Tips From a Mission Viejo Private Tutor: Getting Ready for Final Exams after Winter Break

Students need time to rest, relax, and recharge during their winter break, but it can be hard to adjust back to a regular study routine in January. Once students are out of their routine, it can take them as many as two or three weeks to really get back to it. Unfortunately, if they are taking final exams at the end of January, there isn’t time to waste. There are several things students can do to help themselves get back into a routine and adjust to their regular study sessions within a few days.

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1. Keep Reading

One thing that can easily throw students off is when they need to catch up on work they were supposed to do over winter break. For many students, this includes reading textbook chapters or a novel. Attempting to read an entire book the first week back at school while simultaneously attending to regular assignments can become overwhelming very quickly. If students have reading they need to do over break, generally assigned during the college prep years, it’s best to get this out of the way in a timely manner. They can either do it a couple days after the start of break or use time in a car or on an airplane to get those chapters completed. As long as the reading is done before school starts up students should be fine.

2. Meet With Your Study Group

Students are encouraged to meet with their study group over winter break if possible. Although some members of the group may be out of town for the holidays, it’s possible to meet via Skype or communicate over email. Students who are in town will benefit from meeting with their group and organizing what needs to be done over break or what will need to be done within the first two weeks of returning to class. That test at the end of January isn’t as far away as you might think and staying organized can be the key to success (READ: “4 Tips For Surviving Group Projects”).

3. Get organized for the first week back in class

Students are encouraged to utilize organizational tools over the break. They should write down each assignment, quiz, and final exam that will be due within two weeks of returning to class and make sure they have adequate time to prepare for all assignments. If a student chooses not to study over the break, they should definitely have a plan of action that includes study time for finals in addition to normal homework. Lack of organization can make it easy to forget about finals until it’s too late.

4. Meet With Your Private Mission Viejo Tutor as Soon as School Starts

It’s also a good idea to meet with your regular tutor as soon as school starts up again. Although assignments may not be due the very next day, finals will only be a couple of weeks away. Tutors are great organizational resources and, if you have been working with them all school year, they probably know how much time you, as an individual learner, need in order to be successful on such exams. Working with your tutor will also help you hold yourself accountable for the amount of work that needs to be done before February 1st (READ: “Why It’s Not Too Late to Get a Tutor for Finals”).

5. Rest the Day Before

Although some students will not have control of their travel plans, it’s best not to travel the day before going back to school if possible. Time spent in the airport or on the freeways leaves nearly everybody exhausted. It’s a good idea to have at least one day to get back into the swing of things and be rested before school starts up. It’s also extremely important to go to bed early a couple days before returning to school. Most students will be staying up much later than they normally would but getting less than eight hours of sleep certainly won’t help anyone adjust back to their rigorous academic schedule.

Still don’t have a private Mission Viejo tutor for finals? TutorNerds has you covered. Call us today for more details.

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