As the holidays pass by and the new year begins, a sense of calm seemed to settle over the students at Ida B. Wells High School. But that relief is short lived as students soon realized that semester one finals are going to begin in the upcoming weeks.
“I do see a huge jump between the second semester finals and the first semester finals,” says Norman Stremming, the psychology and anthropology teacher at IBW. “Kids tend to be a lot more stressed before our first final.”
While students may feel overwhelmed, it’s key to know that how you do on your finals helps build a strong transcript and shows consistency and effort throughout the semester. Understanding how finals work and how to prepare properly can help them feel more confident and ready to succeed.
Semester one finals often make up a large percentage of a student’s final grade for each class. These exams often test knowledge from the entire semester, and not just the most recent lessons. The score a student receives for their final grade in the semester will go on their transcript. These transcripts from semester one and semester two are recorded and can be important for future opportunities such as college, scholarships or program placements.
A common way that students will prepare for finals is to have an organized “study” schedule leading up to your tests. Waiting until the last minute can lead to anxiety and poor performance. Your schedule can include anything like studying early, spreading out all the subjects you are studying, making sure to get in depth with all the material. Breaking study time into smaller sessions can also help make learning more manageable and help information stay in your long term memory.
Active studying is another studying tactic. It relies on the use of hands-on activities to help the student fully understand the topics, rather than just mindlessly reading a textbook for an hour. A couple examples of active studying are: making flashcards or study guides, practicing sample questions or past exams, teaching the material to someone else and summarizing key ideas in your own words.
Good health is one of the most important parts to having success during finals. Especially during the winter when colds and the flu are extra common, it is crucial to make sure that you are taking care of yourself before the big week. This can look like getting enough sleep, eating balanced meals and staying hydrated so you are focused.
