How To Get Through Finals With Minimum Stress

I am currently preparing for the next four days of finals and am much more stressed than I usually am. Expecting finals to go smoothly is nearly impossible but I have found several ways to help it go by quickly and calmly.

These tips are not tips to help you study but rather to help before, during, and after the test since that time is just as important as studying.

Eat Healthy and Happy Food

Most of the people that I know eat a breakfast that they consider "brain food" and as well-intended as that may be, it might not be best. The general rule of thumb is to eat healthy food that you actually like. There is no point in eating something you hate just because it's good for you. At any other time of the year, this is a good idea but not during finals. Sometimes the food you eat can reflect in your mood. If you eat something disgusting, your attitude walking into a test will be a worse than it would if you had eaten something you liked but try to keep it healthy because antioxidants are great for your brain. Better food means a more positive attitude which means a much better test grade.

Make Good Use of the Time Right Before the Test

Most people try cramming the night before up until the ten minutes before the test which is probably one of the worst things to do to yourself. Although if may seem like a good idea to quickly learn a concept so it's fresh in your mind, it'll only make you more anxious and nervous. While it is a great idea to review notes and go over equations the day of the test, one should not do that fifteen minutes before the test (or however long it takes you to relax). Studying is meant to be done well in advance. If you haven't learned it before the day of your test, there is not point in learning it now.

Prioritize

It may not always be in your best interest to study and prepare. Sounds ridiculous, right? But it really isn't. If you have an excellent grade in the class, you might not have to study day and night for your exam. I usually go to RogerHub's Final Grade Calculator to check how well I need to do on my finals. The finals you really need to study for are the borderline ones. Grades that are really close to the next grade level are the ones that are really worth your time. And sometimes you may want to increase your grade but its just not possible. Pulling up a solid B like an 85% up to an A is nearly impossible or calls for a grade like 98%. Although it is possible, it is not likely so if you have other finals that you need to maintain or are in major jeopardy, they deserve a lot more attention. In the end, your overall GPA can be more important than the individual grade.

Make a Plan of Action

At this point you should have a good portion of your studying completed so plan how you are going to conquer the test. Ask in advance how many questions there are and what types of questions (multiple choice, writing, essay or show your work math problems). Depending on the type and the amount of time given, choose a reasonable amount of time for each question while keeping in mind the various setbacks that might occur. If certain parts of the test are worth more points, do them first and do the easy ones that are worth less later since your brain does not need to be as sharp for those parts.

Stay Focused but Not too Focused

During the test, it may be in your best interest (if and only if time permits) to take a small break. Sometimes spending a minute to relax your breathing can give the clear mind needed to answer a hard question or ease your mind after one. You don't need a definite answer for all of your problems so you need to master the art of letting go. Don't sacrifice the difficult ten point short answer for the one point multiple choice one.

Don't Think About the Test After the Test

This is one of the hardest rules to follow. I, like many others, try to guess how I think I did on the finals which I have learned is horrible. Chances are that you have many more tests to come and thinking about a previous test can be a disaster. The point is that you can't do anything about a test after it's been submitted so there is no point thinking so much about it after it's over. Just because you think you did horribly, it doesn't mean that you did! If it were any other test, would you be this concerned? Chances are it is not nearly as bad as you may think.

I hope these tips helped! I usually follow these myself and I have noticed that my attitude and scores are better than those of my stressed out peers with no better grades than me. In the end of the day, finals are a mind game and the sooner one masters the game, the better they can perform.