As the first semester quickly draws to a close, student stress levels are at a all time high. In addition to maintaining their grades, they now have one more thing to worry about: final exams.
As you go through high school, you start to become more and more accustomed to preparing for the tests and you start to know what you have to do to pass the tests.
Sophomores, having gone through finals once before, are a little more prepared than last year. “I’m going to focus on the subjects that I’ll have the earliest,” said Sophomore Lauren Primer. “I’ll allocate my time efficiently for each subject depending on their difficulty.”
However, even with the additional experience, Sophomore year can still be difficult. “I have more challenging classes this year, so there’s a lot more material to focus on than last year,” Primer said.
Some students change their habits when exams roll around. “I have to give up watching TV,” said Junior Brazil-Lewis Boursaw. “I’m going through old worksheets and asking teachers about topics that I don’t remember or was first unsure of.”
Having been through finals can take the prsesure off, but Juniors have the additional worry of looking at the year as key to getting into their chosen college.
“I am somewhat more comfortable this year,” Lewis-Boursaw said. “The results depend on how much effort I’ve put into this semester. It’s nothing to stress about. Either I know it or I don’t.”
While the stereotype is that Senior year can be a time to slack off and take it easy, Katie Wallner is taking a different approach than most in her final year.
“Note cards help a lot when it comes to studying,” Wallner said, giving some wisdom to the underclassmen. “Don’t forget to take good notes, and study for classes that are the hardest first and save the easier ones for later.”
Finals begin on Tuesday December 18th and continue through Thursday December 20th. Exams for Periods 1,2 and 3 will be held on Tuesday, Periods 4 and 5 will be held on Wednesday and Periods 6 and 7 on Thursday. Winter Break begins on Friday.