HEART pounding, knees shaking, palms sweating – these are just a couple of symptoms that indicate one may have a final coming up.  Schools around the world have assessments interspersed throughout the year, but there’s commonly one at the end of a quarter or semester to test one’s progression of ideas and concepts in the course.

Granger has these dreaded finals, done primarily through School City. There is also the end of the year test.

Now, I know what everyone is thinking. “Once I graduate, I’m done with this testing crap.” For some, this may be true. For many, however, testing doesn’t end here.  Actually, finals in college are just a bit more intense, as most students will claim.

As finals start approaching, I’ve seen my friends start going crazy – or at least even more crazy – trying to cram all of the stuff they need to remember to pass the tests. This self-hate and energy drink-fueled period of intense studying usually lasts for about a week or two before finals are finally over.

This may seem a little extreme, but since these tests are usually a huge part of final grades, it makes sense to do anything in order to avoid failing classes that cost several hundred dollars.

So, now that tests are here to stay, what is the best way to prepare for them? Surely not delving so deep into studying the last weeks that people begin to think their loved ones will never come back.

Even though this is a relatively common method, someone is more likely to remember information if they start studying earlier. It’s easier to learn a lot of information over a long period of time than cram it in during a short period of time. Furthermore, it is also conductive to getting more sleep when one isn’t pressed for time.

However, if it’s too late and finals are already approaching quickly, never fear, there are still things to be done other than laminating your notes so that your tears roll off.

One of the most helpful things is study on a schedule. While not being the most fun thing, it helps because not all tests are created equal. Essentially, some tests will be worth more on the final grade, some tests will require more preparation, etc. Whatever the reason, it will be more crucial to study for some tests, so making a schedule, prioritizing it, and then sticking to it will help tremendously.

Another thing that is helpful about schedules is breaks. Scheduling in few of those will help overall, even if it seems like one is too pressed for time. I know that breaks keep me from falling asleep, getting distracted, or crying while studying.

OK, breaks over, back to the studying. As mentioned before, prioritization is key, and this isn’t just when comparing one test to another. When figuring out what to study inside a subject, it helps to color-code notes by concepts of ranging importance.

To help students do this, some teachers give out an outline of the course. However, this is just a guide, not a strict law, so don’t be afraid to deviate and study things not included on it if there’s time. This, of course, brings it back to the principal point: start studying earlier.

Whatever the method, good luck with finals. “May the odds be ever in your favor,” as Effie Trinket said in the Hunger Games when kids went off to almost certain death.