Study Tips to Survive Finals

  Finals will be held online on the week of June 1 for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. For seniors, finals are on May 27 and May 28. With under a month left, there are some study tips that can be valuable to do your best on your finals. 

  The most important study tip is to start early. Do not procrastinate until the night before, since there is a lot of material to cover from the semester. Your brain will most likely not be able to remember everything if you cram over a short amount of time. Give yourself at least a week or two to study and cover all the topics for your classes. 

  For those who have AP testing, and cannot devote enough time to study for finals until testing is done; there is still enough time. Few days of studying is still better than none. 

  The second study tip is to plan out your schedule. Extracurriculars and other school work may consume a lot of your studying time. It is best to lay out what you will work on each day. This way, you can see everything clearly that you need to work on, and be able to cross out work when you finish. 

  Ask your teachers any questions you may have. Teachers are there to help you and clarify subjects you may still be struggling with. It is essential that you are able to understand things that you have learned during class, and getting the clarification you need is sure to make you less stressed during testing. 

  Use your resources. Apps like Quizlet are really helpful in studying for History, any foreign language class, and English. Using the Quizlet flashcards can test you on certain vocabulary, concepts, people, etc. 

  If you were provided with a textbook in your class, read through the book. Note down any key concepts that you feel are important to remember. It is also key to review any notes you may have taken during class lectures. If your teacher provides you with a study guide, use it. They will most likely cover the topics you will need to know for finals. 

  For math and science classes, use the textbook for any example problems. Worksheets you may have received in class for homework could also be used as study guides to practice any problems. If your class used Apex, go through the lessons and do the problems they give for examples. 

  There are also multiple online resources that could be used to study for finals. Videos on YouTube can go over any topic you are confused about, or need a refresher on. There are also online practice tests available for students in almost any subjects. 

  Study groups with your classmates or friends are also another method in studying for finals. Study groups can quiz each other on topics, which can stimulate the brain to remember the topics, as well as the opportunity to teach someone about the topic to assure you all understand. These study groups can be held over Zoom or Google Meet, a house, or a park. 

  While studying, you can listen to music that will not distract you. There are also other alternatives such as “library sounds” that can get you in the headspace of studying. It is also important you maintain your study routine, but also allow yourself to have some time to get rest and go outside. Create some “prizes” for yourself after reaching a certain goal while studying.

  Before finals, you should sleep and eat well. During finals, do not cheat. Trust yourself that you understand the topics given. If your teacher allows the finals to be open-note, still take some time to review before finals. Flipping through notes can take away the valuable time you have to complete your test. 

  Good luck!