It's the most wonderful time of the year! Finals Week! Be it high school or college, each and every one of us is terrified of finals. I'm no exception, but I somehow learnt how to deal with the tension during the course of the years and I though that there are so many people out there who have panic or anxiety attacks just thinking of finals, that's why this guide is for each and every one of you who is afraid of failing.

You now have the plan, but you have too much information to accumulate in such a short amount of time. How do you cope with it? How will you be able to remember everything in the day of the exam?
Well, I may be able to help you. Something that helps me a lot is synthetizing the information that I have to learn. I usually grab the books and many pieces of paper and start writing down everything important. This takes me a couple of hours, usually, but it mostly depends on your own pace. After I write everything down, I underline the key words. This strategy saved me multiple times and I suggest it to everyone who has trouble learning for tests/exams! It really helps to have all of your essential information gathered in one place!

3. Learn how to learn

The most common problem when it comes to learning, is that students don't actually know how to learn!
I realized this when a friend of mine came to me, totally desperate, and begged me to teach her how to learn, claiming that she couldn't understand anything.
Well, I strongly believe that one should not memorize all that stuff that you have for exams, even though it's the easiest way: memorize everything now and then delete it shortly after from your head; after all, who's gonna use it now that Finals Week is through? Students should try to truly understand the subject that is being taught, but, sadly, due to the pressure that is on their shoulders, they choose the easy way.
A few reasons why memorizing is bad? First of all, it doesn't make you more inteligent and good in that subject, it just shows that you have a better memory than all the other students. Isn't this the point of Finals? you may ask. Well, true, but I think that the point of finals and school, in general, is, frankly, to make you a working adult, in whatever field you choose. Its main purpose is to make us, the students, accumulate as much as possible, in order to become good adults, professionals, so that the society could actually benefit from our hard work. Sad, huh? But being passionate about something is a good thing, because fuck the society, if it makes you happy, do it as best as you can, right? Second, it makes you lose the exercise of learning, that's why further in life you won't be able to accumulate anymore, and it will affect your job performance. Last, it makes you more superficial, and this will affect your grades because memory can easily deceive you.
That's why I suggest, when you first pick up the books to learn for Finals, to read everything first, while paying attention to the small details. Read as many times as it takes for you to truly understand the subject. What works for me is learning as if everything is a fairytale that my grandmother told me when I was little and that made me eager to learn it myself. If I treat every subject as if it is a fairytale, I can learn much more than I did when I was thinking that the subjects were a drag.

4. Ask for help

If you ever have doubts, don't be afraid to ask for help! Most people don't do it because they're embarassed or anxious or because they don't want to be seen as dumb, but I'm telling you, asking for help is  normal and healthy and actually helps you learn much better.
Who to ask for help? Well, anyone! Ask your friends to come over so you can quiz each other; ask your teacher to explain one more time after class if you haven't understood the subject when he/she taught it for the first time; ask your family to quiz you or talk to them about the subjects as if you're trying to make them understand.
What works for me is study groups, usually with my best friend and my boyfriend. We usually gather at my place, spread our books on the floor and ask each other for help. For instance, if I don't know a lesson and my friend knows it, I ask her to teach me the lesson and explain it the way she understood it. It's efficient and pleasant and it's an excuse to spend more time with your loved ones!

5. Don't push yourself

Knowing when to stop is very important, not only when it comes to learning, but in general, in life, having balance is important. When it comes to Finals, knowing when to take a break saves you from depression. Literally. I know it saved me! That's why you should be gentle with yourself, take breaks when you feel tired, feed yourself properly and SLEEP! Sleep depravation won't do anything good. Also, if you pull an all-nighter before the exam, I guarantee this will not increase your chances of getting a high grade, but it will lower them. Make sure you feed, rest and clean properly and you'll be fine.

I hope that my "Survival Guide" has helped you overcome some of your problems regarding Finals, dear Reader. If you have any questions, feel free to ask ! I love questions!