How to Prepare for Finals
May 7, 2019
With finals approaching I’m sure most of you have had the thought “I should probably start studying soon but, not yet. I’ll worry about that later.” Finals can make or break your grade so you need to know how to prepare.
Step 1. Do. Your. Review.
If your teacher gives you a review, do it!! Not all of my teachers this year have given me reviews like they did freshman and sophomore year and I want nothing more than to have an on paper, formal review. Your reviews are going to be tedious and you’re not going to want to do them, but believe it or not, your teachers actually make these to help you.
Step 2. Don’t wait until the day before to study.
Unless you know for sure that you can get an A on the test with no problem you’re going to want to review at least a minimal amount. And that doesn’t mean review at 12 am the night before your final. If you review your materials for just 5 minutes every day 1-2 weeks before you should be set.
Step 3: Find out what you need to make on your final to get the semester grade you want.
Every year I use a finals calculator ( https://rogerhub.com/final-grade-calculator/ ) to find out what I need on my final. First, you’ll have to average your third quarter grade with your current grade in the class. After that, you’ll put in the grade you want for the semester and the percentage the final weighs on your grade (which is 20%) then you know what you need to shoot for.
Step 4. Don’t stress too much.
Finals are important but they’re not the end of the world. Make sure that you’re still taking care of your physical and mental health while preparing. Get enough sleep, make sure you eat, don’t dismiss personal hygiene, etc. Your health comes before your grades, don’t forget that.
