How to Prioritize Your Final Exams

For many of you, the school year is just about over! Only one thing stands between you and those glorious days of sleeping in and working on your faux-tan: final exams.

As you know, finals can be a major cause of stress. Finals week has you scrambling to study for tests in every single class, and unless you plan to pull a whole bunch of all-nighters (which we don't recommend), you need to prioritize your exams in terms of study time. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when figuring out which tests will require a more thorough review:

1. What percentage of my final grade is each exam worth? If a final for your Chemistry class counts for 30 percent of your grade, it should be a higher priority than the final that only counts for 5%. Find out which exams have the most power to affect your grades and devote more energy and effort to studying for them. Don't waste hours poring over material for a final exam that only counts as a regular test.

2. What classes have I struggled with? While you don't want to jeopardize your A standing and blow off finals in the classes you've aced all year, chances are that your good grades reflect an understanding of the material the final will cover. On the other hand, when preparing for finals in your more difficult classes, you'll likely need more time to review the material —or in some cases, to finally learn it.

3. What kind of final exam is my teacher giving? Some teachers go easy on the final, giving you a single essay question like, "Write about one thing you've learned in this class." Others will give you multiple choice questions impossible to answer unless you've memorized the whole text book. Getting as much information as possible about the type of final your teacher intends to give will help you figure out the best way to study for it.

What do you struggle with when it's time for final exams? Leave a comment, and we’ll see if we can help!

Related post: Study for Your Finals Like  a Pro