What Should You Expect From Finals Week?
Reading Period
Typically, there is a short “reading period” between the last day of classes and the first day of finals week.
It can be anywhere from 2 to 7 days, depending on the school.
There are no classes during reading period.
Reading period is meant to be used for studying what you’ve already learned, so you will not have any new work assigned.
However, you may have final papers or projects that were assigned before the semester ended that are due during this period (or even during finals week itself). This will typically happen instead of a final exam.
Professors or their TAs will very likely hold office hours or review sessions during reading week. Go to those. Sometimes they will indicate exactly what will be on the exams and what you need to study.
Finals Week
Most colleges and universities have dedicated finals weeks at the end of the fall and spring semesters.
They occur AFTER the last day of classes, so you will have no classes during finals week.
Some, but not necessarily all, of your classes will have final exams during finals week.
Some professors will have their final exam on the last day of class, rather than during finals week. This should be clearly stated in the syllabus, and they will likely remind you.
Because some classes may have in-class finals, and other classes may have final projects or papers instead of classes, every student’s finals week will look different.
Some students may have zero final exams, some may have one in every class – likely meaning four or five exams.
Expect to have little control over which days your finals occur. Your hardest final might happen on the first day of Finals week or the last. You may have two finals the first day and one final the last day.
At most schools, if you wind up with three finals scheduled on the same day (this is VERY unlikely), you should be able to have one rescheduled. Talk to one of your professors to learn how to start this process.
At many schools it is normal to never actually see your graded, final exam. It may not be graded until several days after finals week ends, when you are home for winter or summer break. If you would like to see your test, feel free to ask your professor. Depending on the school, they may or may not be expected to share it with you.
How to prepare
Your friends with fewer finals than you may seem less concerned with studying. They may treat reading period or finals week as a time to party or play video games. Similarly, your friends with more finals than you may become totally anti-social during reading period or finals week. Both are typical, and neither should impact how much YOU want or need to study.
Some schools actually hold their first semester finals AFTER winter holiday break. In this case, developing a study routine at home will be necessary – and either more or less challenging, depending on the dynamics at home. Feel free to enlist family support to help hold you accountable for your studying goals.
Most professors will offer some form of study guide or review materials to help you prepare for the exam. Ideally, you should aim to learn all the material mentioned in the study guide. If it’s on the study guide, it’s fair game for it to be on the final exam.
Some final exams will cover all the material you learned that semester – these are called “cumulative” exams. Some will only cover material since the midterm, or the last exam. Your syllabus should tell you which kind of exam you have for each class. If not, ask your professor!
Only study material you’ll actually need to know!
Depending on the class, it may be helpful to review slides (if your professor posts them), your own in-class notes, and/or the textbook.
Refer back to how the professor chose test questions on midterms, quizzes, and/or other tests. If the slides were more helpful back then, they will probably be more helpful now. The same is true for the textbook. Only you know if your effort in note-taking was consistent throughout the semester, but if it was, the same applies to those, too!
Don't plan to sit in front of a computer and textbook for 16 consecutive hours every day. You will burn out and become less effective. Eat three meals per day. Try to stick to your usual sleep schedule. Get some exercise, even if it’s just walking. The 90 minutes you spend eating and moving your body will be better for you than the 15th hour of studying would be.
How to make the most of a study session
Choose a location where you’ll be able to focus, whether that’s the quiet of the library or the buzz of a coffee shop.
Eliminate distractions. Put your phone on silent and keep it in your bag.
If you work well with study buddies, find some! But only study with people you know are going to buckle down and work.
Every once in a while, slow down and take some deep breaths. Breathe in so that it fills up your lungs and your belly expands, then breathe out slooooooowly. This will calm your autonomic nervous system and help you relax.
Break tasks down into smaller pieces and set reasonable goals. If for one class, you need to learn content from six textbook chapters, six accompanying Powerpoints, and eight lectures worth of notes, don’t plan to study all of that in one stretch. Do you have time for three study sessions today? Shoot for two chapters in each!
If you’re someone who has a hard time getting started, know that about yourself, and try to push through. Use strategies to help kick start your studying, whether that means setting a timer or promising to reward yourself after.
Focus. Don't stand up every 5 minutes to get some water, go to the bathroom, text a friend, make a grocery list, look up sports scores, check social media, etc.
If you’re having trouble, try setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes, then taking a five-minute break. Sometimes having a time limit with scheduled breaks can help trick your brain into focusing.
