As finals season approaches, cortisol levels begin to spike and panic begins to set in as students around Elmwood Park High School prepare to take on the final wave of testing before the long awaited and highly anticipated summer break. Throughout the course of the three dreaded testing days, students are challenged to utilize their time correctly in order to reflect success through each test they embark on. However, did you know there are several strategies that can facilitate the process and put a temporary halt to the overbearing stress? Here are 5 things you can do to guarantee a smooth sailing finals week! 

1. Prioritize Sleep 

Sleep is an essential component when it comes to the academic environment. Even if it’s just an ordinary school day, minimized sleep can negatively alter your performance. On finals week, sleep matters more than ever, yet it tends to be neglected by many. According to Keshav Saigal at the University of Stanford, sleep is a powerful tool in achieving academic success because “all the cognitive gains happen when you’re asleep; sleep solidifies your memories of the day, which is necessary for you to recall what you studied” (Keshav, 2024). Additionally, by allowing yourself to receive an adequate amount of sleep, your focus is heightened. This is an enormously beneficial tool to have going into test taking, since it becomes easier to think clearly and evade accidental mistakes. On the contrary, lessened sleep can result in intensified distractions, anxiety, and a diminished focus. As your study session progresses through the night, it may seem ideal to keep yourself awake and continue studying, however all that is doing is harming your performance. It is essential to prioritize your sleep during a week of tremendous importance. 

2. Avoid Cramming  

Cramming during finals week may feel like the swiftest strategy to study and consume all the information necessary to absolutely crush your exams, however it’s far from effective. The difficulty of retaining information rises when cramming for exams, in addition, your understanding of the topic will not be as profound. According to Sukru Burc Eryilmaz, an electrical engineering professor at Stanford University, mental blocks in attempting to recollect crammed information are common. Eryilmaz explains that these mental blocks occur due to the “ongoing stress the brain has been placed under. In a sense, cramming for exams has a higher risk of backfiring and potentially causing students to score lower, compared to if they had scheduled healthier periods of study time in advance of the test date.” (Eryilmaz 2025) When all of this is taken into account, it is vital to carve out a designated time dedicated to studying early on, therefore cramming won’t be necessary. This gives your brain sufficient time to digest all the information needed and can enhance your performance. 

3. Eat Appropriately 

Another crucial element tied to a stellar performance during finals week is eating appropriately and keeping yourself hydrated at all times. These two things hold a hefty weight on how smooth the brain and body function, and during finals week, we know that is fundamental to succeed. When not enough water is consumed and meals are skipped, things like fatigue, increased irritability, headaches, and dizziness begin to develop. With these things present during finals week, it sets you behind as factors like these are likely to weigh into your performance and studying. It can decrease your focus and alertness while testing, which can result in making simple mistakes or elevated confusion. As known by many, food is fuel, therefore we should utilize it to fuel our bodies during a week like this since it’s of great help. 

4. Avoid Procrastination

During such a stress-filled week, it is natural to feel inclined toward none other than the infamous procrastination method. An object in motion stays in motion, therefore it’s effective to develop certain tactics and strategies to get yourself to commence the study session process early on. After the first study session, it’ll become much easier to continue on to the next and so on. However, this isn’t to be confused with the commonly executed practice where students attempt to consume large quantities of information in an unhealthy period of time. It’s effective to map out a well thought through schedule regarding preparation time, that way your brain doesn’t crash with the stress of it all. As we know, finals week stretches across 3 days, which is of aid when it comes to utilizing your time wisely. However, the time available between these three days certainly isn’t sufficient to study for an entire exam, which is why studying should begin much earlier than that and should be proportioned evenly. 

5. Keep Calm 

Stress is present in each corner you turn during a week of constant exams, which is why it’s of great significance to stay calm through it all. It’s super common for students to overwork themselves due to the lingering thought of the major importance these exams hold on their grades, which can eventually result in burnout and exhaustion. After these exams come to a close, school does as well, which can serve as a reward for many since summer break is eagerly awaited throughout the building. Although certain tests may set overbearing panic, don’t allow it to steer you into a direction of overexertion since that can only worsen everything. That being said, I hope you have a smooth sailing finals week and do exceptionally well on every test you take.

References: 

Eryilmaz, S. (n.d.). Sukru Burc Eryilmaz | Stanford University. Web.stanford.edu. https://web.stanford.edu/~eryilmaz/cramming_is_ineffective.html

Scullin, M. K. (2018). The Eight Hour Sleep Challenge During Final Exams Week. Teaching of Psychology, 46(1), 55–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628318816142

Sleep and Academic Excellence: A Deeper Look – Lifestyle Medicine. (2024, January 11). Stanford.edu. https://lifestylemedicine.stanford.edu/sleep-and-academic-excellence-a-deeper-look/

The Importance of Nutrition When Studying for School Exams. (2024). Repton.org.uk. https://www.repton.org.uk/the-importance-of-nutrition-when-studying-for-school-exams