Feeling Finals Stress? Preparation is Key

The excitement of the summer season doesn’t seem to cancel out the stress of final exams. They are quickly approaching and the majority of students are freaking out.

Final exams ultimately measure the information retained throughout the course of the school year.

“To me the significance of Final Exams is rather simple.  The point is to see if students have maintained and mastered the most important concepts taught throughout the school year,” said Math Teacher Mr. Joshua Turner. “Especially in math courses where content builds continually from one course to the next, it is important to have mastery of the basics before moving forward into new material.”

Students talk about beginning to study for final exams. But how? There’s only a month left to study and a ton of information to absorb.

Sophomore Lauren Moyer says that she is fearing the biology final because there are so many little details you have to remember.

“I’m dreading biology because it is the most complex subject for me,” she said. “There is a lot of material that needs to be reviewed constantly in order for the information to stick.”

Sophomore Paige Miller says she is also fearing the biology final. She is preparing for it by reviewing past material.

“I’m constantly reviewing past material and doing the study guides my teacher gives me,” she said.

Mr. Turner said using the study guide is a great way to prepare for finals.  If students get a review sheet from their teacher, they should use it.

“Absolutely do every single bit of it to the best of your ability,” he said. “Prepare a list of questions you don’t remember/understand and ask them when time is provided.”

Secondly, he said students should use their quarter assessments.

“These have been somewhat condensed down to the most important concepts,” he said. “You will likely see these topics again.”  Finally, he recommends using old tests and quizzes.

“If concepts were important enough to ask the first time through, they should give you an excellent place to start studying with the things that didn’t go so well the first time around.” said Mr. Turner.