Studying can be overwhelming, especially since final exams cover a whole year’s worth of material. Start by making a study plan. Look at a monthly and weekly calendar to get perspective and to get your priorities straight. Organize each examinable subject into specific units (look at the Table of Contents in your textbook) and then rank the difficulty of each unit in order to ballpark how long you’ll have to study for each one. Then make a To-Do List of tasks you must do in order to prepare yourself for the test. Be as structured as possible with your time in order to both be on top of things and feel on top of things.

How long should I spend studying for an exam?

I like to think of time spent studying as time spent doing tasks. This takes the mystery and fear out of the elusive art of “studying.” If you are able to divide your study time into a list of tasks you make for yourself, this will help you be more goal-oriented and it will also help you determine how much time you will need to study. Tasks could include organizing your subject into units, creating a set of study notes for each unit, creating flashcards, studying your notes and flashcards, and even getting together with friends to study. A more specific answer to the time question would be begin studying now – two to three weeks before the exam. This allows one week to organize and review all the material, one week to create study notes and other methods of review, and one week to study the notes and to get help on questions or areas of difficulty that have come up.

My biggest problem is being distracted when I study. How do I avoid this?

The first step to solving this problem is realizing that this is a problem for you. Here’s a tip: this is a problem for all of us! The second step is identifying the things that are distracting you. The hard but simple part comes after this: you now need to avoid these distractions. This can be accomplished by creating a study environment where these distractions are left out; for example, studying in a different room than your computer, phone and television. If boredom or restlessness is a problem, it helps to study in short bursts; I would recommend 25 minute “chunks”. If motivation is a problem, or your exam is stressing you out too much to pay attention, put this test into perspective. Is there some bigger reason for why you are writing this exam? What is your ideal outcome? Try to focus on the positive and relax, and remember that staying on top of things – through organization, time management and study “tasks,” – you will not only feel more prepared, you will also be more prepared.

The survey, which sought to gain insight into college and career readiness issues, polled 160 guidance counsellors, 120 [university students] and up to 100 recent high school and [university] graduates who are in the workplace today.

Guidance counsellors indicated that they tend to focus on student populations who represent the extremes of the achievement spectrum, with more than 50 percent of their time spent dealing with students who may not graduate, and 36 percent of their time spent on those who are [university] bound. Guidance cousellors also pointed toward [university] ‘eligibility’ as a measure of student success, as opposed to ‘readiness’ with nearly 70 percent of respondents defining success as a student receiving a high school diploma. [University] students, however, indicated that they could have been better prepared to meet [university] academic standards and relied primarily on close friends and family members as mentors.

“Ensuring that our students are prepared to reach their academic and professional goals goes beyond closing the gap between what high schools teach and what [universities] expect,: said Jeff Livingston, senior vice-president of McGraw-Hill Education’s College and Career Readiness Centre. “This survey confirms what we’ve long believed and are striving to change in the educational system; the distinction between [university] eligible and [university] ready. Being eligible for [university] is simply not good enough in the global economy of the 21^st century; our high school students must be richly and rigorously prepared for a lifetime of learning and professional development.”

According to the survey, nearly half of recent high school graduates feel they did not choose the right career – 81 percent felt practical work experience would have helped then make a better choice and an overwhelming amount (96 percent) said that an internship would have made then feel better prepared for the work force. The top three areas where graduates would have liked to receive further instruction in high school/[university] included technology applications (31 percent) and communication skills (28 percent). Further, 72 percent of [university] graduates selected time management as the biggest differentiator between high school and [university], which remained a common theme, as the majority (43 percent) also identified time management as an area where they would have like further instruction in high school.

www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mcgraw-hill-survey-provides-insight-into