Semester 1 Finals for the 2025-26 year are quickly approaching. Many students are already well acquainted with the workload and stress that accompany finals, but to the freshman of this year, it can be a scary responsibility.
“I’m not sure how to feel about the big impact on my grade,” says Darian Karimi (‘29).
Teachers around AVHS are putting in the work to assist students for this climatic end to the semester. For many classes, teachers try to incorporate review into their lesson plans in creative ways to prepare students.
“One of the…things that they did in AP Psych which can fit into a lot of classes: after every test, they would have us write down information that we wish we had on the test, like a sort of feedback machine for ourselves, so that, in the future, we can understand exactly what we got wrong. I feel like that could benefit almost every class,” says Omar Azimi (‘27).
Tips and Tricks
The best way to study for finals is to spread out your time—cramming is the worst thing that a person could do to themselves. Spaced repetition, the practice of studying in short intervals over a long period of time, has historically been proven to be the most effective method of study. Studying in small chunks also allows a person to take breaks when necessary, reducing potential burnout from studying too long.
“Sometimes I feel stressed, so I take a break from studying when that happens for a little until I don’t feel stressed anymore,” says Darian Karimi.
The most important aspect of studying, though, is knowing what you need to study. Everyone is in a different position, and some classes may require more time put into studying than others. The fact that finals are spread out over three days, Wednesday to Friday, is something that students can take advantage of.
“It can be difficult clumping up finals week into a conglomerate, but it is a week. And the days are not that long. So you do have time after every final. It’s not like you’re spending every single day just doing your final. You’re only spending until 12:45, and then, after that, you come home and have eight hours to relax and study. So understand the workload required for each specific subject, because every subject is tailored to different needs,” says Omar Azimi.
