You have one block to recall everything you’ve learned in the past five months. And as soon as the packet hits your desk, you know that you’re done for—there is no way you’re remembering the first unit of this class.

Many students have faced this situation before. Some ways to prevent it may seem obvious, like to study in advance or to look over old tests, but other ways are a little less so.

First, make sure you know what grade you need on your final to pass the class. There are many grade calculators you can use. Knowing that getting a C on the final won’t plummet your semester grade down will alleviate some stress.

“I review what I am comfortable with at home—usually a subject a day—and save what I cannot do for the review days at school,” senior Sebastian Reed said.

Especially with our schedule right now, it can feel easy to put it off for the two days before, but that means studying two subjects a day on Monday and Tuesday. Starting over the weekend will give you much more time, and you’ll have more energy. 

Studying over the weekend also allows you to prepare questions for your teachers on Monday and Tuesday, so that you can use that in-class time more efficiently. 

I recommend forgoing music while you’re studying. I know it’s boring, but eventually, you’ll be so locked in you won’t even notice. Music distracts me no matter how much I try to convince myself it doesn’t.

Senior Luke Averill recommends taking hourly breaks when you’re in day-long study sessions. A great break idea would be to take a walk, eat a healthy snack, or talk to a friend (who will hold you accountable once it’s time to get back to studying). 

“Also, I can’t stress how useful it is to have someone else to study with not only just ask them any questions that you have but also because it keeps you studying,” Averill said.

Studying doesn’t have to be solitary! As long as they don’t serve as a distraction, having a support study group can help make studying more bearable. 

The most important tip is to get some rest. Pulling an all-nighter will not be worth it. 

“Don’t lose too much sleep over studying, it’s better to get adequate sleep than to get maybe an hour more of studying because you’re probably not going to be that productive if you’re tired anyway,” junior Eme Choi said.