Finals are coming up, and it’s time to begin studying! This time of year can be very stressful with these large exams, but there are many techniques you can try to remain calm, collected, and confident during final exams.
Ms. Alisha Sanchez, a counselor at Chandler High School, often sees students struggling during finals. She commonly sees students exhibit stress, racing thoughts, and antsy behavior during finals season, but she said the problem most students struggle with is sleep and constant fatigue. Ms. Sanchez offered advice on how to avoid these tough feelings: acknowledge your feelings to create awareness, bring yourself back out of an anxious or stressed state, and bring yourself into a more conscious state. Then, find an activity such as art or exercise to help you regulate and calm your nerves.
Ms. Sanchez also emphasized the importance of finding study tactics that work for you. Everyone learns differently, and it is essential to understand the type of learner that you are. There are many different resources available to you, such as weekly tutoring in the JSU hosted by NHS, as well as online resources like Khan Academy. A specific tool she highly recommended is mnemonics, which is excellent for tests that involve a lot of memorization. Attaching the vital information to memorable key words, images, or ideas will help you prepare for many exams.
During the final exams themselves, “how you start a test is a good indicator of how you will continue and finish,” Ms. Sanchez explained. Take the time to truly prepare yourself and allow yourself to be confident and maintain that confidence throughout the exam. You will have a better chance of avoiding that stress or anxiety. If you feel yourself experiencing stress before or during an exam, try rating your stress on a scale of 1-10, then attempt deep breathing or any of the stress tips above to calm yourself and lower your rating.
By implementing these strategies into your exam preparation, you will be able to enter finals with confidence and resilience, achieve the goals you set and prepared for, and maintain a healthy mind. Good luck with your finals!
