How to Make a Final Exam Study Schedule - College Info Geek

TL;DR

Build a final exam study schedule by confirming exam dates, assessing knowledge gaps, prioritizing classes, and assigning study sessions around your other commitments. Compare each final’s grade weight and your current standing, then use an ultra-detailed home stretch schedule to expose available study blocks. The full guide explains how to order subjects, batch small tasks, and manage energy and stress.

Transcript

Hey. What's up, guys? So finals are upon us. I know some of you guys have already started finals, some of you guys have them coming very soon, and for that reason I'm releasing this video early this week so hopefully it can help you in creating a study schedule. And what I want to do specifically in this video is actually give you a look a... Read More

Key Insights

• "You also want to study the most important material in the right order, and, lastly, you want to manage your energy and stress levels." (0:46)
• "After that, take stock of your resources, make sure you have the syllabi, all the course materials, handouts from your professors, notes, and textbooks, and, at this point, your number one priority is to assess your knowledge for each class." (2:23)
• "Try to figure out exactly what's gonna be covered on each exam and figure out where the gaps in your knowledge are." (2:35)
• "This is basically a schedule much like your normal weekly schedule but ultra detailed." (3:49)
• "One thing I like to add to this is you should try to group and batch your small tasks into as few sessions as possible." (4:04)

Questions & Answers

Q: How do I make a final exam study schedule?

First, confirm when each final occurs and gather details about its format, covered material, and percentage of your grade. Assess your knowledge gaps, prioritize your classes, then place study sessions into the available gaps in an ultra-detailed weekly schedule.

Q: What information should I collect before scheduling study sessions?

Find each exam’s date, format, covered material, and grade weight. Also account for homework and projects due during exam week, and gather your syllabi, course materials, professor handouts, notes, and textbooks.

Q: How should I prioritize classes for final exams?

Compare how much each final counts toward your grade, your current standing in each class, and the gaps in your knowledge. Give more time and earlier sessions to classes that are important and subjects where you are struggling most.

Q: How should my current grade affect my study priorities?

A final may deserve less emphasis if you already have a solid A and its result is unlikely to influence the grade much. A class where you are between two grades may need greater priority because the final can have more influence on your actual grade.

Q: What is a home stretch schedule for finals?

A home stretch schedule is an ultra-detailed version of a normal weekly schedule recommended by Walter Pauk in How to Study for College. It includes mealtimes and small tasks so you can identify gaps for final-exam study sessions.

Q: How can I create longer uninterrupted study blocks?

Group and batch small tasks into as few sessions as possible. This leaves more uninterrupted blocks of time available for studying.

Q: Should I use Google Calendar or a paper planner for my finals schedule?

The speaker uses Google Calendar and has used it since freshman year. A paper planner is also suitable if that format better matches how you prefer to plan.

Q: Should I mix project work with studying or schedule them separately?

Choose the arrangement that fits how you work. You can intersperse projects and homework with study sessions for a change of pace, or place project work on one day and study sessions on another to keep each day compartmentalized.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The video offers general tips and principles for creating an effective study schedule for finals, such as minimizing procrastination, studying important material in the right order, and managing energy and stress levels.

• It advises viewers to prioritize classes based on exam weight and performance, assess knowledge gaps, and gather necessary resources before creating a schedule.

• The video demonstrates the use of Google Calendar to schedule study sessions, taking into account other tasks, mealtimes, and breaks.