Need a place to study for finals? The Vortex has you covered! Join us from Monday, December 12 through Friday, December 16 to study and to pick up an Exam Cram swag bag. Each bag is filled with goodies you’ll need to destress for finals week! Limit one per teen (grades 6–12), while supplies last.
Be sure to also join us on Thursday, December 15 at 6 p.m. when Love on a Leash will bring their adorable dogs for you to pet and destress. Our fuzzy friends are sure to release some dopamine!
Top Study Tips for Teens
According to The Princeton Review, here are 12 study tips to follow to ace your final exams!
1. Make a plan
If you plan out your study sessions, you’ll get a better handle on how much work you’re facing. Use the calendar on your phone to set alerts and reminders for yourself so you stick to your plan.
2. Start early
Start studying for finals a few weeks before the first exam, and figure out how much time to set aside each day for each subject. Be realistic about how long it will take, and be sure to fit in brain breaks.
3. Study in this order: a) definitely b) probably c) might be on the final
Don’t just start from the beginning of your notes and try to cram everything in: Think about what you know for sure will be on each test and review that material first. Then move on to studying what will probably be on the test, then what might be covered. That way, if you run out of time, you know you at least have the basics nailed.
4. Give yourself more time to study for your toughest classes
If chemistry gave you trouble all semester, devote more time to that subject—even if it’s your last final. Look over your previous tests for the year, if you scored poorly on one unit, chances are you didn’t absorb it all the first time. Take extra time to review what you missed. By starting with the toughest stuff first, you have time to ask your teacher questions or get help from friends.
5. Form a study group
There’s nothing like peer pressure to keep you motivated to study. Make a plan with friends to review the class material, compare notes or work through tricky concepts. You’ll benefit from the good study habits and notes of the other members of your study group.
6. Talk it out
Not only is it more fun to study with your friends, but you’ll also learn more. By talking through the facts and formulas with a study partner, you’re thinking about the material more deeply, which means you’ll remember it better later.
7. Get creative with study aids
Make flashcards to help you memorize dates and equations. Or come up with a mnemonic device—a system of memorizing facts using a phrase or acronym you’ll definitely remember. For example, using the name Roy G. Biv helps to remember the order of colors in a rainbow.
8. Study your notes
Outline your class notes for daily review. Notes and flashcards are also great for last-minute review the morning of your exam.
9. Quiz yourself
If you’re studying at home, have your mom or dad quiz you on the information you’ve already studied. Students tend to remember the information they’ve been quizzed on better than the information they simply review.
10. Make sleep a priority
While it may be tempting to pull an all-nighter and cram everything in at the last minute, it’s a bad idea. You just add stress, and you won’t retain the information for very long by studying that way. You may even forget some of it by the time the test begins.
11. Take five
Take breaks to improve your concentration when you return to studying.
12. Brain food is real
Eat healthily and drink plenty of water to keep your brain firing on all cylinders.