The most stressful week of the school year is back and the pressure is on. Students may come to find themselves overwhelmed with not enough time to study, but luckily there are tips and tricks to minimize stress and keep students focused.

Exams continue tomorrow, Friday, May 10 with AP U.S. History at 8:00 a.m. and AP Studio Art submissions at 9:00 a.m. The following week, Monday, May 13 the AP Biology exam is scheduled at 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, May 14 the AP Calculus exam and all Social Studies finals are at 8:00 a.m., followed by all World Language finals at 11:00 a.m. The AP English Language and Composition exam and all English finals are Wednesday, May 15 at 8:00 a.m. with all Science exams following at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, May 16 all Math finals and AP World History are at 8:00 a.m., Electives are at 11:00 a.m. and AP Statistics is at 12:30 p.m. Finishing up finals week, Friday, May 17 both AP Computer Science and AP Latin exams are at 12:30 p.m. along with any make-up finals.

“It is stressful,” junior Tehya Frederick said. “But you kind of feel grateful that we made it to the end of the year and you just reflect on everything we have learned.”

Maintaining organization is key as finals rapidly approach. Get a headstart and make a game plan. Making a finals binder is a great way to get organized, rather than shoving all those papers and old tests in the same folder and shuffling for hours trying to find them. Organize the binder by class and make sections to separate chapters, worksheets and old tests and quizzes.

Another tip to staying focused is finding a study spot. An area that is quiet and comfortable is ideal for keeping a clean mind that is open for learning. If students are easily distracted in their own home, find a quiet space that is comfortable. Try going to a local public library or coffee shop but avoid bouncing from place to place or it could become mentally jolting. By designating one room or area as a study space, over time the brain will catch on. Students will enter into ‘study-mode’ sooner upon entering the space, according to Joyce University.

“I study as much as possible but do my best to get a lot of rest too,” junior Maya Bair said. “I like to hand write my notes and watch videos to help me review.”

The most important tip students can take away for finals week is getting in sleep. Sleeping is not only important for studying but for health as well. Studies show that teens within the age of 14 to 17 should be getting eight to 10 hours of sleep per night according to the Sleep Foundation. The grades of students who slept seven hours each night during the exam period were nearly 10 percent higher than those of students who got less sleep according to the Huffington Post.

“The night before an exam I eat a good dinner, briefly look over my notes or Quizlet then remind myself that I just have to get through it because summer is almost here,” junior Helen Willis said.

Not only can immense amounts of studying cause high-stress levels it can also trigger negative attitudes in students. Steering away from positive thoughts is bad for mental health which can ultimately affect test scores. Having a healthy ratio of self-discipline and positivity will lead students down the right path.