Finals week can be unbelievably stressful, especially if you want to do well on your exams. In order to succeed on your exams, you need to be organized, create a schedule that works for you and be kind to yourself. The preparation for finals week isn’t only about studying for your finals, but also taking care of yourself mentally and not becoming too overwhelmed.
First, get organized. You want to organize the materials you need to study for your exams. It may help if you use flashcards or a Quizlet to study. Continuously going over materials will help you memorize the information you need to know for your tests. It is also important to identify and write down when your testing days and times are. This way these dates don’t sneak up on you. Thinking ahead will help you stay relaxed while preparing for a stressful week.
Creating a schedule helps you separate your classes, homework, study time, extracurricular activities and personal time. When preparing for your finals, you won’t have a week off to study. You need to mix this study time in with your regular week. You should not shove all of your studying into the weekend before finals week. By studying little by little, you will be much less stressed and more prepared for finals.
When creating a schedule, it is important to schedule in personal time. The end of the semester does get busy with classes finishing up the work that was on the syllabus, final projects, and preparation for final exams. But you have to put your mental health first. Leave time in your day to do something for yourself. You should still shower regularly and do all of the other daily things you do. I know this sounds silly, but when you get super stressed, it may be hard to keep a healthy schedule or life. You should keep an hour at night to do something for yourself like watch an episode of your favorite show, read leisurely, put on a face mask and paint your nails. In between studying and homework, you should take breaks to decompress. Taking these breaks allows you to have more energy and increase focus in the end. You should still eat three meals a day, eat healthily and snack when you study.
We all know how stressful finals week can be, but it is important to be productive and think ahead so work doesn’t pile up. Remember during this week, you are not alone. Everyone else experiences finals week, and although not everyone experiences this week the same, there are people who feel the same way as you do. Remain confident: all of your preparation goes into this week. You got this and good luck!