It’s the end of the school year. Whether you are a junior or a senior, this time of year is always a pretty big deal. You might have the distraction of prom to keep you from your studies, or maybe there is an AP test that is taking you away from studying for your other subjects. Either way, you are sure to be distracted and feeling a bit overwhelmed this time of year.
Here are a few tips to get your end-of-year requirements met and with the least amount of difficulty.
Turn off the smartphone
We know that sounds like we asked you to tear your arm off and throw it in the river, but seriously, the constant notifications can be incredibly distracting. One study shows that students are interrupted every two minutes if they leave their smartphone nearby when they study, and that only 65 percent of the time set aside for studying was actually used to study. Students were also 20 percent less likely to answer a question correctly if they were distracted.
Get plenty of sleep
Getting eight hours of sleep a night isn’t a myth. Your body really does need to recharge before you put it through the paces of a lengthy exam. If you know you have a long night of studying coming up or an all-day test like AP or SAT, make sure to delay those Netflix binge nights until after the test. It will make a great reward at the end of a long road.
Study smart when you do study
This might seem like the simplest tip, but it’s an important one to remember. When you do sit down to study, make sure to have highlighters, pens, notebooks and all of the materials you need nearby so you aren’t scrambling to find things as you go along. Have a cup coffee or tea on hand so you don’t need to run to the coffee shop as an excuse to walk away from your books.
If your studying goes further into the night than expected, have some fun extras to jolt you back into gear. It might be as simple as changing your playlist to re-energize. You might like to snack on M&M’s for the sugar. Or try something like Energems, the caffeine and B-vitamin milk chocolate candies that give you a burst of energy equivalent to drinking a cup of coffee.
Whatever the trick is, make sure to find a way to break up the long study session with triggers that get you back on track.
> For more tips and tricks for studying, check out these articles:
• High tech test prep
• Why study breaks are OK
