Finals are one right of spring that all students, regardless of their age, dread. It’s the end of the year, and for many students homework and studying are not what they want to think about. When it comes to taking a final though, it’s unavoidable and crucial and should be approached strategically. There are several methods that can be utilized to increase success on the crucial test day.

Senior Madisyn Warinner advises studying as soon as the teachers give guidelines about what will be on the test. She also warns against focusing too much on only one test that you may think is going to be the hardest and letting the others slide.

“I prepared for my math final the best because I thought it was the hardest one,” Warinner said. “But for the finals that I thought were going to be easier I probably should have studied more.”

A useful method to determine how much to study for each final is online “grade calculators” that can tell you what grade you need to get on a final to maintain or raise your grade a certain amount by entering your current grade, the grade you want after your final, and the percentage of your grade that your final is worth.  For example if you had an 89% in a class and wanted an A after your final, and your final was worth 15% then you’ll need to get a 96% on your final. This way you can accurately decide what grade to aim for on each final and how much time you’ll need to devote to each.

But studying alone is not enough to ensure success on your finals. Preparing mentally by getting 8-9 hours of sleep beforehand contributes to a good grade on test day. Therefore cramming the night before is never a good idea, especially since it could cause you to wake up later than expected.

Instead, you should consider going to sleep earlier than usual, waking up earlier and having more time to relax and prepare mentally for the big day.

“I think doing some relaxation techniques and feeling confidence going into the finals would be helpful,” Counselor Gay Willson said.

Another aspect to consider before test day is brain and body fuel because what you eat beforehand can keep you energized and prevent distraction from hunger. It would also be a good idea to eat between each final or have candy with you to relieve stress.

“I wish I would have eaten breakfast,” junior Haley Hanson said. “I was hungry.”

Some students also use some less conventional techniques for improving their chances on test day, like superstitions and lucky charms.

“I carry around a lucky bracelet that I received from my friend before I moved to Kansas,” junior John Koh said.

Whatever your methods are for final success, using some of these helpful techniques will be sure to improve your overall grades and performance on the finals day.