Ace The Finals: Making It Happen, Together

Congratulations! You made it to the finish line – can’t leap over it just yet  BUT, you are all right there, together, to ace the finals!  Oh he tried to quit; she was going to give up....but the crew was not hearin' it.  'Cause you all came too far to stop now, right?

So, what to do, at this point?  Study….. together.  Sometimes we need cheerleaders in our corner to release some ot the stress of test-taking.  Whether it's comic relief or just being in each other's intellectual company, we need support.  Besides, unless you were absent most of the school year or just not paying attention in class, you shouldn’t have much to worry about.  Actually, at this point in the ‘game’, you should really be reviewing…not cramming, or doing intense studying.

Here are a few tips to ease the anxiety of taking your upcoming finals:

♪Study Together – at least a few times. Everyone could use a cheerleader in their corner.  Plus, it helps to hear the insight from others who are doing well in the subject you are studying.  Go to a park, Star Bucks®, someone’s home and have ice tea (no not the alcohol version!), review and enjoy your company!

♪Surf The 'Net – I tutor students in my spare time and I can’t tell you how helpful AND fun it is to research a topic on the internet, especially when the student and I come across videos that explain the subject better.  Example:  Need a refresher on graphing quadratic equations?  Click here for video! http://www.mathexpression.com/graphing-quadratic-equations.html  Check out this link on cloning and learn about other cellular activity!  http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/videos/biology/cloning.html

♪Attack! - embrace the challenge.  YOU take the test, don't let it "take you"!  Now of course you’re going to experience ‘butterflies’ which is great because it humbles you and makes you want to bring your A game.  So IF you completed all of your assignments and have been performing well (80’s and above) on chapter tests, quizzes, etc. and you participated in class, you shouldn’t have much to worry about.  The finals are a culmination of what you were taught (hopefully) and learned (hopefully) during the school year.  Were you paying attention?

♪Set A Score Goal – and visualize that score on your exams.  Be realistic, though. For most of high school I was on the honor roll (except in math even though I loved it.  I was good in algebra; geometry was another story). So, I had set a score goal of 85 and above in all regents classes and performed well, except for geometry.  I had set a goal of about 70/75. I got a circle-65 (a 65 with a circle around it).  This means I passed by a 'breath'.  I had attended my teacher's extra study session (which I highly recommend as you will see below) where he drilled us on the formulas/theorems of geometric figures.  One of the problems was on the test, I believe it was a triangle, and I knew exactly how to solve the problem.  To this day, though, I feel I could've aimed higher, like 85!

♪Special Study Periods or Sessions With Teachers – GO!  Look, most (great) teachers could give a ‘rat’s tail’ about whether or not you like them.  They just want you to excel.  So when your teacher/s offer extra study sessions, GO!

Besides, if you do like your teachers, why not spend the extra time with them?  They may not be back next year….on the other hand, if they’ve been really good (and you all haven’t gotten on their last nerve LOL), they just might be back!

Ace the finals.....together.

Next On Q’s B-Spot:  The Second Most Important (and Proudest) Walk Of Your Life

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