A Complete Guide To Surviving Finals Week

Finals Week, aka hell week. It doesn’t matter if finals week is in a month, I start FREAKING OUT right at the beginning of the semester. Finals week is probably the most overwhelming week of the entire semester, filled with stress and anguish to find out if you’ll pass that class you’ve been struggling with the entire semester. Finals week sucks, and it sucks even more, when some professors want to include an entire semesters worth of content into one single exam. Luckily, I have some tips that will help you survive!

Before finals week

Pay attention in class

I know this is very hard to do in some classes, but if you pay attention in class it’s going to be easier to study. You will remember and learn the subject. That way you won’t need to go over it as much as you would if you hadn’t payed attention in class. Besides, some professors give some details about exams during their classes. They might not always do it in an obvious way, but they sometimes just repeat something trying to get the students to memorize it, or simple things like that. So, don’t skip class before finals week and try to pay attention.

Related: 7 things I do to get good grades in college

Clear your schedule

If you want to get a good grade or just save a class, you need to focus on your finals and only finals. Clear your schedule and make time on your day to study. Yes, I know studying 24/7 sucks, but the best thing about finals week is that you get to party all you want after that. So keep calm, study and then party!

Related: 6 tips to manage better your time and get things done

Study ahead

The worst thing you can probably do is waiting until the last minute to start studying. I know finals week is really overwhelming, and you might have probably even forgotten about the exam or you might’ve procrastinated way too much. Either way, you should always try to avoid a situation like that. You’ll just feel extra stressed and extra overwhelmed. Try to start studying a couple days or a week beforehand.

If I’m being completely honest I usually just pull all nighters and study the night before. I always get a decent or good grade. I relax and procrastinate until one day before the exam and then I just study like crazy and don’t sleep. Which definitely doesn’t work for everyone but it works for me. I’m currently working on a guide to get good grades with just pulling an all-nighter. Leave your email before to get a notification once the post is up. I pinky promise I won’t spam you!

Get organized

This goes along with clearing your schedule and studying ahead. A thing that can make studying easier is separating and prioritizing all the topics and things you have to go over. Like old notes, videos and papers. Separate these into sections.

I know sometimes there’s just way too much to go over and you can feel really overwhelmed because it might seem impossible to study and know all of that information for the exam. But separating that information into smaller sections, will make studying easier and more bearable.

Find what works for you

I’ve read some blog posts about surviving finals week, and all of them give the same tips regarding the way you should study. But truth is, everyone has different ways to study and the same technique doesn’t work for everyone, because we all are different.

For example, I like to study alone and pull all-nighters. Because its quiet at night and I can focus better. But my roommate would never pull an all nighter, because she’d rather study with friends during the day. There’s no wrong or right way to study, there’re just different ways. My point is, you should find what works better for you and you should stick to it. If you feel like studying at night works better for you, do it. And if you feel like reading things aloud helps you understand better then, do that. Do what works for you.

Find a place where you can focus

We already talked about how everyone learns differently, and the same rule goes for places. While, some people can focus on crowded places, others find it distracting and can’t get anything done (like me). So find what works for you, whether it’s studying at your favorite cafe, at the library or in your room.

I always get distracted by the smallest thing, so my go-to places to study are the study rooms at the library or the study lounges in my building. But here’s a fun fact, I normally wait until its like ten at night to go to study. Why? Because at that time, people are already going to bed and there aren’t many distractions. No one texts me anymore, no emails, no distractions. And it is so quiet, so, for me, studying at night/early morning or dawn is the best. What works for you?

Calculate your grades

A thing I like to do once the semester starts is setting a goal, for example getting an A in a class. And when finals week is around the corner, I like to calculate my grades and find out what grade I would need to get on my final, to be able to achieve the goal I’ve set once the semester began. I guess it’s a way of motivating myself. But also, you should do it if you’re trying not to fail a class. Always calculate your grades and find out what grade you need and work towards it. It gives you an idea of how hard you need to study to get it. Sometimes, you might not even need to study hard, and sometimes you’ll need to study harder than you thought.

Be positive

Finals week sucks, but if you keep a positive mindset, believe you can achieve your goals and work towards them, then you can achieve whatever you set your mind to.

During finals week

Study in groups

I personally prefer studying alone just because I get distracted really easy. So what I like to do when studying, is using Quizlet. I love the learn and test features, it really helps me memorize things and I feel better and more prepared for an exam when using quizlet. So you should give it a try! With that being said, there’s sometimes things I simply do not understand and need someone to explain it to me like they would explain it to a 5 year old. And that is when I study with friends so we help each other out!

Doing something with friends is better than doing it alone, so get some study buddies and study together! You can help each other explain stuff you don’t understand, two brains think faster and better than one, right? Also, now you have someone to stress over finals with.

Know when to stop studying and relax

I know finals week is so stressful and I know you just want to save the semester or you just want a good GPA. But being stressed and putting yourself under so much pressure is just unhealthy. Don’t push yourself through a 5+ hour study session. Take breaks. A thing you could do is maybe put away your phone while studying and then reward yourself with some phone time when you take a break. You can take 15 minute breaks, 30 minute breaks or longer breaks. I normally take a 30 minute break every 2 hours and I watch some Netflix and just relax and forget about finals for a bit.

Don’t forget to take care of yourself

Yes, it’s hell week, I know it sucks. You might be studying 24/7 but please don’t forget to take care of yourself. Don’t forget to eat, to drink water and to relax and give yourself some me-time.

Exercise

If you’re like me, you’ll probably stop going to the gym during finals week and you’ll study instead. It might seem smart and the perfect move to get a good GPA and ace finals, but exercising can be more beneficial than reading your notes again and over again. Hitting the gym, running or doing one kind of sport helps to take your mind off of things. It helps you relax and reduce stress. If these reasons are not enough then you should read why you should work out during finals week.

Comprehend not memorize

I know sometimes memorizing is just easier than putting on the work and trying to actually understand something. Understanding sometimes takes more time and effort than just reading a flashcard and memorizing it. But when you actually comprehend something, it’s more unlikely you’ll forget it.

Avoid using Adderall

If you didn’t know already, Adderall is a study drug. It is used for treating ADHD, but a lot of college students take it to study. It improves mental focus and productivity, while giving you a boost of energy, making it tempting to consume during finals week. You just take it and then you can focus better, study all night and ace your finals, right? Well, you should think twice before consuming it. It can be highly and it has side effects, like loss of appetite, insomnia, anxiety, nervousness, headaches and nausea.

I feel study drugs is something bloggers don’t talk about. Before starting a blog, I’d always read college blogs and not even once I’ve heard about study drugs, which I find really weird because it is a big topic in college and it’s something that I feel people should talk more about.

After finals week

Reward yourself

You made it through the worst week of the entire semester! It’s something you should celebrate about, regardless of your grades. You won’t get them until after, so celebrate and party while you can. Also get some sleep!

Accept it

If you failed a class or your grade wasn’t what you expect, just accept it. It’s just one class, you can retake it over summer or next semester and you’ll do better next time. It is okay to retake a class. College isn’t meant to be easy and sometimes no matter how hard you try, you can fail a class. Don’t be hard on yourself, accept it, move on, study harder and next time you’ll kill it!

Hope these tips help you survive finals week. And best luck on your finals. If you have any other tips leave them in the comments below.