AMY HUANG

Finals are coming up and so are stress levels. Here are my tips to keep studying related stress at a minimum.

1. Study with friends. I find it super helpful to study with a few other friends. However, I like to keep the number of people I study with around four, otherwise it gets too crazy. I also like to study with friends who are around the same level as I am so we can all help each other instead of me always asking for help or having to use my time to teach the class to someone else.
2. Take breaks. Studying for hours on end isn’t always the best bet. I find it helpful to work hard for an hour or so then take a 10-15 minute phone break and go back to studying. Also, for studying after school, I plan it out so that I study for a little, take a few breaks, study more then take a longer dinner break.
3. Ask for help. Teachers are here to help you so take advantage of SOAR and before/after school. It’s okay to ask questions and it’s okay to feel stupid when asking them. Also, ask other students for help. They’re going through the same class as you so they know exactly what you’ve learned. NHS offers tutoring and extra support this week Tuesday after school in the library and Thursday during SOAR in the teachers lounge. This is also a weekly thing so if your chances aren’t looking so hot this semester, it will be there to help you out next semester as well.
4. DON’T CRAM. Cramming does not help you as much as spacing out studying does. Cramming overwhelms you and makes you think you have all this stuff you don’t know. It just feels like a lot since you’re doing it all at once but you really do know more than you think!! There’s not as much stress if you start studying early. So start studying now. Go over a little bit each day and do a big review of everything at the end.
5. Do your reviews. Obviously there’s nothing better to review the semester than a review. SO DO IT. Most teachers make their own review. And guess who makes the test? That same teacher. The review is only there to help you and everything you need to know is in one place. With that being said, only doing the review may not be enough. If you find you don’t know a concept on the review, you should probably look back at your notes/book/ask questions so you actually understand what it is. Purely memorizing the review will not help you that much, unless the test is exactly the same and your teacher has told you that.

I hope these help! Good luck with finals and life and try not to be too stressed out. Also, come to NHS Tutoring Club!!!