Ah, the taste of hot cocoa, the scent of fresh pine and the sound of jolly music. That’s not just the sign of a winter wonderland full of holiday cheer, but it also is the sign of the light at the end of the tunnel — the semester is nearing an end. You can finally throw those textbooks in the air and watch “A Christmas Story” all while hiding in your multicolored snowflake patterned blanket from any institutional affiliated concern.

Oh… But wait… You have to go through that fiery, intense inferno known as finals week.

Honestly, finals week really is not that bad. It’s only the week of immense amounts of exams to be taken, countless numbers of papers to be written and endless quantities of presentations to be conducted. And if you’re lucky, finals week can sometimes merge into two different cycle of weeks like me! I’m jumping with joy!

There are keys to having a successful, facile, non-painful finals week. If you are willing to follow this well-thought out and already implemented list (this is my fifth year at Kennesaw State), then you will do well, and you will be submerged in worry-free and guilt-free haven… Until next semester.

1. Make notecards

Ah, yes. Notecards may seem quite elementary, but I have found that notecards are beneficial, and my grades have continued to rise prior to the notecard days. If you think those rectangle-paper cutting beasts are not to your technological expectance, then check out the website Quizlet.

Quizlet allows you to create a set of notecards on your laptop for any class, and you can review that set by it reading it to you, you flipping through or you even playing games (they’re not fun-fest games, but it’s better than staring at a piece of paper).

You can also search other notecards through the search engine and find other users have already made the content you need! Not only this, but Quizlet is accessible in the palm of your hand! It’s an application on your phone! So you really have no excuse not to review your notecards since your hand is not cramping in agonizing pain due to writing endless notecards.

2. Stay in a non-distracting environment

I know: it’s tempting to watch that television show that you have been addicted to since the beginning of December while you were trying to, at all cost, avoid studying. But I know you. You watching that one episode will end with you watching the whole season. And then the next. And then the next. Until it ends and you wallow in misery as your ‘favorite’ show ended. So you will find another show to immerse in.

That show will still be there after finals week, I promise. It’ll be better than the feeling of worry while you’re watching the television show, because all you really will be thinking about is final exams and how you’re not prepared and how you’re going to fail and flunk out and... and...

Just get out of the house. On a personal level, if I was studying at home, I would decide to clean behind the refrigerator or an activity likewise to stick away from studying. I would decide the floors needed polishing. Or I would clean the windows I just cleaned profusely ten minutes ago. Step out to a coffee shop or likewise where the environment is calm. Or, if you’re feeling really dedicated, go to the school’s library.

*Hint, the third floor of Kennesaw State University’s library is study heaven.

3. Listen to calm music

If you are capable of studying with music, I recommend the playlists on Spotify. Under the genre & moods section, click the ‘focus’ section. There are options for intense studying, acoustic concentration, peaceful piano and other musical playlists that will magically convert you to Einstein.

You can download Spotify on your computer or phone so it is easily accessible (nearly as easy as Quizlet)! Another website you can use to play certain genres and similar music is the well-known Pandora.

In fact, if you’re feeling piano music, acoustic guitar music and death metal music, you can make a playlist of all three by selecting those preferences. Pandora does not judge.

4. Stay off Facebook

You have only been studying for maybe five minutes! What are doing on social media? Your status is looking along the lines of:

“Omg, finals will be the death of me. I feel as if I have been sitting at this desk for five years. Someone come save me, bring me a pumpkin spice latte and Chipotle and I’ll love you forever!”

No distractions! I saw you posted that on all social media accounts with that same description with a crying emoji under that filtered picture of your stacks of notes and laptop. Just do your best and stay away from all social media. If you are an addict and can’t seem to steer away, use your social media as incentives. If you study for one hour, you can look at social media for 10 minutes. Then back to the books, ya slacker!

5. Use incentives

You read the chapter of your textbook! Good job! You get a cookie! But really, using incentives will motivate you to study for final exams. Do you like chocolate? Awesome. Have a piece of chocolate when you reviewed your Quizlet. Do you like beer? Cool. Have a beer when you're done with a full day of studying. Do you like bacon? Neat. Cook the whole pack when you finished your paper. I don’t care. Whatever motivates you!

6. Eat!

When you're engulfed in the preparation of that devilish week (that week that shall not be named), you sometimes forget to eat. It’s funny when you’re panicking and growing gray hair that you forget to actually take care of yourself. Who knew school could be so unhealthy.

It is especially important to eat prior to your exam. Go ahead and get that chicken biscuit from heaven-sent Chick-Fil-A. That delectable, buttered biscuit and perfectly fried chicken breast can be in your content, full belly. Treat yoself — you deserve it.

7. Be prepared

Make sure when the exam comes that there are not extra materials that you need. Did you need scrap paper? How about a pencil for once this semester? Did you miss your professor saying you had to bring your graphing calculator or even a certain book? The most forgotten item is the Scantron. Poor thing. I am always asked for one when test time comes. And I won’t even lie; there has been a time or two where I forgot.

Review the syllabus and double check by asking your peers if there is anything needed when taking that test. It would be a shame if you studied all that time for nothing!

8. Trust yourself

Yes. It is cheesy. You probably see this at the end of every listicle you have read from every other article, but it is so true. When you doubt yourself and double think, you are more likely to get the answers wrong.

You have studied so much. You’ve followed this whole list. You’ve read it up and down ten thousand times, I’m sure. It’s the student’s handbook to successful test taking. The last thing you absolutely need to do it distrust yourself. You have got this! Make that A!

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And if these wise words from DJ Khaled does not inspire you to make a 279% on your final exam, I don't know what will.

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How do you get ready for finals? Comment below!