Final exams—two words college students dread. As a college freshmen, finals week is something you’re still adjusting to.

You’re probably unsure of how to begin the studying process. You don’t know what you should know or what you don’t know. So where do you begin?

While getting yourself organized is a good start, you need to know how to study. Use these 4 tips to help guide your studying!

Prioritize important classes.

You need to study for multiple exams. Should you study an equal amount for each one? In short, no. While you should study for each semester exam, you shouldn’t study equally for each exam.

You need to approach finals week with a strategy. Not every exam is equally as important. Begin the studying process by prioritizing some final exams over others. Here are a few tips to help:

• Prioritize your major classes. If you’ve declared a college major, your major classes should be your priority during finals week. While they may be your most difficult classes, be sure you start studying days (even a week) in advance for these final exams.

• Prioritize classes with border-line grades. If you have any border-in-line grades (grades that can easily go either up or down a letter grade), make these classes more of a priority. While you cannot guarantee these grades can improve, you can do your best to maintain or raise these grades by a letter grade.

• Prioritize higher credit classes. Your college GPA is impacted by your credit load. (Your semester GPA is calculated by dividing the total grade points you earned by your semester credit load.) If a class then carries more credit, you want this class to have a higher grade. Dedicate more time to excelling on these course exams.

Determine each professor’s testing style.

You have a pretty good idea of how each college professor tests you. Based on past course tests, you have some idea of what you should anticipate (essay sections, true/false sections, etc.).

When you study for final exams, consider what kind of questions your professors typically incorporate into tests. The types of questions they use on the exam will determine how you study.

Think in terms of these two categories to help guide your studying: open-ended questions vs. close-ended questions. 

• Open-ended questions are those in which you have to supply the answer. Your teacher does not provide you with options from which you can choose. These questions will include essays and short answer sections.

• Close-ended questions are those in which your teacher supplies the right answer along with some other options. These questions will include multiple choice, matching, and true/false questions.

Consider which your teacher utilizes more heavily on tests and study accordingly. If your teacher leans toward open-ended questions, study in a way that prepares you to explain and analyze. If your teacher leans toward close-ended questions, study in a way that prepares you to identify terms, dates, etc.

**In reality, your final exams will likely use a slight mix of both kinds of questions, so prepare yourself to identify, explain, and analyze course concepts.

Identify the type of exam.

Do you know how much course material each exam will cover? Every course handles assessing course material differently.

Some professors give cumulative exams, meaning the exam questions come from material covered throughout the semester. Some professors give exams which cover only the material covered since the last test.

Final exams which cover material from throughout the semester will require more studying time. Final exams with a more limited amount of material may require less studying time, but don’t be deceived. These types of exams may be deceptively in-depth, so don’t blow off studying.

Utilize study resources.

Your professor likely has provided some resources to help you study for your final exams. These resources are golden! Take advantage of every piece of information your teacher provides, especially these three:

• Study guides: This concept may seem like a no-brainer, but study guides are a great resource to guide your studying. They can help direct you as you begin the studying process. Your professor usually uploads a copy of a final exam study guide onto a course page or emails you a copy.

• Study sessions: If you’ve read any of my posts (especially this one), you know I’m generally not a big believer in group study sessions. These study sessions usually consist of more talking and socializing than actual studying. However, sometimes study sessions can be a great resource—especially if the professor selected a specific student to lead this group study session. Take advantage of professor-appointed study sessions.

• Teacher overviews: Your professors likely made some mention of the final exam in the last class lecture. Pay close attention to any information they provide—the length of the exam, the types of questions, etc.

You can’t anticipate every curveball your professors will throw at you during your final exams, but you can prepare to succeed. Approach finals week armed with the information you need to study well. You’re almost done with your classes, so give your best!