Mitchell Sparks | Staff Writer
So.. you are sitting in the media center, scrambling through old notes packets trying to gather as much information as you can before your final because the teacher didn’t provide a study guide. Nervousness, petrification and fear are the emotions flowing through your body for the upcoming dreaded finals that may make or break your grade.
To avoid situations as such, here is a guide to help you pass your finals with the grade you want.
Know the grade you want
Simply put, there are two types of students when it comes to studying for finals: students who want to get the best grade possible and students that just want to pass the class. Knowing what you need to get on the final to achieve the grade you want provides a sense of security so you are prepared for all possible final grade outcomes.
To entertain all outcomes of your final grade, visit this webpage to find out.
(http://mhs.marionunit2.org/testing/calculator.html)
You can use this website to find out what happens to your semester grade if you were to get an
A, A-, B+, etc. on the final. Remember, we are on the 40 40 20 scale. Finals count for 20% of your semester grade.
‘Use your time wisely and don’t get distracted’
During finals week, the schedule is set up to give students two hour and a half study periods. These periods should be dedicated to reviewing and studying for your upcoming exams, but in this day and age it is very easy to get distracted by your technological devices.
Taking a “Social Media Break” that causes you to start checking Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter or watching a couple Youtube videos may seem harmless, but it will end up hurting you in the long run if you get too distracted by it. While studying, either put your phone in your bookbag or even give it to a friend and tell them to not give it to you until the end of the period.
You have all summer to look at social media, so use the time given to your advantage.
‘Resources, resources, resources!’
There are many study resources available for students to study for their exams. My favorite and the most prominent being Quizlet.
Quizlet is a great tool for memorization purposes as well as learning the material as quickly as possible. If your teacher does not provide a Quizlet for your exam, do not panic! There is most likely a Quizlet out there similar and sometimes the exact content you need to learn.
In the rare case that you cannot find a Quizlet matching your study guide, make one! Students are under the preconceived notion that making a Quizlet is time-consuming and difficult but Quizlet has an auto-predict feature that will assess your question and provide possible answers for you to select. This means less typing and more time for studying!
‘There is no such thing as a bad question’
Last but not least, ask questions! Asking your teacher questions allows you to be more prepared for your final because you do not want to be stuck in a position where the material you studied is not on the final.
Do not be scared to ask, it’s their job to answer your questions. Also, do not just depend on your teacher, there are at least 20 other people in your class that could provide help for you. Creating a study group is a very efficient way of learning, working with others possibly isn’t the right option for something like a project but with a study group, you all have the same goal of passing.
