Its the time of year again, and no not break time, finals… the time of year every student dreads and has nightmares about. Finals add more stress to the already stressful school year, which makes students want to quit. Depending on the class, finals can vary in difficulty. For most students, finals are the hardest tests all year and can seriously impact one’s grade. Teachers work on preparing students to the best of their ability for these extreme tests. While study guides help, there are more helpful study tips for students to ace their finals.

Furthermore, studying for finals can take a huge toll on one’s mental health. Eating healthy and drinking plenty of water up to a week in advance can help improve brain stimulation and thinking strategies. While study guides help there is only so much one can study without the proper brain fuel. TopUniversities recommends eating “brain foods” while studying for finals and before testing. These foods are things like blueberries, nuts, broccoli, dark chocolate, and even coffee. Eating these foods and drinking water helps the brain to function quickly and accurately during studying, helping to retain information.

In addition, preparing for finals and tests in general isn’t just for the week or few weeks in advance. Students should study new materials as soon as they are available. Reviewing and studying new materials as they are given helps make the information clearer as there is more information added to it. Also know the “big picture ideas” and the supporting evidence behind them in order to fully understand the concept. Finally, the most recommend idea from York University is to read through the entire test before starting in order to manage time properly. These simple studying and test taking strategies help lead to successful grades on finals and any important tests.

Last but not least, here are some tips to help study before finals or tests. Students love to cram information in last minute, while it is a huge time saver it can actually make the test grade decrease due to lack of time on getting to know the information. According to Big Ideas studying in 20-50 minute intervals and having a 5-10 minute break in between can help a student retain information better than cramming. During finals there is not much free time in student’s lives, but making time for even 20 minutes of exercise can help reduce stress and take the focus off of studying. Another huge tip is to minimize distractions, such as put phones and technology away and go somewhere where there isn’t a lot of activity to help ensure ample focus. Lastly, instead of using flashcards, try making a practice test and set a time for when it must be completed, this will allow the brain to practice under high stress situations.

Given above are some useful tips to help students pass finals and any major tests. These tips, such as eating healthy and minimizing distractions while maximizing information learned can help students ace their next test. Hopefully students can learn something from these tips and improve their test taking and studying skill sets to further their success.