In the blink of an eye, we are almost due for our first semester finals. Finals week might be the
most stressful period of time for highschoolers. From pulling all nighters to spending countless
hours studying and reviewing material, should finals really be the factor that decides how much
you learn in the class and how well you performed? These exams often determine a large part
of students’ grades and can cause major anxiety and emotional stress.

Finals week is important in high school as it is a summative assessment that tests a student’s
progressive knowledge from the semester, impacting their final grades. It is also important
because it serves as crucial preparation for future high-stakes tests and helps students develop
valuable time management, stress management, and academic stamina skills. Finals provide a
comprehensive assessment of a student’s understanding of a subject over an entire semester,
rather than just on a single quiz or test.

Finals provide a real-world opportunity to learn how to stay focused and manage stress during
high-pressure periods. Students must learn to prioritize tasks and manage their time effectively
to balance studying for multiple subjects, assignments, and projects. Successfully navigating
finals week builds endurance and the ability to sustain focus and effort over an extended period
of intense academic work.

Shasun Lin, a junior at Mark Keppel, said “Having a good night’s rest is very important for this intense week. The most important thing for me is sleep and having a good study schedule in order to do well on my exams.” He prioritizes at least 8 hours of sleep to make sure that his brain is functioning
properly in the morning.

Thai Troung, a sophomore at Mark Keppel, said, “Finals week doesn’t seem to be as stressful as I presumed for it to be when I was a freshman. I believe that although it is stressful to prepare for it, it’s also easy to expect what will happen. Despite it being long, as long as you’ve been paying attention in
class and studying consistently the past few months, then it isn’t that bad.”

With finals quickly approaching, students can already sense the winter break waiting just
beyond it. As they are preparing, balance becomes something important: keeping a stead
routine, eating nutritious meals, getting enough sleep, and staying hydrated all matter just as
much as the exams that are waiting ahead for them. Even though the pressure to pull back to
back all nighters is strong, real success comes from taking care of yourself.