Before studying with others, decide on your goals for study. Ask yourself what do I need to focus on?
When planning how much time to study for finals,
- allow more time than you think you'll need
- allow for reading, reviewing AND active study
- you probably need at least 3-4 weeks for finals, so you should start before reading day. For early December finals, start in early November.
- Didn't start until Reading Day? Don't give up.
- Divide each class into types of study work. This will vary according to major, so make your own categories if the ones below don't apply.
- Items you are reading over for the first time (usually a good early reading day task)
- Items you are familiar with, but need to be memorized (try to start 2-3 days before the test if you have the time)
- Items that require problem solving and practice (try with a study group)
When planning a group study session, the group should agree on how to spend the time.
- Allow a small amount of social time at the beginning and stick to it.
- After social time, everyone should have time to bring up problems or questions that came up since last time.
- Schedule time for breaks.
At the end of the session, make sure:
- the group agrees what to cover next time
- if you're rotating tasks, like quizzing or teaching, everyone knows their roles for next time.
