How do you prepare for the January exams if you live in a dorm?

According to the university, the regular exam period for the first semester of 2026–27 runs from January 8 to 25, 2027. Classes end on December 18 or 22, so the real studying takes place during four periods: the last week of November, the December long weekend, the Christmas break, and the days leading up to the first exam. This plan organizes those four weeks and helps you decide whether to stay in the dorm or study at home.

At the US, some schools schedule exams from January 8 to 18. 

There are about three weeks between the last day of class and the first exam, and half of that time is taken up by holidays.

There’s another long weekend before Christmas. In 2026, December 6 falls on a Sunday, and Madrid and Andalusia will observe the holiday on Monday, the 7th. With Tuesday, the 8th, this creates a long weekend from Saturday through Tuesday. In Navarre, the 6th isn’t moved, so if you’re studying in Pamplona, check your calendar. You can find everything else about those days in the post about the December 2026 long weekend.

It's not four consecutive weeks. It's four specific weeks, and you still have classes in between. Imagine that the first exam is on Monday, January 11.

You already have your midterm grades. Use them. Make a list for each course that includes the date of the January exam, how much it counts toward the final grade, and your current grade.

That list determines the order. The class with the earliest exam and the lowest grade comes first. If the midterms caught you off guard, read this first: how to prepare for your first midterms while living on campus: the section on dates and the course guide is also useful for January.

Decide now where you're going to spend Christmas (see the table below). If you're taking a train or a plane, buy your ticket in November.

Four days off in mid-December are tempting. The proposal: two days of study and two days off. For example, Saturday and Sunday for you, and Monday and Tuesday—four hours each.

Use them for the first round of studying for the class you're struggling with the most. Not to finish it. Just so that, by Christmas, when you open the syllabus, you'll already be familiar with it.

The last classes are from December 9 to 18. Go to office hours with any questions you have from the first round. In January, the professor will be swamped.

It's the most productive week, because there are no classes or assignments due. Between December 28 and January 3, you can get in five days of five or six hours each. December 31 and January 1 don't count, and that's totally fine.

A schedule that works: two morning sessions, lunch, one afternoon session, and the evening free. Family dinners aren't going anywhere—work them into your schedule.

Take it easy on the 24th and 25th. Seriously. Whatever you don't study on those days, you won't miss it on January 11.

Come back to the city a few days before the first exam, not the day before. Use this week to take past exams against the clock and review the parts you got wrong.

When the regular exam period begins, the plan changes: between exams, you study only the following. Get seven or eight hours of sleep. Eat at regular times. A sleepless night before a three-hour exam takes a toll.

It depends on how you study and what your home is like in December.

What you pack for lunch is no small matter during exam week.*

One option that usually works: go home from December 21 or 22 through January 2, then return to the dorm for the week. That way, you get to enjoy Christmas and get your study space back in time.

If you're staying, check with your residence to see which services are available on those days. The StepHouse front desk is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and holidays are not treated as regular Monday through Friday days.

In January, many libraries extend their hours. Here are some real examples from last school year:

A 24-hour library makes sense if you want a change of scenery for a couple of afternoons or if you can concentrate better with a hundred people sitting quietly around you. But at 3:00 a.m., it’s still just a library 40 minutes away from your bed.

The residence's coworking space is just an elevator ride away. All of the StepHouse residences we've reviewed have coworking spaces, and the ones in Cantoblanco, Pozuelo, Vicálvaro, and Seville also have study rooms. Vicálvaro has a library. Not all of them have the same facilities, though—check the details for your specific residence.

It combines both: a coworking space for everyday use and a library for those days when you need to get out of the dorm.

This is the official exam period at the end of each semester. For the first semester of 2026–27, it falls in January 2027: from the 8th to the 25th at the University of Seville, from the 11th to the 21st at the UAM School of Law, and from the 11th to the 25th at the University of Granada.

It depends on the university. At the University of Granada, it runs from February 3 to 12, 2027; at the UAM School of Law, from June 7 to 25, 2027. Check your school's calendar.

In 2026–27, between December 19 and 23, according to the university: on the 19th at the University of Seville, on the 21st at the UAM, and on the 23rd at the University of Granada. They end on January 6 or 7.

It depends on whether you have a quiet place at home. One option that works is to stay at home from December 21–22 through January 2 and return to the dorm the week before the first exam.

As a general rule, five or six hours on Christmas days that aren't holidays and four or five hours during the week before the first exam, while getting seven or eight hours of sleep. More hours with less sleep usually leads to poorer performance.

Inventory at the end of November, a quick stop at the bridge, the main rush at Christmas, and the last week for exams from previous years. If you want to spend the second semester working in a coworking space just a short walk from an elevator, check out the StepHouse residence halls.

Reserve your spot for the second semester.