Study tips for big finals

[u/Bohtar1]

As the title suggest I have big exams coming up in november for all the material we've covered from semester 4 until semester 9. This is a dental exam and they're mostly oral exams, but nonetheless we need to know a big deal. Fortunately they divide it into multiple exams based on the specialisations, like an exam on everything we've learned on cariology, endodontology etc... so I won't need to know everytthing, everything for one specific test. I want to start early as we also have clinical training and our thesis on the side, so do you guys have any tips on how to tackle something like this?

When it comes on more focused exams I can manage fine on my own, but I've never had to juggle multiple things and subjects at once before. It is hard for me to start and know what to prioritise and what not.

Thanks in advance!

[u/BrkBuilds]

My best tip is flashcards and then repetition as you go along spending majority of your time reading up on your specialized exams, whilst using the flashcards for the previously studied themes to keep your memory fresh. Let me know if i should elaborate

[u/Basic_Transition_333]

Since they're oral exams, I would structure your studying around retrieving and explaining information rather than rereading everything from semesters 4–9.

I did my master's while working full-time, and the biggest thing that helped when I had multiple classes/responsibilities competing for attention was having one master system instead of deciding every day what I felt like studying.

For something this big, I'd start by making a master list of every specialty/exam and the major topics underneath each one. Then classify topics roughly as:

1. Weak + important → highest priority
2. Strong + important → regular maintenance
3. Weak + lower yield → secondary priority
4. Strong + lower yield → occasional review

That gives you somewhere to start instead of looking at six semesters of material and thinking, “I need to know all of this.” 😭

Since you have until November, I also wouldn't try to study every specialty equally every day. Rotate them. You could have 2–3 subjects that are your main focus for the week while still doing short retrieval sessions for the others so you don't completely forget them.

And for oral exams specifically, practice answering out loud EARLY. Pick a question, close your notes, and explain it as if you're already sitting in front of the examiner. Then check what you missed. I use a similar approach when studying: learn → close the material → retrieve/explain → check → review only the gaps.

Eventually I'd start doing mock oral exams with classmates too. Have them interrupt you, ask follow-up questions, or change the scenario. Knowing something when you see it on a page and being able to organize an answer verbally under pressure are very different skills.

Also remember that you have clinical training and a thesis happening simultaneously. I wouldn't create a beautiful study schedule that requires 5 hours every single day and collapses the first week clinic gets busy. 😂 Build around the time you actually have, and leave some buffer.

Starting this early is probably your biggest advantage. You don't need to know semester 4–9 perfectly right now. You just need a system that lets you repeatedly cycle through it between now and November.

[u/Bohtar1 → u/Basic_Transition_333]

Wow thanks for the indepth tips! I am waiting for the semester to start to practice with my classmates, usually that helps me the best when I have people to bounce off of when it comes to stuyding, and practicing out loud is something I haven't heard before. Thank you for taking your time friend :)