It’s almost finals week at Lakeland Regional High School, and if you are feeling stressed about studying this is the article for you!

With finals being 10% of all students’ final grades, it can be a scary and stressful time for many students. Read here to find out some ways to counteract some of that stress and feel more confident going into exam time.

Studying Effectively
The first thing you should do when beginning to study for finals is to list out what classes you have finals for and order them from what you’re the most comfortable with to the least comfortable with – this way you can identify your weaknesses and study accordingly. If you’re a whizz in math, you should focus on things you might be less confident in without ignoring studying for math.

Another strategy, according to Saint Louis University (SLU), is to break your studies into chunks. The article shares an example: “‘Study for chemistry exam’ could be broken into ‘make terms list, review chapters 9-10, create flash cards, and review lab notes…’”

Lastly, make sure you know when you can study. Making a schedule that you can follow will lead to an easier time studying. A good study schedule is one that tackles every subject and has time available for breaks. SLU also tells students to “be realistic (don’t just leave yourself two hours to write a 15-page paper on Aristotle), stick to the schedule.”

Breaks are Necessary
When studying for a long period of time, you will start to get tired and oftentimes you’ll want to take a break. While breaks are nice, an ideal break would be something quick to get your mind off of your studies, or something that’s longer that also gets you outside. Point Loma University (PLU) recommends some different activities like taking a quick walk, doing stretches, power napping, or cooking a healthy meal. These will help refresh your brain so you can get back to studying effectively!

Although breaks are very necessary, there is one thing that you should watch out for when taking breaks and when beginning to study, and that’s procrastination.

Avoiding Procrastination
You should attempt to avoid procrastinating at all costs! While it might seem good to just leave studying to the future, you should attempt to study whenever you get the chance. PLU said, “As a student, a good rule of thumb is to plan on reviewing the entire extent of material, possibly breaking up studying by chapters in the textbook or committing a study session to each week of the course.”

PLU states that students should try to figure out the source of their procrastination, and try to avoid it during exam time. For instance, if you get sucked into hours of playing your favorite video game, do not pick it up until your studying for that day is done.

Fighting Stress
Stress is a natural emotion to be feeling during the lead up to finals and often it can hinder your performance both in studying and on tests themselves. Luckily, the University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL) has some tips to avoid or reduce the stress you might be feeling during finals. UNL offers five tips that help reduce stress:

• • Take a break and get active. Exercise is a great way to counteract stress!
  • Make meals a priority. Healthy meals can help you keep energy and concentration levels high.
  • Prioritize your goals. Going back to what SLU says: which final do you need to study for the most to succeed?
  • Get some fresh air and sunlight. Getting outside can help clear your mind and get you ready for the challenge to come!
  • Get support. Lakeland teachers all offer extra help; use it if you need it!

Another good tip is to sleep well. Pulling an all nighter is not going to help you ace your finals, but a good night’s rest will prepare your brain and reduce stress levels for finals.

Finals Week
During finals your priority should be readying yourself for the test or project you have next. For example, if you know that your first finals are going to be math and science you should study those extensively the day before. Study and review for the upcoming finals you have for the next day.

Remember that it’s just one week and that you can get through it!