Many students dread the last week of every semester due to final exams and the stress that builds around them. Ranging from 100+ point tests to two week long projects, students spend many hours studying and working to finish off the semester. At Jesuit many final exams have a major impact on students’ grades being weighted at 15-20% of their overall grade for the semester.
For the past three years the final schedule has been structured based on students’ everyday bell schedule. With this schedule, some students may have no finals on certain days or their two hardest finals on the same day. With the schedule structured in this way it’s important to adequately manage study time and find ways to productively prepare for these big tests.
“I have found the best thing is to not procrastinate and try to set up a schedule for the different classes that I need to study for in order to be successful,” said senior Jackie Carle.
The second to last week of every semester, also known as rep and prep week, is a crucial time to utilize for studying and planning in order to perform well on final assessments. Rep and prep week is a week where teachers review the semesters’ materials in order to help students relearn or further understand content. This week students should ask teachers as many questions as possible in order to be fully prepared for semester assessments.
“During rep and prep week it’s important to utilize your class time and the resources your teachers provide in order to be successful. I also found going to a cafe to study with friends in order to make it more fun and help each other was super helpful,” said senior Catherine Alleman.
The weekend before finals and the week of finals are times where students should be fully engaged in their preparation. Many students have many different ways of studying, so it’s important to figure out what works best for each student, rather than just doing flashcards or rereading the whole book the night before the test. Some study techniques that students have found successful in the past are making concept maps, looking over old tests, going to study groups, or relooking over notes.
“I would suggest you prepare ahead, if you think you’ve done enough, do a little more. Don’t just memorize, actually recall information using whatever study method works best for you,” said senior Tanya Morgan.
Overall it’s important to be prepared for finals, however one test isn’t going to be the make or break of a student’s future.
“Know yourself as a student and know what your goals are grade wise and you will do just fine” said Morgan.
