Finals are right around the corner, and if you haven’t started already, you should begin preparing for your final exams. Finals come in all shapes and sizes, but they will usually have a significant impact on your grade, so it’s an opportunity to cement a good grade for the semester/year, even if your grades haven’t been stellar. Here are some tips to help you prepare to ace your upcoming exam.

If you haven’t already, make sure to talk to your teacher about the upcoming final. Odds are that your teacher has brought up the subject and has at least given you an overview, but if your teacher hasn’t, now is a good time to ask. Asking ahead of time is a great way to get a head start on studying. Make sure to ask you teacher about the focus of the final – will the content focus on the most recently covered material, include everything over the course of the class, or just focus on a few specific concepts? If your teacher has a study guide prepared, ask if you can get it ahead of time. Ask for any clues on what types of concepts you should give extra focus, including specific chapters or problems in your textbook you may want to review.

Once you have that conversation with your teacher, start reviewing immediately. If your teacher did not/will not give you a study guide, make one of your own. Think back to previous classes for any hints about what concepts will be covered on the test. Ask your classmates what they think may be covered. Go back through your notes and pull out the most important concepts. If you can, it’s perfectly fine to collaborate on a study guide with your classmates and would be beneficial to all of you in studying. We all know that studying a little bit ahead of time is much better than procrastinating.

Study groups can be an effective way to study because you will get exposed to a variety of ideas. Maybe someone has a different take on a concept from class or caught something that you missed. Studying with others can help you fill the gaps in your knowledge and can be more enjoyable that studying alone in a silent room. Studying with others can help you approach a topic from different angles, preparing you for the wealth of ways a question may be phrased on the test.

If you’re reading this, it means you have some sort of access to the internet, which means you have access to the much of the knowledge available to all of humanity. Use that to your advantage. You can find answers to many of the questions you have by using a search engine like Google, Youtube, or Khan Academy. If you can’t find your answer there, there are sites like Quora where you can have your questions answered by professionals. There are many apps out there that can help you study more effectively. If you search for “app for (your subject here),” you will almost certainly find something that suites your needs.

Studying for finals doesn’t have to be hard. It just requires you to take the time to ask questions and prepare. If you still have questions about concepts you don’t understand, make sure to get them answered by either asking your teacher or a classmate. You can even do it after school or via email. Remember that studying only takes a little effort every day if you start early. As always, if you need additional help preparing for your finals and beyond, we’re glad to help. Get in touch!

Ralston is the Founder and CEO and owner of Strive Academics. Ralston is a lifelong learner and began tutoring in 2011 to share his love of learning with others and help students achieve their academic goals. He began Strive Academics with a focus on giving students and families a more comprehensive set of tools and guidance to help them reach their academic goals. He is always looking for new ways to help students with their challenges and loves helping them succeed and achieve new heights.