With testing season in full swing, it can sometimes be overwhelming to try and organize and study for everything.  To help, here are some useful study strategies.

Prioritize:  Use a calendar to figure out which assignments and tests are first or are the most important for your grade.  Do those first and then work on any other assignments.  To-do lists are helpful to write out what you need to prioritize.  Stick to your to-do list and prioritizing things will be a breeze!

Manage your time: In order to get the most done in short amounts of time, it’s important to manage your time effectively. Sometimes, it can be hard to do that with distractions, such as phones, TV, the internet, etc.  There are apps and programs that are available for download that temporarily block access to distracting websites, such as social media sites, Netflix, etc, for a set amount of time that you choose.  Some of those apps include: SeflControl, ColdTurkey and Concentrate.  All of these are available for download on iTunes and Google Play.

Stay Organized: Even though it’s the end of the year, it is still important to stay organized.  When studying for finals, it is helpful to put all your review materials and notes in one binder so nothing gets lost. Keep separate folders or binders for each test so nothing gets mixed either.

Eat Healthy: Eating healthy is very important, especially when you have to go take an important test.  Sugar can make you tired and lose your focus. Instead, try eating proteins, like meats, avocados, peanut butter, etc, which gives you energy to help you ace your test! Healthy foods can also help with memory.

Get Enough Sleep: People say this all the time, but it’s true! It is so important to get enough sleep, not only the night before the test, but the whole week before the test.  That helps keep you focused and alert instead of falling asleep during the test.

Find Your Space: Whether it’s your room, the library or Starbucks, any study place that’s quiet and that you feel comfortable in helps increase your productivity.  Quiet places mean less distractions, so you can get more done in a shorter amount of time.

Don’t Multitask:  Listening to music, watching TV or even playing with your dog while you study won’t help you on the test. In fact, these things can hurt your studying ability.  It decreases your focus on the topic that you’re studying and causes you to focus more on whatever song is playing or whatever is on the TV.

Find a Routine: Find a study habit that helps you retain the most information. For some, flashcards, study buddies or rewriting notes helps them remember everything they have to know for the test.

Take a Break:  Even though you may feel like you need to study for hours to master a subject, it’s still important to take about a 15-20 minute break every hour or so, in order to give your brain a little down time.  That way, after your break, you can get back into studying and be fully alert and focused again.

Hydrate: Drink lots of water the night before the test, it will help cleanse your body and leave you feeling refreshed before the test.