With the thought of summer stuck in your head towards the end of the year, it’s hard to remember that you have second semester finals. Trust me, it’s hard to find the motivation to pull out all your old notes and textbooks, especially with nice weather. To prevent last minute cramming the night before finals, here are some important tips to consider, so you can be stress-free and ace your second semester finals.   

First, it’s important to know the dates of second semester finals. They start on Wednesday, May 23 and end Friday, May 26. The order of your tests runs like your first semester finals: periods 1,2, and 4 are on the first day, periods 3, 5, and 6 are on the second day, and periods 7 and 8 are on the last day.

Second semester finals should be a little less painful due to the fact that you have already taken first semester finals, and you now know what the final for that class is like. Although both first and second semester finals are similar, they also are very different. Because second semester finals take place at the end of May, the weather can cause procrastination. It’s hard to stay indoors with a textbook while it’s warm and sunny out. Lexi Smolic (10) said that she struggled with this last year.  

“Second semester finals were harder for me to focus on just because of how nice the weather was. It’s hard knowing summer is only a few days away and knowing you still have finals to take,” said Lexi Smolic (10).

Generally because studying for second semester finals is more difficult, studying habits might change. This can go two ways: studying less because you care less, or studying more because it’s hard to care with summer just around the corner. The more you study, the less stressful your finals will be.

“Although it’s annoying to study, I always tend to study a little more for second semester finals,” said Smolic.

Knowing your studying methods will benefit you for the finals. It’s important to know what works best for you, and by second semester finals, you should have a good idea of what it is.  

Riann Newland (11) says that over time she was able to figure out a good studying method.  “Once I learned what worked best for me, everything clicked, and it was much more easy to study,” said Newland.

Newland recommends using flashcards or Quizlet to help improve your memory.  “I usually start off with creating my own study guide.  Then once I review it a few times I will make flashcards,” said Newland.  

It’s also important to take studying breaks while studying.  Study for an hour then take a 30 minute break.  That way you can retain the information you just learned and feel as if you’re starting fresh again when you go back to studying.  If you’re a social person, it might be beneficial to you to study in groups.  This gives you the chance to talk and teach other people about a certain subject.  Not only does it benefit the person you are teaching, but it benefits you to retain the information you know.  

Although studying can be a long process, don’t forget your motivation.  Remind yourself that once you take these few final test it will be summer and that you literally only have 5 or 6 test left in the school year.  It’s also important to know that this could still affect your GPA and it’s important to improve it.     

Seniors who have to take finals might need a little more motivation than any class in the school.  If you aren’t able to exempt a final second semester senior year it can be very difficult to want to study or try.  Corey Takaoka (12) has one math final to take second semester and feels as if it will be difficult to focus.  “It’s hard to care as a second semester senior.  Especially with a solid grade, knowing that it might not affect my grade if I do a poor job, I don’t feel as if I need to study for it.”  

Realistically, if you maintain a solid grade or have a higher percent, it’s still important to study, but you don’t need to devote all your time to that class.  A good tool to use is rogerhub.com.  This website helps you know what you need to get on your final to keep or raise a grade.  I recommend that all grade levels use this before studying for finals.  This lets you know which finals you need to study more on.      
Overall, it’s important to remember to treat second semester finals like first semester.  They both are equally important and can both change your GPA.  Give yourself enough time to study and prevent yourself from procrastination.  Remind yourself that you have done this before and that will benefit you this semester.  Summer is just around the corner so just relax and good luck!