Don't Let Finals Be Frustrating

Let’s be honest. Every student from every school HATES final exams. You spend all semester trying to keep up your GPA and in the fate of a single test it can be knocked down. So if you have test anxiety you’re probably freaking out, studying your face off, and screaming into your pillow. The nightmare will begin again before you know it. But listen up, especially all you freshmen, because I present to you tips to make finals less stressful.

Tip #1: Don’t Cram

Studying all of a semester's information on one or more subjects the night before a test is the best way to fail your finals. There is no way, unless you’re superhuman, that you can retain all of that information in a couple of hours. Do you know everything? Stop lying to yourself. We’re talking eighteen weeks of learning. You will probably forgot at least one thing.

Tip #2: Revise and Plan

Find out the final exam schedule, and figure out what tests you’re taking on what day. Once you know, you can write out a study plan. You know that your math test is the day before your science test, so you have less time to study for math. Decide what subjects you’re going to study each night. Make a goal for each study session. For example: Tuesday night I will study chapters 4-6 for science. Also, consider which tests are going to be harder for you. You should spend more time on the subjects that are difficult for you.

Tip #3: Catch some Z’s

Don’t stay up all night studying. Studies show that sleep deprivation results in memory loss and lack of focus. Not to mention, you’re sitting in a quiet room for quite some time. It would be easy to tell yourself that you’re only going to rest your eyes for a moment but fall asleep the whole time. The exam will be incomplete, and you’d be lucky if your teacher allows you to retake it. Try to get at least a good eight hours of sleep.

Tip #4: Breathe

Before your teacher hands out the dreaded test, take a moment to breathe. Close your eyes, take some deep breaths. Relax! If you are trying your hardest and followed the above tips, you’ll do fine. Worrying can only make matters worse. It could cause you to over-think problems, rush the test, or make stupid mistakes.

Recap: Remember that no matter what you get as long as you put in your best effort--that’s all that counts. One test does not define who you are. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. If you don’t do well on test, it’s not the end of the world. Grow from the experience. Learn what you did wrong and how you can improve next time. Don’t let finals frustrate you!

By: Junior Adriane Schoonover, Journalism staff