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Finals are coming up and nobody is excited. 

Well, maybe your teachers are. As a senior, and someone who has done plenty of semester finals, let me tell you the things that the annual Student Council video is not going to tell you.

1.. Extra sleep is important… or is it?

Every single video online and teacher is going to tell you that getting extra sleep is going to be imperative in your success. I definitely agree, but there is one point that all these tips are missing: Getting sleep is important, but not stressing yourself out is more important. 

If you change your schedule drastically to try and get more sleep, all you are really doing is making yourself anxious by putting yourself in an unfamiliar scenario. Follow your regular routine, treat finals day like any other day, maybe just work a little harder. 

2.. Eat something!

Believe me, I cannot function without some fuel. Nobody can. The worst thing I can think of is trying to go through finals on an empty stomach. Teachers are going to tell you something along the lines of “get a good breakfast” or “get a big breakfast in,” but breakfast is only going to take you so far (especially with these new longer finals schedules). 

Bring yourself a snack, something that you’ll be excited for, and eat it between classes. Keep yourself going throughout the day, not just from breakfast.

3.. Study differently?

Let’s be honest, changing your study habits doesn’t really work out – at least never for me. Doing so will only make you more stressed out and wanting to cram. Study in the manner in which you are already comfortable. Make sure you know your basics, and prepare yourself in a way that you know will work.

4.. Test smarter, not harder

The best piece of advice I’ve ever gotten about testing is getting down what you know first. Do the easy problems first. Make sure you do the no-brainer questions. 

If you find something on the test that you didn’t study for, don’t worry about it. Get what you can get done first, and spend the last bit of your time trying to figure those more difficult ones out. The dumbest thing that I can possibly think of is wasting time answering questions that you don’t know, and not having enough time to answer the ones that you do know.

5.. Time is important

I am not a quick test-taker, but don’t worry if you aren’t either. The time you have to take your finals is a lot more than you think. Unless your teacher is just out to get you, you should have ample time to finish with time to spare. Go over the exams before you submit. Use all of your time. Take the longer passing time to relax.

6.. Blow off some steam after

Once your final exams are done, go have some fun! You deserve it, no matter how well you think you did. The best part of exams is treating yourself afterwards. Think now about what you are going to do afterwards to take your mind off high school. I’ve gone out with friends, played a ton of video games, gone on dates, and eaten some good food. Go have fun, make finals week not such a drag.