faster growing groups to take these widely accepted credits (over 2,900 institutions accept CLEP). 

It’s not counter intuitive to look back before moving forward—at least not when a semester starts. 

The new semester is a new opportunity to refine skills, such as time management, organization and planning. Spend some time reviewing how you managed your coursework last semester.  

What things worked well for you? Remember them and plan on doing those things again. Write them down as a checklist. It seems obvious to say that but reminding yourself of those positive actions early will give you the most opportunities to use them again. Look over your class plans and decide where you can apply those good approaches. Can you find more opportunities to use them this semester? For example, if a study group in one class really helped, can you join groups for two classes this semester?

On the flip side—were there situations last semester you don’t want to repeat? If so, ask yourself what you could have done to avoid them. Apply those answers into your semester plan now. As an example, if you wound up cramming for too many exams because you didn’t stay on top of your class reading and notes, change your study habits so you stay current with the class.

Make a master calendar for your academics. Start with blocking in every regular class time. When you get the semester plan for each class add every assignment/project due date, every quiz and exam date. Look this calendar over and make note of times when you might face an academic pile up—a major paper due the same day you have a major exam, for instance. You’ll know early to stay on top of the writing and the exam review so you aren’t cramming on both at the same time.  

Your most important resource should know who you are, don’t you think? Even if you sit in a lecture hall of over a 100 students, make the effort to meet your professor on the first day of class—nothing beats meeting them personally and showing your interest in the class they are teaching.

Stop by during their office hours early in the semester as well, even if you don’t have questions about your classwork yet. This is a chance to make professional contacts during your college career. When you do need their help, they’ll remember your earlier courtesy and interest and should engage with you right away.

A new semester gives you the chance to make new friends in class. Meet someone new in every class and expand your academic network. They can become personal friends, yes, but they can also be a resource for the class you share. You can share notes if either of you has to miss a class. The pair of you could also start a study group together. You could also become part of each other professional network after school.

During the years you spend in college your central focus will be your academic work. You may find you fall into a rut—attending class, studying, and working winds up being all you do. It may feel a bit like you’re waiting for life to start after you graduate. Why not start that life now?  

Join a club or pick up a new sport. It doesn’t have to be related to your major. It should be something you are genuinely interested in. You’ll meet new people and learn new things. If it turns out to be as fulfilling as you hope, you’ll have it to look forward to. It will help you relieve stress and refresh yourself mentally. What could be better? 

This advice is directed towards college students more and more frequently. There are a lot of things to build a personal brand and we will offer another post later just on this topic. 

In short, every contact and interaction you have with your teachers, fellow students, and employers builds your personal brand. Every social media post you release is a part of your personal brand as well.

If you are a reliable employee who shows up to work on time and does their work well builds a strong personal brand.  

Conversely, if your social media posts reveal less than flattering activities or details, your personal brand is weakened. Future employers may review your Facebook, Instagram and other social media. Now is the time to review and remove anything that would indicate lapses in judgement. You should even review and correct your grammar for posts you want to keep. 

If you want to learn more about this right now, there are many online articles to read about this issue.

Yes, we know. You hear this all the time. That’s because it’s important!

Eat healthy food and keep sugary, high-fat foods to a minimum. Eat regularly. Going too long without food will zap you of needed energy to do your work.

Exercise regularly. It doesn’t have to be intense or time-consuming. If you tack on extra time walking from class to class you can build activity into your day. Use a phone app that will track your activity to help you know how much activity you are doing. 

Get enough sleep. Some students use sleep apps on their phones to track the quantity and quality of their sleep so they really know what they getting. During sleep you will be processing everything you are learning. Short changing this function will be a detriment to your academic goals.

We hope that these tips will help you plan and execute a great semester for yourself.

Meet with an advisor as soon as you enroll in school. Be sure to check in regularly, at least every semester, to review your progress, and get advice they may have.

Be sure to meet your instructors. Tell them you are balancing work, family and school. Get their office hours and find out alternatives to talking with them if you can’t meet them during those times. They want you to succeed and should be happy to help you.

Meet your classmates. See if there are others like yourself who work and go to school. You can help each other even if it’s just a few minutes of chatting before class.

You’ve enrolled in school and know when classes begin. Your calendar will be full, and it might be your best friend until you graduate.

As soon as you get information about your class schedule, put it all in your calendar. Consider using an electronic calendar that links to important family members so they can check your schedule, too. Exams, mid-terms, due dates for important assignments and finals should all be in there.

Are you taking online courses that you access on your own schedule? Put that on your calendar too. The flexibility of taking online courses is a big plus, but you’ll have to work out a schedule to complete your studies if it’s all up to you. You should follow the schedule advised by the instructor of the course and block out times to study just as if you were headed to a classroom.

Have a designated study space. Keep supplies handy. You’ll save a lot of time if you don’t have to gather items every time you want to study.

