It's that time again, the one that all college students have been dreading, FINALS! I know none of us are looking forward to them, but we have no choice. I have some tips and tricks that should make your finals stress free and easy, or at least less stressful than usual.


1. STUDY, STUDY, STUDY!
I feel like this one is kind of obvious, however so many people don't do it. To pass your finals, you have to study and I mean really study. Studying is not glancing over some pages in your textbook while you watch tv or play on your phone. To truly study, you must completely turn off all distracting technology and focus solely on the information you need to know. I personally recommend getting the app "Self Control" for your laptop. It blocks certain websites from your access for a certain amount of time. For example when I am studying for exams, I typically set the timer for a hour to 2 hours. Throughout that whole time, I cannot visit any websites that I have under my blocked list. These include twitter, instagram, tumblr and many many more. This is a great way to make sure you are completely focused on studying.

2. DO NOT CRAM
I cannot stress this enough. DO NOT CRAM. This is just the worst thing you could ever do. Your brain is not made to try to fit a ton of information in it within 24 hours. I advise studying a week before your exam. However, I know that isn't always realistic. So I would say begin studying at LEAST 3 days before the exam. You need enough time to really embed the information into your brain and 24 hours is just not enough time. By breaking up your studying into multiple days, you will be able to digest it better. SO DO NOT CRAM.

3. LISTEN TO MUSIC
Listening to music while studying for finals is great. It can be a way to help you recall the things that you learned. However you cannot just listen to any kind of music, studies have shown that rap, R&B and other genres do not help but rather they hinder you while studying. I suggest you listen to classical music. Yes I know for most of us that sounds horrible, but it truly helps. The least you could do is just listen to it for finals week.

4. GET ENOUGH SLEEP
I know many of us have the tendency to pull all nighters the week of finals. However thats not always the best idea. Yes, you want to cram all the information in before you take the test, but that can end up hurting you rather than helping you. You could do so much cramming that you enter the testing site and forget everything. I recommend that you get at least 5-6 hours of sleep before taking an exam. My motto is if you don't know by the night before the final, you just don't know it. You want to get some rest so you actually have energy to get through the test itself.

5. WATCH VIDEOS
There are videos on many subjects on Youtube. I personally like to watch the Crash Course videos to review for history or science. Sometimes you forget some of the concepts in class, and the quickest way to refresh your memory is to watch a video on it. This way you don't have to pull out your textbook and read. You just simply watch the video and take a few notes, and you'll be good.

6. BREAKS, BREAKS, BREAKS
I cannot stress this enough. TAKE BREAKS. It is so hard to keep yourself going for 2 to 3 hours at a time. It is okay to take a 10-15 minute break to look at your phone or get a snack. However, try not to let the breaks exceed this time limit because you will end up getting distracted. Breaks are important to give your mind a little rest from all the studying and hard work. Honestly, your brain needs to relax every once in awhile.

On the day of the test, make sure to arrive early so you can get a good seat and be comfortable. Bring a bottle of water and a piece of gum. Gum is said to make it easier to remember the information that you studied. Also, mint gum in particular can make you more awake and alert which is super important when taking an exam. Finals is the only thing standing between you and Summer break. Just take a breath, and ace that test! Good luck!