How To Study For ANY Test: 5 Easy Tips To Keep You From Having A Mental Breakdown

Midterms are an extremely taxing time of year for high school and college students, especially when compounded with having to prepare for travel, as midterms typically fall right before spring break.

Whether preparing for an exam or collecting data for an essay, for the students it is a time of nervousness and caffeine and late nights. Right now I am thankfully on break, but I cannot forget the stress, the binders and textbooks forming a fortress around me, all of the late nights I spent in the library studying or doing research for papers. I would summarize midterms with one word: Stress.

image via (F**k it All (Honest Final Exam Version))

For those who still have midterms or any upcoming test, here are five study tips that I picked up in high school and later refined in college that will definitely help:

1. Learn What Environment Works Best For You

A psychological study was done many years ago, and the study revealed that certain colors in rooms affect a person’s mood. For example: Light blue has a calming effect on a person, while red does not, as it increases blood pressure. What does this mean for a student already under pressure? Pick your environment carefully.

Practice studying in different places well before a major test so you can identify what types of environments work best for you. Your room? The library? An empty classroom? Learn what sound levels you can tolerate and what levels actually help in conjunction with whatever environment suits you. My best environment is an empty study room in my school’s library, with soft instrumental music in the background.

2. Study With a Small Group

In high school, my chemistry class was taught by a teacher who slipped into tangents and slipped in material that not even the A.P. kids would touch. He barely gave tests, and when he did, they decided the fate of your overall grade. What I learned from that year was the value of groups and Google Drive.

First, make a Gmail account so you can use Google Drive. Then, make a document and share it with classmates who you trust and who would study with you. Together, you can assemble a great study guide from your individual notes and perspectives.

After you have done that, decide when you and your group can meet to review the material. Just don’t make it too large. If a group is too large, people will break up and become distracted. Aim for between three to five people at max. Then, find a comfortable environment for everyone. Last semester two of my friends and a classmate reviewed material for our history midterm and working with them made all of the difference. It allows for you to be quizzed, to build off of each other’s strengths, and it makes the experience enjoyable. Surprisingly, I actually wanted to continue studying by the time we finished.

3. Study in Small Intervals

As a fellow procrastinator, it might be a bit hypocritical to say this but: Study the material leading up to the exam and not just the night before. The human brain sadly can only handle so much information and small intervals over time allows for your brain to process it better. (Studying will not be so torturous because there would be a foreseeable end every time).

4. Bring a Snack

This is simple enough: If you get hungry, you will not be able to concentrate. Keep something small in your bag that is easy to eat on the go. Plus, it also acts as an incentive to complete a certain amount of work.

5. Sleep

This is even simpler: Get a good night’s sleep at least the night before the exam. Sleep is when the brain transfers all of your memories from short-term into long-term. All-nighters will do more harm than good.

Hopefully, no matter what test you may take in life, you will be prepared to tackle it with confidence and courage. As long as you can start the process successfully, you can end it just the same. Good luck.