How can parents help their middle or high school student prepare for final exams? By starting early, creating a study schedule, and employing these specific study techniques.
As the calendar flips to May and the end of the school year comes into squinting distance, it is important that your child begins to properly prepare for final exams. Some students have been ardently preparing since last August, keeping meticulous notes and acing every test the teacher tasks them with. On the other end of the spectrum, other (gray hair-inducing) students are blissfully oblivious to the fact there are final exams and have little to no intention of preparing for them, all the while confidently claiming, I got this. And of course most students fall somewhere in the middle of these two shockingly real cohorts.
For parents, where should you begin? First, it is never too late to introduce your child to the study cycle. The study cycle, developed by Frank Christ, breaks down the different parts of studying: previewing, attending class, reviewing, studying, and checking your understanding. Your child ought to be creating a routine that includes each distinct segment of the study cycle. Students who skip steps in the learning cycle tend to lose valuable opportunities to practice class concepts and use multiple modalities for learning.
Beyond employing the study cycle, as final exams week approaches, encourage your child to practice self-care. This includes eating a proper diet, getting in their exercise, and maintaining a sleep schedule. And self-care becomes even more important as the end of the school year can be stressful, with concerts, choir performances, and sports continuing on.
What else can parents do to help their child prepare for final exams? Lots actually. Read on to learn about the most effective strategies and techniques that will put your child in the best position to succeed on their final exams.
Study strategies and techniques
While this list of strategies is set up a la carte, where you can pick and choose which ones might work best for your child, clearly the more strategies they employ the better prepared they will be, and ultimately will perform their best on each of their exams.
Get and stay organized – Use a daily planner to allocate time and folders to keep subject review material together for each class. Sometimes we underestimate the amount of mental energy disorganization can wreak, leaving the student exhausted and flustered before the study sessions even begin!
Make a study schedule – Exam schedules have been posted for weeks! Decide when you are going to study for each exam. Remember to build in breaks; study in 20-45 minute windows.
Start preparing early – Not one or two days before the exam but one to two weeks prior. No cramming! Studying all night does not help – a 2007 study stated that this can disrupt reasoning and memory for up to four days!
Take a close look at current grades – What is each exam worth? Some can be 50% or more of the grade! What grade do you need to or want to earn? Prioritize the exams you need to do well on.
Ask teacher about the exam – What format(s) will the test take? Multiple choice, matching, short answer, essay? What material should you study: notes, handouts, text, other? Your child should not be surprised about the format of the exam or not know what material to study.
Take advantage of any teacher-led study groups – Some review sessions may be after school, so plan to attend when the schedule allows. Of course enter these in the planner!
Join a study group – If a teacher does not offer a formal study group, join one or create one. According to the University of Nebraska study groups can help battle procrastination tendencies and help absorb information more efficiently.
Avoid multitasking – Do not check phone/social media, favorite website, etc. Use study tools such as Focal filter, which allows you to block all social media sites for as long as you need to.
Lean into learning style – Are you a visual learner? Auditory? Tactile? Study with your learning style preference in mind.
Mix up where you study – A New York Times article stated that retention is increased when a person alternates locations when they study. Possible study locations include in the home, at a library, at school.
Predict and practice test questions – A classic and effective test preparation technique, your child should write out test questions they think will be on the exam. Teachers have different ways of revealing this information. Some write it on a whiteboard or Smart board; others include it in Powerpoint presentations; yet others state, “This will be on the exam.” All these are clues that the information is important.
Chunk material into smaller segments – This is especially important for students with attention issues. Don’t try to memorize long lists of definitions or dates or formulas all at once. Break the content into more manageable sizes and over several days of rehearsal your child will retain the information.
Use accommodations – If your child has an IEP or a 504 plan and they receive test accommodations such as extra time, encourage your child to communicate with their teacher and make arrangements to use them.
Employ a tutor or Learning Specialist when necessary – Some subjects are simply challenging for some students. If your child is struggling with a particular class – hello, Algebra and Geometry and Chemistry – seek out professional help. A tutor or Learning Specialist can be the difference between passing and failing the exam and or class.
Teach the concept to someone else – This another classic study strategy. You truly need to know a concept to teach it to someone else, so encourage your child to put on their “teacher hat” and explain a particular concept to a family member or friend.
Embrace the power of yet – Studying for finals is stressful and frustrations will boil over as your child tries to manage and learn all of the information from each of their classes. Encourage them to embrace the mindset of: I have not learned this material yet, or I do not understand this yet.
Prepare the night before for the next day – The night before an exam, have everything organized so the next morning out the door is stress free. All papers should be put away into folders and backpack loaded and organized at night at the conclusion of the study session.
Celebrate the process – Acknowledge the effort and time your child spends preparing. Have they used these effective strategies in their preparation? The exam grade truly is secondary, though if they prepare properly, the grade ought be good.
Final thoughts
Though many students wish there was a simple way to prepare for final exams, there simply is not. Students must start early, use a planner, and create a study schedule, so they know exactly when they are going to prepare for each exam. Knowing finals week is stressful, it is critical students maintain their self-care by eating nutritious food, getting in the proper exercise, and keeping to their sleep schedule. Take advantage of teacher-led study groups and/or join a study group to help with motivation, procrastination, and retention. And finally, celebrate the effort your child puts into their exam preparation.
If your child struggles with preparing for final exams, please contact Jennifer Disch at Engage the Brain to discover how a Learning Specialist can help your child acquire research-backed test preparation strategies and techniques.