Finals are stressful regardless if you are taking them in high school or college. Some of the best advice someone told me once, was to manage my time, so I could get in enough studying, but also get plenty of rest and relaxation. Three of the most talked about areas during finals week are stress, studying, and rest. Here are three tips on how to manage all three areas.
Stress:
When we become to stressed our body goes into fight or flight mode. Although this is great if you are in an emergency situation it is not so great when you are trying to prepare for finals. Dealing with stress and staying calm is one of the best ways to be successful on your final exams. Some different ways to deal with stress are to exercise, use essential oils, breathing techniques, and creating a schedule for yourself. Scheduling yourself helps you manage your time, manage your homework, and helps you know when you take a break.
Study:
Creating a schedule, as mentioned before is the best way to make sure that you are studying enough. Write out a schedule on an hour by hour sheet that looks something like this
This will help you organize when your tests are and help you set up a study schedule. Study schedules are great at maximizing the benefits of studying. If you try to cram in all of your studying into a couple of days you will not be able to remember much. Setting up a 14 day schedule where you also try out different studying techniques like notecards, reviewing notes, highlighting your textbook, study groups, and meeting with your teacher will provide you with a good test grade. It is also recommended that for every credit you take you study two hours a week. So, if you are taking 15 credits in one semester that would equal out to about 30 hours of study time a week. If you make this hourly requirement a goal throughout the whole semester then studying for finals will be a piece of cake.
Rest
Lastly, you need to rest. If you do not get proper rest then your brain will not be able to function at its highest capacity. Our brains are very strong but also delicate muscles, and after a lot of strenuous activity it needs rest just like any muscle in your body. Sleeping is the best way to get your brain to shut down and recharge. It also will help improve your memory and ability to make bigger connections across your subject material, which in turn helps you remember more.
If you are able to create a schedule for yourself, your studying and rest will increase and your stress should decrease. Take some time to create a schedule for yourself and prioritize what areas of your life will be most important. After finals go have some fun, and enjoy the time you have left in school. Good Luck!