10 Tips To Get You Through Finals Week

While finals week can be tough, there are a few ways to get through it without too much difficulty. Here are some tricks and tips that you can implement while studying for your final exams! 

By Anya Patri

It’s the end of the semester (or cycle, if you’re in the Alsion Middle School) and you’re probably a bit burnt out from your classes. While you only have a little bit of time left before winter break, finals week is something you just have to power through. It doesn’t have to be as difficult as it seems, however. Here are 10 tips that have helped me throughout a few finals weeks (and with test taking in general). But most importantly, do what works for you! 

1. Pace yourself

While it seems like you should start by studying for hours at a time every day before your tests, cramming all of your work and forcing yourself to work for long periods of time is not healthy for both your mental health and your body. Instead, it’s much better to take routine breaks in between different topics. Timing yourself for 30-40 minutes and then taking a 10 minute break to chill and stretch for a bit makes it easier to absorb all of the information instead of just forcing yourself to go at it continuously. 

2. Study challenging material

A mistake I used to make a lot when studying for exams was starting off from the beginning of the section with the easiest information. You need to look at things you don’t know first rather than review subjects you are already familiar with. While this may seem like an obvious tip, it is pretty hard to get out of a pattern of studying things you already know because our brain often gravitates towards easier material. Instead, try to challenge yourself with the subject matter and highlight/problem solve with concepts that you are a lot more unfamiliar with first before reviewing the rest. 

3. Schedule the time before your tests.

Something that is consistently helpful to me is to create a weekly timetable for my study

schedules. Often, I can accomplish a lot more after writing down a plan rather than going at it spontaneously. You can do this in two different ways: time blocking, and time estimation. For time blocking, you just write down the exact times you want to study a specific aspect of the material (Ex. Study analytical geometry section from 5:00-6:00 p.m.). This is helpful if you like scheduling your entire day and want a more specific idea of what you’re going to do. Time estimation, however, is when you guess the approximate time it takes to study a specific section (Ex. Studying punctuation- 40 minutes). This way, you can have a flexible schedule but still have an idea of how long you need to study. 

4. Don’t just go over your notes for memorization.

While your notes may be helpful, just reading them doesn’t help you actively process the information. Instead, try to make flashcards based on your notes, solve practice problems with your notes as a reference, and try to remember important concepts after reading through them. Memorization takes a lot more than just reading (unless you are really good at remembering material, in which case, ignore this), so take some time to come up with ways to remember concepts that work for you specifically. 

5. Use study methods that work for you.

Try to do things that help you and not just do busy work that other people claim will help. This way, you can process the information in a more useful way. For me personally, I come up with mnemonics to remember biology concepts and anatomy. I also try walking through systems physically, and explaining concepts out loud, even if it’s just to myself, really helps me remember them. While these do not work for everyone, they work for me really well. 

6. Try to stay motivated to study. 

Sometimes, it takes a lot of effort to study, but keeping up your motivation is super important for you not to get burnt out. Whether it be cleaning up your desk, going to coffee shops, studying with friends, or even watching other people’s study tips on YouTube, you should absolutely do what makes you a bit more excited to work. Even though none of us are going to be thrilled about finals, we can still feel motivated about the process. One thing that helps me remember why I need to study is setting some goals for my grade in the class so that I can strive to achieve it. 

7. Be consistent.

Consistency is difficult to maintain, but it is important to establish a routine. Study every day, even if it’s only for 20 minutes at a time. It is hard at first, but it gets a lot better and easier when you make a habit out of studying and spending time on learning the material. Being able to study consistently will definitely reflect in your grades as well. 

8. Review with your friends or family.

Having your friends and family hold us accountable is definitely a great way to stay on track with your studies. Whether you review material with friends, study in a group, or quiz each other, having other people there ensures that you will learn something new that you wouldn’t have thought of individually. Also, teaching and explaining material is a great way of solidifying your knowledge of it. With family, ask your parents or siblings if they can quiz you in their free time, as that might be helpful for reviewing when you are at home. 

9. Don’t use the same study methods for every subject. 

Every subject is different, and the same way of studying won’t work for everything. Here are the ways that I study based on subject: 

Math: Do lots of practice problems, go through formula sheets, and watch Khan Academy videos on concepts you are confused on. 

Science: Flashcards, mnemonics, studying with groups of friends/quizzing each other. 

English: Write based on essay prompts (AP classes), go through internet sources, and quizlets

Spanish: Flashcards for vocabulary, practice questions for grammar.

History/other social sciences: Flashcards, quizlets, making your own timelines, mnemonics. 

10. Work smart, not hard. 

Finally, while hard work is important, it is more important not to do busy work. Instead of trying to make all of your notes aesthetic, it is much better to go through difficult parts more in depth rather than studying every part of the entire section. Be smart about how much you study and re-evaluate whether you should spend your time on what you are working on or not. 

Good luck with studying, and I hope you have a good finals week!