Preparing for finals may be a very stressful time for students: the school year has almost ended and students are expected to power through all of their summertime blues to study for their finals.

Students engage in many different forms of studying. Sophomore Michael Windom says, ”I normally start studying a week before so I can get everything remembered and I don’t have to do everything all last minute.” Freshman Armand Nunez has a more relaxed way of studying. ”I normally start studying the day before so I can have everything really fresh in my head for the day I recommend this strategy to many people,” he says. Freshman Cameron Smith says, ”I don’t like studying; it sikes me out and makes me nervous.”

Teachers create the tests the students take and know that properly preparing for finals is necessary. Math teacher Mrs. Cook thinks, “Students should get at least two nights of good studying for at least an hour and make sure they get great sleep the night before, followed with a nutritious breakfast.” Other teachers shared some of the same opinions on the what the best techniques are for studying.

Finally, the additional stress that goes along with finals causes some students to try to avoid it; this can be a very difficult task. Students share about what stresses them out the most. Freshman Blake Bell says, “Just the thought that all the work you did over the semester depends on this one grade is daunting.” Sophomore Bryan Hansel says,” Having to study for hours stresses me out and makes me sort of anxious.”

The stress of finals affects everyone; students and teachers alike. Here are some expert tips for coping with test-taking stress and preparing for finals: for more info 

• make it fun
• vizualize
• color code it
• revolve your focus
• pace yourself
• quiz yourself
• study for the style of the exam
• create your study schedule