The time has come for turning in the last of our assignments as the semester comes to its impending close, with final exams patiently leering in the distance. For those of us with finals to be completed this semester, preparing can be somewhat different than normal. Of course, there is no strict time schedule guiding students to classes they must attend in order to complete the final. Nonetheless, with such an abundance of leeway, there are still final deadlines that must be met. Without the proper diligence to prepare for these due dates, a world of uncertainty may await. This is why it’s more important than ever to create an effective plan of action to take on finals. 

The first step to ensuring your preparation is clearly mapping out the due dates in which you must complete your finals. Since a lot of professors may be providing blocked-out schedules of when finals need to be turned in, you may find that a portion of your own finals may overlap. To deal with instances like these, creating a clear depiction of deadlines will assist in designating times to complete your finals. In part, this will also ensure that you are organized once these times finally come. 

One of the obvious next steps that you will want to take is to study. Studying will strengthen your security in the material that you may be tested on. This step of preparing for finals is most likely no different from you normal studying patterns. Set aside some time to simply look over course material that you know will be on each final and do not forget to create short breaks during the duration of your study times. If you know the final will be comprehensive, look back at all the material you have learned during the semester, and properly test your knowledge. 

If you know a particular final will be an open-book test, you can save a lot of time beforehand by keeping all notes you took during class. If you normally like to study amongst other people, ask one or two students in your class if they would like to make a study group through Zoom. If you are the opposite and enjoy studying on your own time, try visiting websites like Quizlet and Khan Academy, which are both designed for the sole purpose of studying. 

The final step in preparing yourself for finals is to not stress yourself out. Even with the looming intimidation of taking finals online, by taking the to prepare yourself, you are more than likely to succeed.