Teachers from different departments have recommended ways for students to study more efficiently during/before finals week. They suggest ways to reduce stress, resources and materials to use, techniques, etc.
Gym teacher Jason Schneider said it is important to communicate with teachers, rest as much as you can, and study until you feel confident.
“Go and talk to a teacher, get extra help. Teachers are very accommodating. Next, sleep, get lots of sleep. Study, once you’re done studying it is what it is, don’t be staying up all night studying,” Schneider said.
Language arts teacher Elizabeth Kelley-Hirata encourages multiple materials and techniques to students for different ways of studying.
“I know a lot of my students like to use Quizlets if there’s a lot of terminology. I always recommend creating your own study guide or your own flashcards because if you’re looking at it, hearing it and writing it, the more modalities you’re using, the more you’re paying attention to what you’re doing. You’re not just going through the motions with your brain someplace else,” Kelley-Hirata said.
Science teacher Daniel Money said a way to reduce stress and anxiety before taking finals is acting like you are taking the test before you do, on your own time.
“Put yourself in a testing environment, like running a practice test, it will help you feel more prepared when you get the actual test,” Money said.
Math teacher Mary Cunningham said in order to manage your time efficiently, you need to have a study plan for all of your classes.
“[Students need to] set aside a certain amount of time that they’re gonna study for each class so that they can plan ahead for it,” Cunningham said.
Kelley-Hirata also said you need to have good time management and a plan of action.
“Break things down into small pieces and set a regular schedule and a plan for studying, so that you commit to spending 15 min everyday for the two or three weeks leading up to finals studying each class, as opposed to trying to wait and cram at the end,” Kelley-Hirata said.
Schneider said although studying is very important, students tend to spend too much time doing it which can be tiring.
“The most common mistake that I see is when students overdo it, they think that studying more and more and more is the best. And while you have to put time in, there’s no sense in staying up until two in the morning when you’ve been studying for four hours,” Schneider said.
