Agony Aunt: Exam Stress and How to Deal with It
Dear Agony Aunt,
I’m getting really nervous about my finals! I know they’re still a few weeks away, but just the thought of them makes me very anxious. I have no idea how I’ll be able to retain all of the information I’ve learned this year. Any suggestions?
Sincerely,
Freaking about Finals
Dear Freaking about Finals,
First of all, you need to calm down. Take a deep breath. Finals are not the end of the world, and being stressed about them certainly won’t make them any easier. Here are a few tips to ease your anxiety and make sure your finals week is a success.
Think about this: none of the information is going to be new. You’ve been learning it this whole year, gradually adding it to your memory bank. What’s important is the work you’ve done up until this point, not the studying you’ll be doing right before finals. Finals are just a chance to show off all you’ve learned. Additionally, they provide a chance to improve upon what you’ve struggled with. Say you didn’t do as well on that logarithms test as you wanted to. Well, your math final is your chance to show your teacher—and yourself—that you understand the concept. You can learn from your mistakes and ace any logarithm questions on the final.
Once you’ve de-stressed, it’s time to get organized. Making a study plan will make exams seem far less overwhelming. Use a calendar to help you visualize the time span and make specific study goals—for example, to study chapter three and four by Friday. When you’re making your study plan, plan to tackle the hardest material first. That way, you’ll have plenty of time to understand it before the exam and ask your teacher and classmates if you have any questions.
Don’t forget—exam studying doesn’t always have to be painful. Sure, it might never be fun, but there are steps you can take to ease the pain. Try studying with friends. This makes studying more entertaining and can be especially helpful, because you can ask each other questions. Like the old saying, to teach is to learn, so by explaining material to a friend, you’re studying it yourself.
I hope these tips help! Remember to keep everything in perspective. Finals are your chance to solidify all of the information you’ve learned this year, and as soon as they’re over, you have the whole summer to enjoy!
Agony Aunt