• Know the final.

Ask your teacher what medium the final will be (multiple choice, short answer, essay, project, etc.), what will be on the final, how many questions it will contain and how many points it will be worth. This will help you prepare for what is coming and it will also come in handy with tip No. 5.

• Gather study materials.

Ask your teacher for a review guide and other items that would be useful to study. If possible, talk to older students who have taken the class and ask them what helped the most in studying for the final.

• Set time aside for studying.

Do not wait until the day of the final to study. Start studying now. For some, creating a study schedule (planning out what time you will study and when you will study for each class) is effective. For those busy during the week, make sure to utilize the extra time during the weekend to study. Additionally, in many classes, the final will not take the whole period, so bring study materials to all of your classes and study for other finals after finishing (do not just sleep or watch Netflix with your extra time — you will have plenty of time to do that during break).

• Use a variety of study techniques.

Different techniques include studying with a friend, creating practice multiple choice tests, reading over notes, rewriting notes, making flashcards (or using apps such as Quizlet, StudyBlue or Tinycards to make them) and many others. Having a variety of study methods will help you retain the information better and longer.

• Prioritize your studying.

Calculate what grade you will need to keep your A, B or passing grade. If you want to raise your grade to an A, B or passing, calculate what you will need to score to do that. By seeing how you must do on each class’s final, you can set more time aside to study for the finals that you will need to score the highest on.

• Take care of yourself.

Get plenty of sleep leading up to and during finals week. It is more important to sleep than to stay up all night studying. Furthermore, eat good, healthy meals during finals week. Do not skip breakfast or lunch and plan to bring a healthy snack to eat at school. Additionally, make sure to stay hydrated, so bring a water bottle to school. Set aside time for things you enjoy during finals week. It is easy to get burned out by hours of studying, so make sure you have time for fun things like drawing, playing a sport, hanging out with friends and anything else you might love to do. 

Your finals do not dictate your worth as a person. They are important, and you should study, but if you study and try your best on each final, you have a lot to be proud of. In the end, one grade that is not as good as you wanted it to be will not destroy your life. Good luck and may the finals be ever in your favor!