Tick… Tick… Tick…! My pencil races across the paper, I have one goal only and it’s to complete this final. Bringggg! The bell shouts out just as I turn in my paper. I either aced this final or bombed it. 

Nerves are jumbled as many 8th-grade students have never experienced finals before. To help them prepare, 9th-grade students offered up their best advice to help their peers in the grade below on the upcoming end-of-semester finals. 

9th grader Alexis Ihlanfeldt took her finals last year and suggested, “Just don’t worry too much about it. Stressing about it won’t help, I just go through the material and study what I don’t know.” Ihlanfeldt explained that overthinking can cause a fixed mindset which can lead to struggle on the tests. Often enough, when you stress too much about anything the problem only increases. “The day before/ morning of the final I would double check you know the material and then just relax and not think or stress about it,” Says Ihlanfeldt. “It depends on what the teacher has you doing for a final. 

Finals come twice a year, one at the end of both semesters. For freshmen, this will be their third time doing the finals. 9th grader, Charli Wilkins had insightful suggestions to note. “My advice for how to prepare for finals is going through past assignments and notes you have taken to freshen your mind on past things you have learned,” advised Wilkins. When preparing for the day of/before the finals, Wilkins said, “You should try your best to get a good amount of sleep and eat something that will last you a while because you will be sitting, taking the tests for a long time.” Remember,  class periods during finals week are over an hour long, so try to feel your best on the way in. Many students have a subject they struggle with more than others, so preparing by studying the specific subject you are having a hard time with can help. “I think math is the hardest because you learn so many different concepts in a semester and you have to try and remember how to do lots of different equations for the finals,” Wilkins said, noting how Math has extra work and difficulties as a subject. 

9th grader Audrey Marshall was interviewed and gave tips she found to be useful. Marshall commented, “Review the study guide if there is one, complete all your work from your classes, and review previous tests and assignments on units from the beginning of the year.” Many teachers make a study guide to help you get your best grade on the final. When preparing for the day of/before the final Marshall suggested to “Get good sleep, and do a final review of any concepts that you think you need to improve on the most.” A common factor from all the interviews is that they said the day of/night before the final is that getting good sleep and trying not to overwhelm yourself with stress can always help. 

Thanks to the American Psychological Association we know that identifying your stress can help during the finals and many tests. If you are feeling extremely overwhelmed, talking to the guidance counselors can relieve and solve some of your stress.