For many college courses, exams are the crux of your final grade. Therefore, it's important to do as well as you can on the exams. Unlike in high school, where your teacher would give you a guided review or study guide, college professors do not hold your hand in that way. You are required to study on your own.
But where do you start studying for your exam? It starts with taking notes. The important thing about taking notes, especially if your professor doesn't use power point or board-written notes, is to get the important points down. Sometimes it's hard to determine if something is important or not. I try to write things down that would answer the journalist's questions: who? what? when? where? why? how many/much? And if your professor repeats something, then consider that important enough to write down. It's also good to keep handouts with the coordinating notes. I date everything that is handed to me as well as date my notes. That way, I can keep everything in a chronological order, making it easier to reference handouts with the notes given that day.
Another thing to remember is that it's ok to abbreviate words and phrases in your notes, but make sure you remember what your abbreviations stand for. There's nothing like trying to study for exams and not understanding your notes. It does no good. When I was in high school, I was graded on whether I took notes in a history class. Because I was also studying Japanese at the time, I would abbreviate longer words with symbols. Of course, my teacher didn't understand it, but I did, and that's all that matters. I also found it a good idea to get with a friend taking the same class and compare notes. Your friend may have written something down that you didn't get, and vice versa.
Now you look at your calendar and notice an exam coming up. It's best to start reviewing and studying a week before the exam to avoid the last night cram that has become so stereotypical of college students. I've always read through all of my notes several times during the first few days of review. Take note, you still might have a few more class dates before the exam, so you'll be adding to them. But because these are relatively fresh in your memory, then it's best to review the older notes first. Try to ask yourself questions that you think will be on the exam. Make sure you understand what you are reading and can mostly repeat back what you've written. Now is the time to clarify with your professor anything you may not understand still. Don't be afraid to ask questions.
One of my favorite ways to study for my exams when I was a music major taking Music History and Music Theory was to have a study party. We would get together in the basement of one of the dorms with all of our notes. Then we would all chip in and order a pizza and drinks, and it would be really fun. Surprisingly, we would actually study, and it turned out quite productive.
Because you've been studying a lot starting a week before the exam, you shouldn't have to study quite so hard the night before. Doing it this way is so that all you have to do the night before is reread your notes once and possibly once more before the test. Studies have shown that people who "pull all-nighters" do not retain as much information as those students who study a week in advance, starting out with a lot and studying less each day before the test.
It sounds clich, but it's important to eat breakfast the day of the exam. This is especially true if the test is in the morning. If the test is in the afternoon, it's good to not only eat a sensible meal, but also to do some walking or moderate exercise. Exercise increases blood flow, therefore allowing you to think more clearly. The kind of food you eat is also important. Avoid especially greasy and processed foods. Good foods to eat are those that are high in protein (eggs, raw nuts) and fresh fruits. Try to avoid lots of sugars because of the crash that can occur after as little as 20 minutes. It's also a good idea to drink plenty of water (and visit the washroom before the test) and avoid caffeine because caffeine dehydrates you, leading to excessive thirst as well as headaches and drowsiness.
If you are diligent and care about what you are doing, then you will do well. Taking good notes, showing up to class, asking questions, keeping a good rapport with your professor, and studying consistently are all crucial parts to doing well. But the important lesson is that you have to have the self-motivation to do this yourself. You can't wait for someone to guide you along. You have goals, and you have to make the moves to do it. An old saying goes that the only thing that ever sat its way to success was a hen. So, unless you are a hen, you have to get up and work hard. But if you work hard one step at a time, it won't seem that cumbersome of a feat to accomplish.