Checklist for finals
From a senior to a freshman, your first set of finals is a scary time. It is hard to know what to study and how to study, since this is new territory for you. From someone with some more experience taking finals, here is a checklist to make sure you’re prepared:
- Write out the order of your finals and what kind of final they are (a project or a test). The order is 5th block final, 1st and 2nd blocks, 7th and 8th blocks, and 3rd and 4th blocks.
- Even though finals are a few weeks away, don’t wait until the last minute to start studying. Every day when you get home, review what you learned and what you are going to do in class the next day to get ahead.
- Start going over old notes from the beginning of the year and rewrite them, either using flashcards, a whiteboard, or just on notebook paper.
- Find out how much each final is worth and calculate what grade you need to get on the test in order to achieve the grade you want in the class. If you don’t know how to do this, Google it, you will find lots of websites dedicated to this.
- Ask your teacher if you can go over old tests and quizzes to help you study. You will most likely have to come in on your own time to do this since students cannot bring tests home with them.
- Figure out what time you study best. For me, I work best very early in the morning, so during finals week I study a little bit and then go to sleep around 6 p.m. and wake up around 3 a.m. Find out when you study best and use that time to your advantage.
- Give yourself enough time in the morning. Wake up early enough to get ready and eat a good breakfast. You should give your brain time to wake up before you go into your exams, which is why I prefer to go to bed really early and wake up really early.
- Bring a healthy snack, water bottle, headphones, pencils, and loose leaf paper with you on the day of the final.
by Lauren Sparks, Editor-in-Chief