It’s finals time, and while many of you students may have taken them already, you’re probably going to have more in the near future.  When studying for an exam, it’s going to be stressful, especially if you start late, but if you can get an early enough jump start, there are ways on having a stress-free study session.

Start early: When you start late with an exam, you’ll find that you’re going to stress yourself out even more, because you feel like you don’t have any time. The more time you have, the better it’s going to be for you, and your studying.  If you have to memorize 10 chapters, start a month early, and do 2 chapters a week.

Highlight the main points: This is a lot of work, but it was always very effective for myself and my exams.  I would go through each chapter, and highlight the main points.  I would then write them down on paper, and study the notes.  You can generally get a good idea on what the exam will have.  This way is great if you’re looking to study the main points, rather than the whole book itself.

Get a study partner: When you study alone, you may find that there are some things that just don’t make sense, and that’s okay.  Instead, you’ll want to find someone in your class, or someone that knows what they are doing.  When you have a partner to study with, you can bounce questions off each other, making the study time a little more relaxed.

Watch what you’re eating: Your diet is huge when it comes to your study time.  If you’re drinking sodas, and eating candy bars, your brain isn’t going to like this as much as healthy things like veggies, and fruits.  When you study, try to snack on some things that are good for you.

Take your breaks: Study time doesn’t mean study for 10 hours straight without a break.  Instead, try and take a break every hour or so.  Just by getting up, walking around, and stretching your legs, this is great to get your mind off things for a while.

Try sample tests online: No matter what subject you’re studying, there are probably sample tests online.  If you do a quick Google search, you may be able to find some tests that you can take online.  It will give you a better understanding on what’s on the test.

Study in a quiet area: Whether you’re staying in a dorm, or a room filled with five kids, you want to get away, and study somewhere quiet.  Some great places are the park, libraries, or places like Starbucks.  Head out to one of these places with a coffee, and study for a few hours.

Not stressing out for a test is hard, but as I already mentioned, try out some of these tips, and see how you can lower your stress levels.  As long as you start early, and try out some of the tips above, you shouldn’t have a problem with studying at all.