What’s that approaching? A bird? A plane? No, it’s the most dreaded time of the year, finals season. Finals can be extremely stressful due to their high-stakes nature and limited time window, however, there are numerous ways to combat these anxieties. 

To start, find out the exam dates. This year finals are December 14th-16th. On the 14th, exams for periods 5, 3 and 7 will take place. On Thursday, there will be periods 6, 2 and 8. Finally, on Friday the 16th, testing will occur for periods 4 and 1.

Next, make a study schedule. Instead of cramming the night before each test, allow yourself 2-3 weeks to thoroughly prepare. Experienced senior Emma Seaman suggests planning your schedule around subject units you struggled with in the past. For example, if you struggled with Unit 4 more than Unit 3, spend more time studying it. For scheduling, it is recommended to work backward through your units. Start by reviewing the units you most recently studied and end with the first ones that you may have forgotten. It is also very important to work a day or two before each final for an overall review! Repeat this process for all of your classes, giving yourself days for breaks and mental recovery. 

But what kind of strategies should you use to study? To start, read over the article ‘Work Smarter, Not Harder: The Science Behind Being a Better Student’. Active studying is the secret to being successful in your finals. For vocabulary-heavy classes such as APUSH,  AP Psychology or a language class, try reviewing with Quizlet. Use settings other than flashcards, such as Learn or Tests to build long-term memory. Glenbard South Senior, Reganne Nash recommends using practice worksheets and tests for application classes such as math or science. If you have the opportunity, look over past tests and see what kind of mistake you made. It is also suggested that you make unit recaps for each class. Write down the main ideas, events or equations by unit until you have a summative synopsis of each class. You may also add practice problems so you can see how each topic is correctly applied.

What if you feel that you do not have time to study for all of your classes? To begin, Senior Lauren Field suggests using Final Grade Calculator to see which classes are most important to study for. For example, if you have a 90% in math and a 96% in English, focus on math if you are aiming to end the semester with the grade you currently have (which in this case is an A). While you should still spend time studying for all your classes, it is not realistic to spend hours upon hours studying for each. In order to avoid burnout, you must ‘pick your battles’.

Additionally, it is important to figure out when and where to study. Reflect on your study habits. Are you most productive early in the day, right after school, at night or on weekends? Use this information to help plan your study schedule and to create a routine. Also, think about the environment that is most conducive to your learning. Do you work best in complete silence, with slight background noise, or talking with friends? Countless scientific studies have shown that mixing up your learning environment regularly is beneficial for retaining information. If you like studying with friends, try quizzing or teaching each other as an active learning strategy!

What if you need extra help? Remember to visit Glenbard South’s Writing Center, Math Lab, AP Cafe and Homework Club for extra support.  Also, teachers and peers are great resources to ask questions and bounce ideas off of.

Lastly, remember to take care of yourself. Full nights of sleep are extremely important before big tests. One sleep study carried out by Clinical Psychologist Dr. Michael Breus found that students who are sleep deprived, pull all-nighters regularly or have irregular sleep cycles are more likely to get worse grades than those with normal sleep schedules. Also, it is vital to stay hydrated with beverages such as water or tea, to eat regularly, and to get enough exercise, which can help stimulate your brain for learning!

All in all, it is so important to be kind to yourself during final seasons. Finals can take a large toll on your mental health, but remember to stay positive and use constructive self-talk like “ I can do this” or “ I know the information”. Keep in mind that your grades do not define you as a person. Mistakes are experiences to learn from and failure helps us grow. 

Finally, you are going to do amazing things and good luck with finals!!!