Stress is something that almost everyone has experienced in life. It can come in many different ways and for teenagers it’s usually related to extracurricular activities, relationships, and school. The stress we experience in our daily lives often increases dramatically during final exams. At North Atlanta, our final exams are during the last couple of weeks of school. In addition to the subject final exams our teachers administer, many students are also coping with state-administered tests such as the EOC, AP exams, and IB exams. The stakes are high and the pressure can be intense.

Many students panic when it comes to finals because either they have not yet studied or they are unclear about the material that they learned. Unfortunately, it is not unusual for students to procrastinate until the last minute and then try to cram a semester’s worth of material into the few days before the test. Some students claim this approach improves their performance, but the reality is that such behaviors are actually counter-productive. Waiting until the last week or few days before a final exam creates more stress; it increases anxiety, reducing the brain’s ability to learn and retain the information increased anxiety.

Given that finals are already upon us, those who have already procrastinated have no choice but to pull all-nighters and hope for the best, right? Wrong. There are many things students can do to lower their stress and improve their performance. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Get plenty of sleep. This may sound counter-intuitive because time is of the essence, but depriving yourself of sleep won’t help you study any better. If your body is exhausted, your brain simply cannot absorb and retain the information you are staying up all night to review.
2. Eat well and exercise. Stooped over your desk eating chips and drinking soda is a recipe for disaster. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables to feed your brain and exercise to provide it with the nutrients that it needs to function the best.
3. Eliminate distractions. Turn off all social media and texting while studying. Multi-tasking is a myth. Studies show that using social media while studying significantly interferes with attention to and retention of information.
4. Form a study group. Study groups can be helpful if everyone in the group is capable of and serious about helping each other. Be careful not to allow the group time to turn into social hour which can result in losing valuable time.

Stress is inevitable during final exams. While these tips can’t eliminate stress, they can help to reduce it. Taking care of yourself will allow you to study more effectively. Reducing stress and studying more effectively guarantee better performance on final exams.