Finals week can be a new student’s biggest challenge; and even a senior student’s hell week. The semester starts off and feels like a never ending marathon of assignments and exams to tackle. Then the end of the semester comes around and suddenly the marathon turns into a sprint of final exams and projects all in one week. Try your best not to stress out or panic, that will just make it all worse. And at the end of the day, if you don’t pass a class, then you just take it again, and kill it, and life goes on! It is not the end of the world if your classes don’t go as planned, an extra semester of college never hurt anyone, right?
Final exams have determined whether I pass or fail classes many times, but from those experiences I have come up with some tips on how to tackle those exams and succeed. Preparation is key for final exams. Having a good study plan for each exam will make learning all the material less stressful and more efficient; time management is also important due to the heavy volume of material to absorb and the short amount of time between each exam. Try to create your study guides/flashcards/practice problem sets as far in advance as possible. The best way to do this is to start at the beginning of the semester by keeping exam prep materials (past chapter reviews, practice exams, homework, etc.) from throughout the semester.
Having a good study spot is also important. The ability to make yourself comfortable and have what you need to focus makes all the difference when getting in the study zone. Whether you like dead quiet and no distractions, a quiet area with others around you who are also studying (aka motivation to stay focused like they are), or EDM blasting in your ears to keep you awake but still in your own zone. Having a study buddy doesn’t hurt either. I prefer to have someone studying with me because it helps to bounce questions off each other, quiz each other, and make sure you both stay focused on the material at hand. But most important, remember to not get overwhelmed and take each exam as it comes, you will get through it!