Your Guide To MBA Finals Week

Finals are coming, finals are coming! It’s officially finals season for Term A and as a first-year MBA student, here are some tips to help you get through this first wave, and the waves to come.

Lean on your classmates

We’re learning a lot of different things in this first semester and it can be hard to keep track of it all. But remember, you don’t need to be an expert in accounting or economics as an MBA, you just need to be familiar with the concepts. So lean on the people who really understand these concepts to fill in the gaps in your understanding. It’s OK to not make sense of these topics right away, just make sure you can understand them enough to answer your exam questions. Also, make sure you’re prioritizing what you study for depending on when each exam is. Even if it might be more “fun” to study accounting because you understand it, make sure you spend more time initially on econ if that exam is first.

Go to office hours and review sessions if possible

If your class has office hours or review sessions before the exam, go! Speak to your TAs when preparing for exams. They can explain things that might’ve seemed very complicated during class. Some will even offer additional hours in the days leading up to the exam. Think about working a few practice problems, touching base with your TA, and then doing more individual work after. It’s a great way to combine individual studying with resources the school and your teacher may offer.

Create a ‘cheat sheet,’ even if you’re not allowed to use it

Some classes might allow you to have a cheat sheet on the exam, but most will not. That doesn’t mean making one for yourself is pointless. The actual creation of a cheat sheet can help solidify concepts and improve your understanding overall, which can help in any class. So once you’re at a point where you’ve flipped through all your notes and fully reviewed the material for the final, create a sheet seat that consolidates everything into one place. This will keep the major points, examples and so on all in one place if you want to do any last-minute reviews before the exam.

Take breaks

Sitting in your apartment or in the case rooms for hours and hours is not going to help you absorb information. So give yourself periodic breaks to walk outside, get some food, or get a workout in. Once you’ve stepped away from your books for a bit, you’ll be able to come back to the subject with fresh eyes, especially if you felt stuck, and you might be able to make more sense of it. The ability to break up your studying only comes if you start early enough though. Don’t wait till the night before the exam to start studying because cramming is not going to work. Spread things out, take frequent breaks, and the knowledge will actually stick for exam day.

Celebrate with your class after

Once all your finals are done, don’t forget to celebrate this accomplishment with your classmates. Business school is tough and celebrating victories is a great way to keep perspective. Make plans to get dinner and drinks with people, or go to a Terps basketball game after the madness is over. Celebrate the milestone and remind yourself that making connections and having fun experiences is a huge part of business school.