With exam season right around the corner, students are frantically searching for ways to study effectively. Coming up with new and innovative ways to study is hard to do. Instead, use the following tips to ease the stress over mid-term exams.

• Use the Pomodoro Technique.
• Study for ten minutes before you go to sleep is more effective than cramming the night before. Also, since the information is the last thing on your mind before you sleep, it is more likely to sink in.
• Chew gum or eat mints (especially peppermint) while studying. Not only are they festive, they help the brain concentrate and retain information. According to the British Psychological Society (BPS),
• you chew the same gum/mint flavor when taking your exams, it will help you recall the information you studied.
• Listen to classical music. Classical music tends to focus the brain. If you decide against it, try not to listen to music with lyrics.
• Treat yourself. After each study session, treat yourself to a treat.  This will help ease stress.
• Teach it. When you teach the information you are studying to another person, it helps you memorize the information better.
• Use different colors for your notes. Reading plain black text can get boring, and you probably won’t remember everything since it looks the same. Liven up your notes by creating a color key; for example, use green for people, yellow for definitions, blue for terms, etc.
• Use silly acronyms or phrases to remember terms. This especially comes in handy with memorizing lists of items, such as places, dates, or names. Create a funny phrase that will stick in your mind for the exam.
• Finally, remember to relax. Pace yourself. If you work too hard for too long, you will inevitably burn out. It is important to work steadily.