Finals Week: Five Strategies to Thrive and Survive
Finals week is here! Sure, there are some of us that don’t procrastinate, but even with studying, most of us never feel prepared. In most cases, these exams and final projects are a high percentage of your grade. You need to prepare, get organized and feel confident to do your best. Try and push hard, but be efficient with time. Tough to do if our brain is full of information and we are stressed to the max. Here are the top five tips to survive and thrive during finals week.
#1 Plan and Get Organized
What are the best ways to plan for finals?
Most of the time you will have finals in every class. If you don’t, then it is one less thing you have to stress over. Let’s break it down into a steps.
1. Write a simple list of what you will have to complete.
Note taking apps like Google Keep are fantastic because you can integrated it with other google programs. It is available on any device. So wherever you are, your notes and lists will be there too.
2. Turn the Simple List into a Priority List
If you have a list already, then great! Figure out what finals you need to focus more time on and start there. I decided to make my own priority list that automatically figures out what needs to be completed everyday. Feel free to download a copy and use it to prepare for finals.
#2 Get Your Finals Week Priorities Straight
Steps to download:
1. Click here to open the Google spreadsheet
2. Login to your Google Account
3. To edit, select “File” and “Make a Copy”
4. This will automatically save a copy to your Google Drive Account
What fields do I need to update or change?
Start to write in your assignments in the first column. If you already know the due dates, just fill in the information. Otherwise, wait until your teacher sets a date for the final. In the Task Started and Task Completed columns, select “Yes” or “No”. The final column is designed to automatically tell you what you should focus on based off of due dates.
How does the spreadsheet prioritize assignments?
Anything that is past due should be your #1 focus. It will be highlighted in red.
Assignments that are due in 3 days or less are marked with a “2” and highlighted in yellow.
Assignments that are due in a week or less are marked with a “3” and highlighted in green.
Remaining tasks that are more than a week away are marked with a “low”.
#3 Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses so your goal is to figure those out. Be honest with yourself. If you are struggling in Math, but feel confident with that History paper, maybe start with Math. This will build your confidence and motivate you to push through the harder concepts first. Incredibly important if finals are a few days away.
How do I know what my strengths and weaknesses are?
Check your previous scores or current school grades. If your previous scores are average or above, consider it a strength. Be proud! Ask your teachers. They want to see you succeed and will often provide extra guidance to improve your class grade.
How will knowing my strengths and weaknesses help me during finals week?
Let’s say your strength is Science. If you are taking the exam and are fairly comfortable, the chances of test anxiety and fear are lower. Less fear and anxiety equals confidence. A great equation for a higher grade. However, let’s imagine it is a tougher class. Students that are not as confident or fearful change answers on an exam. If you know this about yourself, it is easier to calmly work through a test.
#4 Get Help
Alright, so you have figured out your strengths and weaknesses and organized a finals week to do list, What now? Make sure you review all your class notes, review materials and assignments. Are you still finding concepts that are difficult and do not make sense? It might be time to find help. A tutor can be a great resource and clear up any last minute questions. To really thrive during finals week, it is crucial to clarify and check your understanding. The more you understand WHY something is a challenge for you, the better. Then, you can fix it!
Where can I get outside help?
Check your school and see if they provide free tutoring sessions. Otherwise, you can check out our schedule. Helping students is our passion. Try and research some additional resources that might help you study.
What about quick math homework questions?
Yup, we have that covered to. Free math help can be found on our Reddit page. *This group is not affiliated with Go2Tutors, but it is a wonderful free resource. Particularly, when you are stuck on a math question at midnight.
#5 Rest and Stick to a Routine
Yes, finals week is stressful. You maybe feeling like it is too overwhelming and knots will always be in your stomach. Luckily, this is all temporary. Yes, we all have been told that performing well during finals is everything, but really it is not everything. What truly matters is trying to do your best, knowing yourself and working on self-improvement. What matters is that life will go on. So relax a little!
What should I do before every final?
You need to be at your best. Hard to do sometimes if you are up cramming until 2am every night. So try and adjust your sleep schedule this week. To think clearly, we need rest. Healthy meals, exercise and relaxation time will all be extremely important during finals week. Rest up and good luck!
