Alright freshies, the dreaded time has come. The time has come for you to brush the dust off those old tests and quizzes, break out the flash cards and prepare for the culmination of your first semester of high school: finals week.

The idea of having seven cumulative tests all within the same week may seem a bit daunting to say the least. But have no fear, because freshman finals really aren’t terrible if you know how to conquer them.

Since y’all are rookies in this finals business, here are a few tips for survival and success from someone who was in your shoes just three years ago.

1. Study: This is sort of a ‘well duh’ tip but it’s true — if you don’t study, you’re basically setting yourself up for failure. As they say, “failing to prepare is preparing to fail”. Personally, especially this year, I have struggled to motivate myself to study. When I don’t study, I always find myself saying: “Oh Magswag, if only you had studied for 10 minutes, you could have easily gotten an ‘A'”. When I do choose to study, I always do infinitely better. So don’t give yourself a chance for regret and instead, batten down the hatches and dedicate yourself to studying a reasonable amount for each class.
2. Wake up extra early on the days you have finals: You honestly don’t want to risk being short on time while taking the test that is basically the determinant of your grade in a class. So give yourself a nice 30-minute buffer to ensure you won’t be late for any of your tests. A friend of mine was late to one of his finals last year and let’s just say he didn’t do very well in that class.
3. Use RogerHub: RogerHub is ‘bless’. RogerHub is ‘bae’. And as Sara mentioned in her print story, RogerHub is the go-to oracle when it comes to final exams. It would be impossible to allocate the same amount of time to study for every class so RogerHub helps you calculate the grade you need to get on each final so that you can prioritize what you need to study most.
4. Replace the batteries in your calculator the day before your math final: Regardless of what math class you’re in, or if you know your stuff or not, the use of a calculator on your final exam could be the difference between an ‘A’ and a ‘C’. Finals typically have a high quantity of challenging questions and your calculator will be incredibly beneficial in ensuring that you complete your test with astounding accuracy and efficiency.
5. Get organized with your old class work: The worst possible situation to be stuck in is scrambling for a study guide or equation sheet on the morning of your final. So try to backtrack and collect all of your old work that you are going to be tested on. I find it helpful to divide each subject into sections and study what you don’t know first.
6. Don’t wait until the last minute — start studying early: if you still haven’t started studying, well God bless your soul. Please don’t wait ’til the night before to start studying either because cramming will end up doing you more harm than good.
7. Get enough sleep so you don’t die: If you fall asleep while taking the exam, you probably won’t do very well. And if your mind falls asleep during your final, and you are unable to think or focus, you are not in luck. In order to combat this, strive for between seven and eight hours of sleep every night during finals week. Although it’s tempting to stay up late and study, a tired mind absorbs nothing so it would actually be more beneficial to get some shut eye.
8. Eat breakfast: For starters, it’s hella embarrassing when your stomach starts rumbling in the middle of an otherwise silent classroom. And it’s even worse during a final because everyone will get mad at you for being distracting. Also, you’re not going to be able to function on an empty stomach, even if you typically don’t eat breakfast. Your brain needs serious fuel, and feeding it is the key to success.
9. GUM: When you’re trying to focus on studying, it’s sometimes helpful to keep your mouth occupied. But if you continually eat for one week, you might gain a few unwanted pounds. This is where gum comes in. Gum allows you to feel like you’re eating, even though you’re not consuming any calories. The chewing required by a piece of gum helps to keep your body alert and awake, even when you’re tired.
10. Coffee: Caffeine is always the answer, my freshie friends. It will increase your focus and productivity and give you the little extra boost you need to study for another hour.