Winter finals, the three days students have exams in each of their classes before they are released on their way for winter break. With the week of finals grazing the halls of the school there are many different ways that students are getting themselves prepared for these three days of tests.
From looking back at old tests, watching videos, and even rewriting notes there are so many different ways for students to study and feel prepared. With there being many different techniques of preparation it is crucial for students to find what techniques work best for them. “What I’m doing to get ready for finals is just trying to focus on one thing at a time…I’m making sure I have everything done that isn’t for finals and once that’s done, I’m going to focus on the classes I’m struggling the most,” said Junior Logan Kruse.
While Kruse’ system of preparation works well for him, it might not be what works best for other students. Senior Gabriella Ginsburg takes advantage of asking questions to further her preparation, “I’ve been looking over notes, watching review videos, asking my teachers a lot of questions to clarify if I don’t understand. A lot of the reviews I’ve been given have been helping a lot, I make sure to do all of it and then continuously look over them as well as my notes for extra clarification,” said Ginsburg.
Finals can be a stressful time for students, especially freshmen. However, there are many ways to help ease the stress of finals. It is nice to have a few tips that have helped others navigate the stressful time. “Don’t let it [finals] overwhelm you because I know when I get a lot of important tests at once I get really overwhelmed and I put it off until it’s too late,” said Sophomore Ashlyn Hartley. Ginsburg had a similar tip as Hartley, “don’t put off studying for finals, especially if you are involved in activities or sports. Even if you are just studying ten minutes a day for each class for a month can make it so much easier to retain all of the information and ensure you are setting yourself up for the best possible success on your exams,” said Ginsburg.
Kruse goes into detail about his tips for finals season “my biggest tip for anyone younger is to focus on one thing at a time, the weekend before finals work on all your big classes but focus more on the ones you struggle with, then during finals week, the day before, work on the finals for the next day, and do that for the three days…Finals are hard, so don’t beat yourself up if something goes sideways,” said Kruse.
Preparing for finals doesn’t have to be packed all into the day before. Take into consideration what works best for you and try suggestions from others to see if it works for you, especially because there are so many studying tactics. Good luck with your finals cougars, and enjoy your winter break.
