When the number of days left until summer drops down to single digits, many students are ready to start a bonfire and toss their school books into the flames for good. Unfortunately, final exams cause most to find the last few days of school to be the peak time of their stress while others find finals easy. Finals allow students to bring up that C in biology to a B or drop that A in lit comp to a B. Others struggle to get a 150% needed to pass the class.

“I am ready for finals. I feel very prepared from all my classes,” Julia Jensen, freshman, said.

Some students use online grade calculators or Canvas to find out what they need to score on their finals to achieve the desired. This can add extra stress to students who need to get a perfect score on their finals, which account for 10 to 20% of the final grade depending on the class.

“I’m more stressed for EOCs [End of Course tests] and considering my grades, whatever I get on the finals, it won’t affect my grade to pass,” Marshall Derance, junior, said.

However, many think that EOCs are not as stressful as AP Exams, which determine whether or not the student will get college credit for the class they have worked diligently in all year.

“I feel relieved that they’re finally done, but it’s kind of anticlimactic,” Nikki Reid, senior, said.

If you are struggling to study for your exams, there are some simple study tips to help bring up the grade quickly. Flashcards and Quizlet are great tools to help reinforce facts. Students can take out questions and vocabulary words  they already know and only study what they do not know. Another tip is to draw diagrams of concepts, helping firm connections between topics. One major tip is to pretend to teach the concept to someone. This helps students teach themselves in the process of teaching someone else.

“I am using Quizlet and going over my notes and study guides to prepare for finals,” Walt Centers, sophomore, said.

Many students are working hard to study for the exams. Some students make study groups and meet at places like Panera Bread, Starbucks, Copper Coin Coffee, and more.
“I study in groups every once in a while. Whether or not you learn from them depends on the type of relationship you have with them. For example, if it’s your best friend, you might want to study with them when you don’t need too much help since you’ll probably end up talking about other topics,” Ivy McKinney, freshman, said.

Whether you have no worries about the finals or you are more stressed than you have ever been in your life, remember there are only a few more days until summer. Finish strong.