Have a good light source in your study space. Keep earplugs/earphones handy to block out family noise. You’ll want a place that is quiet and puts you in an alert learning mindset. Studying in bed, for example, may not be the best option if you find yourself slipping into sleep mode!

Set boundaries with your family when you study at home. During your study time, they can help by not interrupting you and turning down the noise level of their activities. How you and your family reach agreement on this issue can build respect and deepen your bonds with each other.

It may have been years since you ‘hit the books’, so you’ll want to brush up on your study techniques. If your school has a learning resource or student success center, you can get valuable information about how to study.

You can also search online with the ‘How to Study’ and pick up both new and tried-and-true tips.

Craft some flashcards or notes that you can carry with you. Download videos or podcasts about what you’re studying. When a few minutes of time opens during your day, use your notes/flashcards or listen to the recordings to capture a few minutes of learning time.

If possible, pad time around every class. Get there early and stay a few minutes late to prepare and review.

Communicate 

At work, give your school schedule to your manager. Let them know when your midterms and final exams are scheduled. It will give your manager plenty of time to accommodate those days. If you must, find someone to swap work shifts with you, do so as soon as possible and be sure to tell your manager of your plans. Regularly check to be sure that you are all on the same page.

Keep communication open with your family. There are going to be stressful days for everyone but talking about things can keep relationships strong.

Remember, you won’t be in school forever and getting your diploma is going to be worth it!

It’s a good idea to keep receipts of all your education related expenses.

You never know when an opportunity for some reimbursement may become available to you. If your job requires you to earn a degree or additional licenses, there is probably a tuition reimbursement policy in place.

Keep a folder in your study space; you can label and put the receipts in as you get them. If ever you need them, you’ll be glad you set them aside and kept them in one place!

At the end of every semester, do something to celebrate. You’re a step closer to your degree and should be proud of yourself.

Also, review how the semester went. See what worked for you and plan on that again. For things that didn’t work so well, think about how to do them differently next time. As you grow and learn, your approach to reaching your goals can improve and adapt.

Please join Making Education Possible’s next post which will address maintaining your personal life while going to school and working.

Are you a visual learner? Do you learn best through pictures, diagrams, graphs, and videos?  If you are a visual learner you may be talented at art, visual planning and organization, utilization of physical space, and general navigation. Because you are a visual learner you can absorb and utilize a great deal of information through resources like YouTube, maps, diagrams, and visual mind maps.

Do you prefer to listen to information?  Then you may be an aural learner.  You use auditory, musical, and rhythmic associations to retain information. Due to this, you may learn best from spoken word lectures, audiobooks, and podcasts.  As a result, you make use rhyming, rhythm, and jingles to remember concepts and principles.

Are you a reader?  Verbal/linguistic learners like words in either spoken, or written form, and can be avid readers and writers, therefore, learners will often write and rewrite notes in order to achieve permanence through repetition. Mnemonic devices are also very popular amongst linguistic learners, as you can easily recognize and cling to the linguistic patterns in these devices.

Do you have a hard time sitting still and want to physically touch objects?  Then you may be a physical/kinesthetic learner.  If you can touch, move, rearrange, or manipulate an object you will remember it better.  As a result, you may find that the educational system is not a good fit because you have a hard time sitting still. In fact, you may absorb ideas and knowledge when you are moving, touching, and manipulating your environment. 

As a physical learner, you may struggle to focus during the initial learning stages but find your way when exploring the physical applications of what you're learning. You are a perfect example of “learning by doing.”

Do you love numbers and order?  Then you may be a logical learner.  Logical learners are mathematical, procedural, and rule-oriented, with a systematic approach to solving problems. Are you an expert planner, the organizer who likes to analyze facts?  Your skills are apparent in your study habits and expertly-crafted lecture notes. Numbers and statistics may be easy for you to interpret because you are logical you may enjoy a career as a statistician, scientist, data analyst, or mathematician.

Do you prefer to study with your peers?  Then you may be a social learner.  Social learners crave group learning experiences, constant feedback, and social context for their learning material. Often, social learners are highly-extroverted and seek synergistic, high-energy groups to learn the material and accomplish tasks. Usually competitive types, social learners enjoy tossing their ideas off of more knowledgeable individuals to get advice and insight on their learning material.

Are you easily distracted and need to study alone?  Then you may be a solitary learner.  Solitary learners are the classical, introverted, bookworm learners of the bunch.  You may attempt to remove the subjectivity and social stimulation of groups from the learning equation.  You may prefer to learn in silent, empty environments. Solitary learners are on the outside looking in, giving you exemplary observational skills and unparalleled objectivity.

Ultimately, most people are a hybrid of two or more learning styles and use multiple methods for achieving learning permanence.  Choose the two or three types you think you may be and try study techniques from each of them.  Keep those approaches active. When you’re tired working from one style, try another. This way, your mind will stay active as you learn and help you master new material more quickly.