As a student with both OLU campus classes and OLO classes, I am aware of the stress that accompanies each of these two types of finals. With help from actual OLU students, I gathered advice to help you succeed during finals week!
Take Advantage of Resources
Take advantage of Quizlet! It may seem tedious to create a Quizlet set; however, while you are creating the set you are also studying!
Another great resource is RogerHub Grade Calculator––this website helps to understand the percentage you must get on the final in order to end the semester with the grade you desire. Using this calculator, you can prioritize your studying habits and schedule to make sure you spend the most time on the class you are struggling with most.
Days Leading Up to the Final
Although finals week is complicated and time-consuming, make sure to plan ahead to get enough sleep. You may think that staying up all hours of the night will help you to pass your final the next day, but in reality you are doing nothing but hurting your chances of testing well. When you get little to no sleep, the information you learned cannot be retained and like Daphne Stift, a junior, says, “you might not be able to fully concentrate for a day of tests.”
An important point to note in ensuring you have time to get enough sleep is, sophomore Kenzie Hatcher says, “don’t procrastinate––procrastinating only makes it more stressful in the end.”
Stift says that specifically for on campus finals, “make sure to take care of yourself leading up to your finals,” for example, on the day of, you want to be well rested and well fed” to “nourish your body.”
Bella Garza, sophomore, says to “make sure to eat and drink enough water the night before!” Nourishing your body will help you to sleep as well which we’ve established is imperative to your success.
Taking the Final
Strategics are a major aid in test taking. Sophia Zonni, sophomore, says “when I take finals I recommend going through and doing all the questions you’re confident on and skipping the ones you’re unsure about. when you go back to answer the ones you skipped, you have a better grasp of a subject because you can use your other answers to [give you insight you did not have before].”
As previously stated, feeling your best on test day is imperative. Stift suggests “to bring snacks or tangible objects which may aid one in lowering [one’s] stress levels and help [them] to recall what they’ve studied.”
Words Of Encouragement
More often than not, finals are designed to challenge your knowledge of the subject and test if you are reading the question and options thoroughly. But do not get discouraged yet! Take this information in a positive light; curve-balls will always be included in finals so know that if you do not get your desired grade, trust that most likely you could have done nothing to prevent your mistakes. Take solace in the fact you tried your best.
Chloe Cho, sophomore, reminds that “it’s always really nerve-wracking to take any exam, but since finals are the last test to go into the grade book and they weigh different there’s a lot more pressure; however, the teachers are super supportive and understanding during finals week so it’s a little more bearable.”
Garza gives a healthy reminder that “overthinking during a test causes your mind to become clouded and it can make you forget what you learned in the first place.” Sometimes, during testing, you can be your worst enemy. Have faith in the work you have done through the semester, and do your best.
Garza believes that “some of the best things you can do for finals is don’t panic and do the best you can!” Garza brings up an important message: perfection and one’s best should not be compared. Take this year’s finals and all future finals knowing that your classmates nor your teachers expect perfection from you. Garza also reminds that “comparing your test taking skills to other students can also make you feel bad about yourself.” Comparing yourself to others only sets an expectation, only doubling one’s stress.
As Garza believes, if you “try your best and study hard, there’s nothing to worry about”––you’ve got this! Go Lancers!
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Sources:
“Finals – End of Semester 1.” Orange Lutheran High School, lhsoc.org/calendar/finals-end-of-semester-1/.
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Photo Credit: OLu website
