You might find that the days leading up to a school break are the toughest when it comes to paying attention. It seems that midterms and finals always come around at the same time that we're daydreaming about upcoming vacation days.

During times like these, you just need to try extra hard to discipline yourself. It is sometimes helpful to establish routines in your study habits, by setting up parameters both inside and outside your head.

Outwardly, you can establish a special study space and study time. Inwardly, you can set rules about thoughts that are and are not permissible during study time.

Are you getting hit with several end-of-term exams? As you study for midterms or finals, you should remember that old exams can be your best resource. But you should also remember that the exams you are taking right now will be valuable study guides in the future.

I know it might be tempting to discard those big tests and wash your hands of them--but I think you should resist the temptation to hold a good-riddance, paper-shedding ceremony with friends. Instead, make a file of old exams.

Even if you think you'll never take another class in that particular subject, you should save your old tests, because you could be wrong. You might be able to use the old exam in years to come as you continue your education.

You don't have to go crazy and save everything you collect from a class, but you should save your graded exams, which will give you a preview of exams to come and show you your weak areas.

Recently, I was administering a final exam that required a great deal of writing. About an hour into the exam, one test-taker let out a big "whew!" and shook her writing hand vigorously. Her hand was cramping and wearing out, and she still had another hour of writing to go. Now just imagine if she had another exam right after this test!

Many students don't realize that final exams can be as taxing on the body as they are on the brain. Wise students prepare for the physical difficulties of final exams, as well as preparing for the subject matter.

One tip: If your exams will require a lot of handwriting, avoid using a pencil, which can become dull and fatigue your hand more quickly from friction against the paper. Instead, plan to use a freely-flowing ink pen. Also--prepare for the physical challenges that the classroom may bring, like extreme hot or cold.

Serious research involves a lot of time and travel--but not quite so much as it did in days gone by. Just a few years ago, researchers had to travel a long way to lay eyes on rare books and documents, but Google Books and other sites have changed all that.

Still, there are some articles and books housed in archives that have not yet gone online. If you're ready to hit the road to find a special item, there are a few tools that could help you out.

Digital cameras are now an acceptable tool in many libraries that contain special collections and rare items. With a good zoom lens, you can photograph pages of rare books. No more typing and writing for hours!

Discover more items you might find in the modern researcher's toolkit!