Finals are the most stressful and overwhelming time of each semester. It was hard enough studying for each test the last couple of months, but how are you supposed to study for a test in every class covering everything you have learned! It’s a tall task, but it is manageable with the right tools and preparation. The tutors at the Study Hut are ready to arm you with the weapons necessary to conquer the dreaded week.

Probably the most important key to studying for finals is budgeting time. You have to have realistic expectations for each class and weigh the pros and cons of time spent studying for each class. If I have a C+ in math and need to nail my final to get a B, I’ll put more time into that class than in English which comes easy to me and I have a solid A. Once you decide how important each final is, now you have to make sure you set time aside for each, and work both diligently, and effectively.

A second key to studying for finals is simply knowing WHAT to study. Believe it or not, finals are usually far easier than the individual chapter tests. This is because on the final, the teacher is going to test the big concepts from each section, not the nitty gritty details like those tested in a chapter test. With the help of your Study Hut tutor, you can go through your old tests and assignments and realistically pick and choose what you must dedicate more time to studying.

So remember: Don’t panic, stay organized, take your tutors advice, and study diligently. Good things will come. Best of luck to you all.

It’s mid January, which means all of our students have shaken off the long winter break – and it’s all-encompassing mental freeze- and are gearing up for their finals. Here at Study Hut, we’ve extended our hours and expanded our tutoring capacity to help our students tackle their logarithmic functions, combustion reactions, and preterit tenses before they’re tested on it for the last time this semester. We’ve brought out the big guns this finals season to make sure they’re reviewing what they know, filling in any gaps in knowledge, and gaining confidence in subjects ranging from Pre-Algebra to AP Biology, but are doing so in a comfortable environment. This past week, I’ve personally logged over 50 hours of just finals tutoring, complete with much needed Goldfish cracker and Oreos breaks.

Obviously students should be studying all semester long to keep up with all relevant concepts, but there is no substitute for getting some extra one-on-one tutoring right before the test. Our tutors are experts in many different fields of study, so the instruction the students get in here is second only to what they get in class (and sometimes even better).

I always make certain that building confidence is a focal point in tutoring my students, as well as emphasizing the importance of working a little every day. Tutoring is a lot like baseball practice: you don’t skip practice and then do a six-hour scrimmage the day before a tournament and hope to win. You practice your plays day-by-day and BAM! The day of the game you’re ready. Finals are the same – with daily practice, paying attention to homework assignments (those questions WILL be on the final), and then a solid review of the semester’s teachings (whether or not the teacher provides a study guide), you will be game-day ready. So, study up for finals, kids, and come into Study Hut for some awesome one-on-one tutoring to make sure you’ll hit it out of the park!

Ah, final exams. That glorious time of year. (I’m just kidding; I’ve heard finals called many things, and “glorious” has never been one of them). They are daunting, difficult, and above all, important to your final grade. But the good new is that they CAN BE BEATEN! (Huzzah!) It all depends on HOW you bring the fight to them. Luckily, that’s kind of a specialty here in the Study Hut.

Now, it’s difficult to write a catch-all strategy that will help you study for ALL of your finals. Mainly because you’re going to be using completely different methods for completely different tests. You wouldn’t study for a geometry test the same way you’d study for history. HOWEVER, there are similarities. Number one (and this should be completely obvious, but you’d be amazed how many people don’t do it): Give yourself enough time. Finals are not like other tests. You cannot start studying for them a few days before, and expect to be all right. Ideally, you should have started studying for each test AT LEAST 2 weeks before the test date. Remember, these tests include everything you’re studying now, PLUS everything else you’ve studied in the semester. You need time to review concepts, do practice problems, plan essays, ask questions, etc.

Number two: Organization. The very first thing you should do, before even cracking open your text book, is set up a schedule for yourself. This may sound like a chore, but you would not believe how much pressure it takes off of you. It’s a lot less scary to look at a list of things you need to accomplish than it is to stare at 6 months of notes and not know where to start. For example, I’m working with a student who has to study for a History final, covering 6 chapters and about 400 years of history. SO, we set up a schedule that he’d study exactly one chapter per night for six days (not too hard to do). Since he started so early (see Tip 1), by the time he’s done with those six chapters, he’s going to have a full week left before his test. Now, he can use that week to go more in depth, bring problems to his teacher, and make himself more confident before the test. It’s a lot easier to study a huge amount of material if you break it up into small pieces, and have ample time to do so.

And number three: Confidence. Finals are stressful. We’ve all been there. Make sure that you get a full night’s sleep the night before. And (this is huge), don’t go nuts cramming 15 minutes before the test. By that point, you know everything you’re going to know. Give yourself that 15 minutes to decompress. Just close the book, and trust in the fact that you’ve put in the proper work. You’d be amazing what a difference it makes to go calmly into a test.

If you follow this tips (and of course, come see your friends at your local, neighborhood Study Hut), you’ll greatly increase your chances at doing well on your final exams. Good luck!