Your Guide to a Stress-Free Finals Week

So, finals time is the season to scream, shout, and let it all out. Well, maybe not. Acing finals can be easier than you think. A test is hard when you make it hard, and this column wants to give tips on making your final exams easier with five tips. A class that studies together passes together, marry your paper and pencil, love thy Google/ library database, sleep keeps the mind fresh, and keep calm ‘cause you got this.
Tip number one: a class that studies together, passes together. If the class is one of those extremely hard courses, then your classmates should have a group message and arrange a study group before finals. Everybody has weaknesses and strengths, so a study group is a way to collaborate and make each class member well-rounded. As college students we have to be selfish at times, but a study group is helping yourself and your classmates because everyone has something to offer. If you want to be successful in your study group the next tip should be highlighted.
Tip number two: marry that paper and pencil because the two of you will share a night of failure, then success. Failure is better experienced on your desk than on the scantron, so don’t be scared. It will all be worth it when you get that grade you want.
When you retake notes or solve problems you are able to commit them to memory because you are taking your time writing it out. When you are typing your notes or problems you are just thinking. Writing it out causes you to think then engrave it in your memory, because after you thought of what to write you are now putting it on paper which will take some time, but that means it is still fresh in the brain during that process. Anything that you didn’t understand will be explained by someone in your study group that has it simplified.
Tip number three: love thy Google/database. To all the ‘know it all’ folks, let’s be honest, there are things that you do not know but the world is at our fingertips now in 2018.
If you need to know how to solve a formula, there are youtube videos that are perfect for you. Khan Academy simplifies a plethora of subjects including math and physics. If you are doing some sort of analysis, the library’s online database has very reliable sources to turn to including peer reviewed journals, articles, and more.
Here is the fun part about crunch time. Sleep can actually make or break your finals. If you are so tired that you can’t recognize your mom’s voice, there is no way that you are studying because you won’t remember anything. You will have a study hangover the next morning.
A good rule of thumb is to study ‘til midnight or whenever you get tired if you are not a night owl and hit the hay. Set an alarm early in the morning to quickly review and cover new topics before the exam, and just like that, you are ready to pass that final.
Your mindset affects your grade as well. If you have missed half a semester worth of content and forgot what your textbook looks like, there is no reason negativity should be lingering in your head. Failing thoughts can lead to failing grade because it makes the test ten times harder and ten times stressful. Show up with a head held high and one goal in mind: to slay the beast with a graphite tipped sword.
So keep calm because you got this.