Study Effectively for Biology Finals

Finals can be intimidating if you leave all of your studying to the last minute. Biology is particularly difficult because of the vast amount of material that gets covered during the school year. If you make a study plan and start studying far enough in advance, you will ace your biology final without having to stress. The key is giving yourself plenty of time so you don’t have to cram.

Steps

Making a Study Schedule

1. Start studying at least two weeks before the final. Most likely, you have multiple finals coming up and you want to make sure you have enough time to study effectively for all of them. Draw up your study plan and give yourself plenty of time to study for biology.
   • If you’re already a little bit behind and only have a few days to study, you can condense the study plan into a few days or even hours.
   • Study the major topics you know will be on the test first. Also, study the concepts you have had trouble with and briefly review the concepts you know pretty well right before the final.
2. Create a schedule of all your current activities. To start your study plan, you need to figure out when you have free time to actually study. Grab a calendar and fill in all of your activities for the two weeks before your finals. Studying is the most effective in 20-30 minute chunks of time, so schedule study sessions of this length.
   • Color code the activities on your schedule. Have separate colors for classes, appointments, meetings, leisure time, and study time.
   • The best case scenario is to study a little bit each day, but if you don’t have that much time, you’ll have to study for larger amounts of time in fewer days.
3. Make a list of all the topics you need to study. Biology can be difficult to study because there are so many definitions and topics covered. If your teacher gave you a review packet, use this as a guide on what to study. You can also start by listing the chapter titles that were covered. Some topics you are likely to see on your exam include:
   • DNA and RNA replication
   • Protein synthesis
   • Punnett Squares and genetic inheritance patterns
   • Scientific theories of origin and evolution of species
   • Levels of organization for organisms
   • General structure, function, and biology of cells
   • Stages of the cell cycle
4. Assign specific topics to focus on each day of the week. Using the calendar that has blocked-out study time on it, assign topics to these chunks of time. Focus on the concepts you know will appear on the test and the ones that you had difficulty in. Leave the two days before the test for review.
   • Don’t forget to schedule down time. Studying takes a lot of effort and energy. Breaks are essential so you don’t burn out. Schedule time for exercise and/or fun.
   • Try to schedule your study time for when you have the most energy. If you’re a morning person, get up earlier and study. If you’re not a morning person, don’t force yourself to get up earlier to study. Same goes for being a night owl.
   • Remember, if you only have a few days, you’ll have to cover more topics in a day and you might not have time to get to everything.
5. Set aside more time for difficult concepts. Some topics may take you less time to study, while others will take you more. Make sure you set aside extra time for concepts that you know you have struggled with. Giving yourself more time will allow you to really conquer that topic.
   • If a topic ends up taking less time, move on to the next topic. Don’t stop studying early just because something didn’t take as long. You might end up needing that time later for a topic that you didn’t think would take as long to study as it did.
6. Stick to your schedule. It’s easy to skip a day and say you’ll catch up tomorrow. But when tomorrow comes, you’re not going to want to do the extra work. Your study schedule will only work if you stick to it. Try setting an alarm on your phone to remind you that it’s time to study.
   • Plan to do something fun or give yourself a small reward when you’ve finished your study block for the day.

Studying for the Final

1. Make flashcards for the vocabulary. You have been learning new words and definitions all year. These words are going to show up on your final. To make sure you understand what every question is asking, you need to know what every word means. While studying, make flashcards for all of the words that you are unsure of and then use them!
   • Hand-writing the flashcards is better for learning, but if you are short on time, there are websites where you can make digital flashcards.
   • Carry flashcards with you everywhere you go and study them if you have downtime.
2. Study topics from general to specific. It is difficult to understand the details of biology if you don’t have a broad understanding of the topic. Studying protein synthesis is a lot easier if you have a broad understanding of DNA as the genetic code that provides the blueprints for the proteins.
   • Gain a strong foundation in the broad topics before trying to learn the nitty gritty details.
3. Sketch and label diagrams. Many concepts in biology are easier to understand and remember if you draw a picture. Review the diagrams present in your textbook and use them as a guide to draw your own. Read the captions of the diagrams to get a clear idea of what the image is representing.
   • The process of transcription and translation is complicated, but it is easier to understand if you sketch the whole process. Draw as much as you can from memory and then check your sketch against the diagrams in the text. Clearly label everything on your drawings.
   • Draw the DNA and all of the proteins involved in the process. Sketch the different sites on the ribosome involved in growing the protein with the various amino acids.
4. Complete the exam review guide. Most teachers will give you a review or study guide for the final exam and it will have all of the topics you need to know. Use this guide as a reference for your studying. If there are questions, answer them. If it’s just a list of topics, go through it and check off the ones you really know. Highlight the topics you know you need to study more.
   • Review guides can seem overwhelming at first because they are pretty long. Break it down into smaller pieces to make it more manageable.
   • Use the review guide to help you make your study schedule.
5. Study your notes. If you have notes that you took during class, look them over. Reread the notes that you took multiple times. Take note of anything your teacher may have said would absolutely be on the test. Redraw any important diagrams until you’re confident you can draw them from memory.
6. Answer questions from previous finals. Ask your teacher if they have a copy of an old final that you can use to study from. You can even use your tests from earlier in the year to study from. Cover up the answers and take the exams again for practice.
   • It helps to know what types of questions you will have: multiple choice, short answer, essay, true/false? Ask your teacher about the format of the test as well.
7. Take practice tests online. There are countless resources available to you online that you can take advantage of. Look up questions related to topics that you find particularly difficult. You can also look up study guides and other resources to help you study.

Coping with the Stress of Finals

1. Make a study schedule. Making a study schedule will give you a clear plan of how to manage your time. You don’t have to feel overwhelmed and rushed during finals week. Covering a little bit of material over a few days or weeks is a lot easier than cramming a lot of material into your brain in one night.
   • Make your plan and stick with it to be successful.
2. Stay off social media and online gaming. The internet can be a huge unnecessary distraction when you are trying to study. You might want to temporarily suspend your accounts for a designated amount of time. It will take away the temptation to check and end up wasting time that could be used for studying.
   • Let your friends and family know you will be taking an internet break to study for finals. They will understand.
3. Get enough sleep. Most research indicates that you need at least 5 hours of sleep to maintain the information that you have studied, so skipping sleep to study more isn’t likely to be helpful. Sleep actually helps you synthesize information and improves retention. Close the books and get a full night’s sleep. You’ll be more alert and better able to study and take your finals.
4. Take care of your body. Skipping meals and exercise to study will just make you grumpy. Add meals and exercise to your study schedule so you know you have time for them. Taking the time to prepare and eat a decent meal will give your brain the energy it needs to fuel your study sessions. Exercise can also help decrease your stress levels.
   • Use meal and exercise time as a time to socialize as well. You don’t have to do away with social time altogether, just pair it with other activities until your finals are over.

Related Articles

• Make Flash Cards

Sources and Citations

See also

• Become a Molecular Biologist
• Test Insect Responses to Color
• Become an Evolutionary Biologist
• Pass Your Actuarial Exams
• Stop Underachieving in Exams
• Become a Cryptozoologist
• Prepare for the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam
• Pass a Job Assessment Test
• Denature a Protein
• Check Your PSAT Score

Read more ...

What links here

• Study for Biology