Staying motivated during exams is difficult. Summer is right around the corner and spring is in the air today. It’s especially hard when your students’ friends or roommates finish up and your student has to stay behind for a later exam. Making yourself study definitely takes a lot of will power.

Today I have three tips for your student to stay motivated in the final stretch!

1) Reward yourself! Students often feel like they need to study 18 hours a day in order to do well on an exam. Not only does this tire them out but it also stresses them out! Taking a break once in a while is really important. I like to set up rewards for myself when I’m studying. For example, when I finish my study notes, I tell myself that I can watch one episode of Mad Men or something like that. This helps me stay on track because I really want to find out what happened in the next episode. It also helps break up the day of studying and all of the tasks that your student has to do (i.e. read and make notes on 5 chapters, then take a break!).

2) Keep your future goals in mind! Often when students study, they get bogged down with the details. Making yourself study for this one exam is really hard… As a student, you can think of a million other things you would rather do than sit down and hit the books. Encourage your student to take a step back and think about the bigger picture. Yes, it’s just one exam in one class but completing this class on a strong note will help move them towards their goal (be it their dream job, graduation or a scholarship!). To use a bit of a cliché, encourage them to keep their eyes on the prize!

3) Find a study buddy! Finding someone to study with can be a great asset. They can help each other with that added bit of motivation to work together. But it’s important to note that this doesn’t work for everyone! Some people work better on their own. If studying with a group works for your student, they should make sure to choose a buddy who has generally the same level of knowledge of the course material and commitment to the course.

I hope exams are going well for your student!