Okay. It's that horrible time of year for students. Where your old notes are starting creep upon you. You can feel their stare on your back, whenever you aren't studying. Just thinking of finals gives you butterflies in your stomach,right? And let me guess. It's not the good kind of butterflies. Anxious. Nervous. Scared. I know how you're feeling. Students everywhere are preparing to dive deep into the pits of semester long notes. Calculating grades and checking which classes you can afford to fail your final in and which ones you can't? Don't worry, it's a educational tradition. And what is sleep? For the next week or so, there is no such thing as sleep. But lucky for you, there are a couple ways you can avoid a complete mental breakdown before entering your mental doom.
1. It's not the end of the world.
Most people believe that if they fail the final, it's the end of the world. Believe me, it's not. Your grade will go down a couple points, and you may end up with a low grade in the class, but it's not healthy stressing over something you can't change. Knowing that you tried is what matters. Most people will laugh this off, and they can. But at the end of the day, the world hasn't ended and you're going to have to move on eventually.
2. Don't procrastinate.
This is something that will help. Start studying a couple days before the actual exam. It will help. Instead of cramming 18 chapters in one night, try reading 3-4 chapters a night over the course of five days. It will relieve the stress. And the night before the exam, go over the hardest parts that you still struggle with. That way it's fresh in your mind the next day.
3. Take a 5 minute break every one hour you study
When I say five minute break, I don't mean get on YouTube and watch a five minute video. Because that will lead to twenty other five minute videos. If you use social media during your five minute break, you will end up spending a whole hour on there. You're wasting precious time. So get up and walk around your room for five minutes. In your mind, quickly summarize what you have gone over. When people take breaks, they usually let their mind go blank. DON'T DO THAT! You've probably never heard anyone say this, but summarizing what you have done mentally will give you a relief. It will tell you what you have learned and what you may need to go over.
4. Make a plan
A battle strategy. A plan. That essay or MC test is your battlefield, and you need to win. But for that, you need a strategy. Strategize your study methods. Sometimes reading the textbook isn't the best idea. Making flashcards for vocabulary or making a timeline for history or reading up some chapter outlines, they're great methods of studying. Just make sure to stick to your strengths of studying.
5. Don't listen to what others say
Especially on the Internet. It's norm for people to search up questions about how hard end-of-the-semester exams are. You never know who's on the other side of the computer. It could be someone that's just lying for their own pleasure. Don't trust them. If you're getting tips from upperclassmen, make sure to take them with a grain of salt. You can't always believe it, because maybe the teacher changes the test every year. Or maybe the upperclassmen are lying. These are your grades! You can't trust everyone at a time like this!
6. Stop sleep deprivation
This may be a joke to some of you, but if you correlate back to number 2, then you won't have sleep deprivation. Start studying early and take advantage of the weekends to study more. Sometimes people end up failing the exam, because they can't even stay awake during it! Sleep. At least 4-5 hours the night before the exam. I know it's nearly impossible to get a full 8 hours, but at least half of that should keep you awake during the exam. It's not healthy, but neither are the exams themselves.
7. Annoy your professors... Okay not really, but for the next couple days, these guys are your best friends.
There isn't an easier way to put it. But that's why your teachers are there. Especially the few days before the exam. Make sure to get all the information. How many questions? What's the main topics? Are there essay questions? Even ask them questions on content related things that you're not sure about. At one point, they'll get irritated, but that shouldn't matter. Your grades is what's going to get you into your dream college or dream job, not your teachers. Make the most of them, because they know the exam better than anybody.
8. Overall, be prepared and confident.
You can do it. You've studied. You've cried. You've done it all. Now you have to walk into that classroom and win that battle. Good luck to all my friends taking midterms and finals this week and next week! May the force be with you!
