The word strikes dread into the bravest of hearts.  Finals.

Important and necessary, to be sure, but not exactly heartwarming.  “We don’t want you to be defined just by your finals, but they’re important,” counselor Alice Morrison said.  “They’re the end of the coursework.”

“In life, we are going to receive tests all the time,” history teacher Kurtis Werner said.  “Most will be prepared for, like our finals, and others we will have to go into unprepared.”

It may be much easier to daydream of the things you’ll do during winter break, but ignoring the truth won’t cause it to go away.  You should probably start studying weeks before the final exams.

To study, first organize your materials by subject and prioritize your work.  “

You have to conserve your time, and you have to plan your time,” Morrison said.  For instance, if you have a class in which you have a 79 percent  and a class in which you have an 89 percent you should focus your studying on the 79 percent class.

“If you crank that,” Morrison said, “it’ll boost you to the next letter grade.”

“It’s really good if you set up a schedule for each day until the final to know what you’re going to study and keep up with that,” sophomore Ine Suh said.  Schedule time for regular homework, study times, breaks, classes, extracurriculars, meals and sleep.

Also, avoid cramming.

Information often goes into your short-term memory, but to move information into long-term memory, studying small amounts over a longer period of time is more helpful.

“In order to commit things to long-term memory, you have to sleep on it,” Morrison said.  “I don’t want you depriving yourself of sleep because it’s counterproductive.  Once you’ve gotten the plan and worked the plan, sleep.”

Since the final is only an hour and a half long but can cover any of the material from the semester, it’s important to study the most pertinent information.

“Math finals are generally practical problems.  Like, last year, Ms. Glenn gave us fifteen multiple choice questions on the first final,” sophomore Nathan Jarvis said.

But, it can be hard to guess what will be on the final with the many units of study.

Foreign language tests usually focus on vocabulary, grammar and tenses.  English finals are typically essays.  Sometimes there is a vocabulary portion.  Often, physical education and health classes will hold the final earlier.  Sometimes art students will get a project instead of a final test.

Studying from unit tests is always a good idea.

“If it’s important on the unit test, it’ll be important on the final,” Morrison said.  You can see your weaknesses and mistakes and learn from them.

Ask teachers how they would study.  Werner said, “I make my students clean out their binders every unit. They should have every homework assignment, handout from class, study guide, and test from my units of study. I will hand out a study guide for the final, and that also covers key aspects from each of the units.”  He added, “It’s always a good idea to review a multitude of materials.”

“Some teachers give you packets to study, but you usually have to manage your own time,” sophomore Audrey Palmer said.

“The general format of my final is no different from any other exam I give throughout the year. A final is not a time to spring a new format on students,” Werner said.  “The only thing I do different is use a scantron sheet for multiple choice as it saves me a couple of hours of grading.”

The night before the exam, make sure you know what rooms to go to and review material for the classes having exams the next day.  Get a good night’s sleep.

Have a good breakfast the morning of the test.  Bring a snack to have in between exams.  When not testing, you don’t have to be at school, but everyone must stay for the entire testing time.  Feel free to meet in the commons or study in the library.

Don’t get too worried.  “Some anxiety is good,” Morrison said.  “It gets you cranked up.  But there’s a tipping point for too much.  Keep [anxiety] in check.  How?  By doing the best that you can.”

She added, “This is not make or break.  [You’re] not going to get into a college or not get into a college because of [your] social studies final.  They’re important, but not that important.”

It’s not all bad.  “It’s kind of a cool week,” Morrison said.

“One thing I like about finals is that, although the feeling is intense, people dress up in their pajamas, so it’s kind of not a school day,” Suh said.

“Get a plan, work the plan, and come in and just take your exam and relax through it,” Morrison said.  “No one can ask you to do more than your best.”

“Just take the test,” advised junior Alex Sizemore.  “You know everything.”

And when you’re done, you can enjoy your break.  Freedom is calling.