Stay focused through finals: Advice for students with ADHD

Kristin Beck, a writer and editor at Office.com, offers personal advice to students with ADHD about study habits, deadlines, and taking exams.

As finals approach, many students are feeling an intense pressure to perform.  There’s so much at stake, with college or graduate school looming in the distance.  And when you’re trying to function within “typical” educational systems with “atypical” brain wiring, the march to the end of the year can feel more like a climb to a high altitude, where the oxygen is thin – exhausting and confusing.

I know, because I went through it as a student with (yet undiagnosed) ADHD.  The pain and frustration of being behind with my work still stings, 25 years later.  I’ve picked up some good habits over the years, however, which I will share with you.

Take notes while you study

As you study, write (or type, if you’re working on a computer) on sticky notes and attach directly to the page you’re reading.  Look for and jot down:

• Anything you don’t understand.
• Words that you love or need to look up.
• Anything that jumps out at you as important.
• Anything unusual or debatable.

Give yourself deadlines and stick to 'em

Keeping yourself on track is usually the biggest hurdle to achievement when your executive functioning is compromised.  The diagnosis of “Attention Deficit Disorder” is, from my perspective, a misnomer.  Our problem is not that we have too little attention, it’s that we have too much: All stimuli are competing for our immediate attention, regardless of where they rank in our priorities.  Here are a few coping strategies to help you stay on target and not miss important deadlines:

• Use a white board at home to write down your schedule and timelines each day.
• Divide bigger projects into more manageable chunks, and give yourself deadlines to complete each chunk. 
• If you use Outlook or another online calendar, block off time for study, and add reminders for deadlines.
• Get a study buddy or group. The accountability of community will help you get into action. 
• Consider sharing  your calendar with a parent or trusted friend, and ask them to help you stay on top of your work. 

Learn how to take an exam—your way

• Really read the test instructions. It sounds simple, but in our haste to start the test, we might overlook details. Circle or underline words that will help you to follow the directions precisely, such as summarize, contrast or compare.
• Don't be distracted by other students. Everyone does their work their own way. (It helps to sit in the front of the classroom.)
• Try to allow time to review your answers at the end of the exam.
• Answer the questions you know first. For essay-based exams, start with the question you’re most interested in.
• Put a mark next to the questions you don’t answer. Once you’ve answered the ones you know, go back to the ones you haven’t answered, so you don’t miss any.
• If you’re stuck on a question, leave it and move on. You can go back when you’ve tackled the ones you can answer.
• For essay questions, write a short mini-plan in pencil covering the main points you’re going to write about.  If you don’t get time to finish, marks can be given for the plan itself.
• Try to write mini-plans for all the questions first, in case you find it hard to think straight later.

Draw from your support system

There’s no need to rely on a “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” approach when it comes to being a student with ADHD. There are many resources for you to take advantage of, from securing a social support system, to books, articles, and websites. Here are a few such sources:

Websites
ADD Resources: Great information and regular updates about ADHD to keep you up on the latest in the field.
Great Schools: An excellent repository of resources for students with a variety of learning challenges.
ADDvance: For college students and young adults with ADD.

   
Articles   
Bright Hub: Articles about how to teach to ADHD students' strengths, useful for students to read as well.
10 Tips for College Students with Disabilities: A review of the book Survival Guide for College Students with ADHD or LD.

Books
Survival Guide for College Students with ADHD or LD, by Kathleen G. Nadeau, Ph.D.
ADD and the College Student: A Guide for High School and College Students With Attention Deficit Disorder, by Patricia O. Quinn, M.D.

--Kristin Beck

Kristin is a writer and editor on the Office.com Content Publishing team. She knows many children and adults who thrive after a diagnosis of ADHD, and believes that “an ADHD life can offer more advantages than headaches.” Thanks for sharing your wisdom and passion with us, Kristin.