5 Things You Need for Your Next Study Session

Alas, finals are upon us, and it's time to hit the books. Studying may be tedious, but we've got five tips that'll help you trudge through and come out on top!

With the school year rolling along at rapid speeds, finals are now upon us, and it's time to seriously hit the books. However, studying doesn’t have to be miserable! It may seem tedious, but you can upgrade your next study session with these five things to help you trudge through it and come out on top. 

1. Music

The first and most crucial step may surprise you. You have to find the right music! Music will put you in the right mindset and give you the focus you need. When I am about to sit down and crack open the books, my mood plummets. To get myself back in the zone, I play music that will get me pumped up. Studying might not be the most exciting thing, but it’s necessary. You might as well have a good time doing it, right? Once your pre-studying dance party is over, switch to a slower and less distracting playlist. If you keep breaking into dance, you aren’t going to get anywhere! I use Pandora for most of my studying playlists, but you can use whatever your heart desires.

Related: Top 5 Ambience Playlists to Soundtrack Your Studies

2. Breaks

While that music may put you in the zone, it is extremely important to take breaks. Lift your head from the books and papers, recognize your surroundings, and just relax. You should give your brain some time for all of that information to sink in. While on your break, grab a snack or check your phone. However, don’t take too long of a break. You may lose the motivation to begin again and you still have studying to do! Once you have a good five- to 10-minute break, go ahead and dive back into those notes.

3. Friends

One of my favorite things to do is study with friends. Meet up at a friend’s house or the library and make it a study party! Bring some snacks, drinks, and of course your study materials. Studying with friends can be successful or it can be a disaster. Being with friends can be distracting, so make sure you pick the right group of people and make sure they all know you have to get down to business.

Related: 5 Simple Ways You Can Make Studying More Fun

4. Flashcards

When studying for a vocab or foreign language test, I love making flashcards. My friends and I find they are a simple but effective way to memorize things. To not use as much paper, I cut or tear index cards in half. Most of the time I only need to put one word on each side, like in the case of foreign language vocabulary. Not only are flashcards fun, but they can also be taken anywhere just by putting them in your pocket! There is no need to carry around notebooks or binders, which is a major plus. There are also apps and websites, such as Quizlet, where you can make flashcards online and go through them on your phone. If that isn’t convenient, I don’t know what is!

5. Self-testing

After your brain has absorbed all of the needed information for the test, test yourself! It may not be what you want to do after a lot of studying, but it will be worth it. Cover up half of the answer or write out a whole test, whatever works best for you. Nothing tests your knowledge of a subject better than a test itself.

Related: How Can I Develop an Effective Study Routine?

These five quick study session tips are sure to make it a lot easy to get through your long nights—and maybe even make it more enjoyable. It’s all about your mindset. So set yourself up for success and to get some good learning done. And good luck with your tests!

If you’re looking for more great advice on all things college, check out our compiled lists of blogs and articles on various college topics with the “our best advice” tag.  

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Tags:

About Cassidy Caudill

Hello! My name is Cassidy Caudill. I am from central Indiana and live a pretty ordinary life. I play softball in my community and always have. I like to write because it's such a good way to let out emotions and put things in perspective. When I got into high school, I realized I wanted more in life. I started researching colleges and careers right then. Ever since, I have learned so much from high school and what it takes to survive. I am here to share my college search process with you all as I live through it!

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress

College Quick Connect

Swipe right to request information.
Swipe left if you're not interested.

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA


Ariyane

Ariyane

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress really helped me by letting me know the colleges ratings and placements. They gave me accurate information on my colleges tuition rates and acceptance. They even let me know the ration between students and faculty and the diversity of the college. Overall they told me everything I needed and things I didnt even think I needed to know about my college and other colleges I applied for.

Khush

Khush

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress is a multi-maneuver platform that has been helping students in their college applications and scholarship hunt process. For me, CollegeXpress has been a boon. I've been able to find my dream university via CX, and I've also been able to apply to thousands of scholarships through it. All the thanks to CollegeXpress for doing such a great job for free. I express my sincere gratitude to you for doing such a wonderful job. I recommend CollegeXpress without any reservations.

Monica

Monica

High School Class of 2023

Being a sophomore in high school, I never really worried about college. I thought it wasn't important to worry about until senior year. Through this program opportunity I came across, I realized how important it is to start looking at colleges early and start planning ahead. CollegeXpress has opened my eyes to what colleges require, what colleges are near me, and what they offer. The daily emails I get from CollegeXpress really help me look at the different options I have and what colleges I fit into. Without this website, I would not be taking the time out of my day to worry about what my future will be nor what opportunities I have. I could not be more grateful for such an amazing and useful website. It's thanks to CollegeXpress that not only me but my family now know how much potential I have in to getting into these colleges/universities that we thought were out of my reach.

Brooke Maggio

Brooke Maggio

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress has helped me tremendously in my college search in narrowing down the schools I’m interested in. Using the college search tool, I was able to narrow down my choices to schools that matched what I was looking for. I also used CollegeXpress for their scholarship search, which helped me find scholarships that I meet the requirements of.

Caitlin Eaton

Caitlin Eaton

$10,000 Scholarship Winner, 2021

I first discovered CollegeXpress during my sophomore year of high school while researching colleges that interested me. My SAT prep class the following year further familiarized me with the opportunities available through the organization. CX has personally helped me by exposing me to a diverse selection of schools as well as scholarships and life tips that have provided valuable guidance in my college search.

This scholarship will help me adjust to college life without worrying as much about tuition. This gives me more room to truly explore and benefit from all aspects of higher education. I plan to study Conservation Biology and work protecting species/ecosystems. I’m looking forward to getting field experience and seeing firsthand the problems research is solving.