Finals and AP exams are around the corner, so here’s a few pointers to remember. Some of these you’re thinking “I already know that” – and you may, but if you understand the science behind it, it’ll actually help you more as you use them (and maybe get a few more points on the Psych AP exam).
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You’re supposed to be stressed. Get used to it: it’s good for you.
- A moderate level of stress actually improves performance. If you have low levels of stress (“I don’t care about the outcome”) you won’t prep for the exam. But if your stress level is too high (“If I don’t get a ‘5’ on the AP, everyone is going to laugh at me and I won’t get into college”), your stress will interfere with your actual performance. If you have a moderate level of stress, you’ll perform well (“My AP exam is next week, and I’ll be ready for it by then if I keep up my study pace”). This is a real world application of the Yerkes-Dodson Law.
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Take care of yourself.
- A good sentiment, but a bit broad. Think of it this way: eat healthy (quantity and quality: if you don’t have time to choke down vegetables, go get a smoothie – but not six of them), exercise (one of the primary ways of increasing one’s mood), and sleep well (naps are good too). Yes, your body can take some abuse, but don’t expect it to perform well if your diet revolves around this week’s Del Taco coupons, exercise consists of running to class because you’re late and you find yourself up all night on Reddit rather than sleeping.
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Don’t cram
- Turns out the least efficient way of studying is cramming (technically called ‘massed learning’). If you study for three hours straight, versus six 30-minute sessions over six days (‘spaced learning’), you’ll retain less, for shorter periods of time than if you spread out your study time. The theory is that your brain needs time to better organize the information. Google “Spaced vs. mass learning”.
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Get some perspective
- Rather than telling yourself “I’m gonna fail this” – are you, really? Always try to be realistic: “I’ll probably get an A-/B+ on this: if I study a bit more, I may be a solid A-, but lowest likely score is aB-“. If I tell myself I’m going to fail, my body will respond to the impending doom and I’ll feel even more nervous (and remember, high levels of stress do what?). Start thinking about your thinking (we call it ‘metacognitions’), and try to be realistic about your likely outcomes, as opposed to the emotionally charged (and less likely) ones. Finally, what is going to happen if you get a ‘2’ on your AP? It’s embarrassing and frustrating, but will that stop you from getting into college? How much will it affect you five years from now? How many adults do you hear bemoaning their AP scores from ten years ago as the turning point in their career? Look up “irrational cognitions” and see what you find.
Remember, use your stress to study – and study smart (don’t cram), take care of your body (fresh foods, exercise, and choose sleep over your phone), and keep it in perspective. In two monthsfrom now when this is all over, your parents will still love you, your friends will still be there for you, and you’re still going to graduate.