As we get closer to winter break, finals quickly approach. There are only a few days left to study before you have to take those awful tests. 

You’re not the only one in this situation, as many students have begun to study. The whole point of finals is to test us on things we’ve learned in our classes throughout the semester. 

What I find strange is the fact that we’ve already been tested on most, if not all, of the materials on the finals. Finals seem extremely unnecessary as the main purpose is to see how much knowledge we have gained during the semester, even though we’ve already been tested on those topics.

Finals tend to cause stress for many students. Finals are often worth more than the tests we have throughout the semester, though not always. Since they cover the same material we learned, you would think finals would be easier because we already know about the topics being covered, but it’s somehow more stressful. All the information we’ve learned throughout the semester on our finals, which is a lot to remember. Flashcards and study guides are helpful, but some may need more study materials such as review games to help them retain information.

Students have three to four finals in a single day, which causes many students to worry. Several tests in one day is extremely stressful as you have to remember the information that is going to be on the final for each of those classes. Many students want to maintain their grade so we study to the point of exhaustion. Finals should be more spread out throughout the week, allowing students to only have to study for one or two finals for each day, if the finals are absolutely needed for the course. 

Sometimes studying too much doesn’t pay off in the end. When some people, such as myself, are stressed and have been studying a lot for several tests, they tend to forget several pieces of information during the tests, which makes the whole test experience worse. I think that finals are really unnecessary tests of knowledge that cause more stress than needed. If finals were worth less than they are, students would not be as stressed.

Teacher’s don’t necessarily have to give finals or make them worth a lot of points, but some choose to. The stress of finals could easily be avoided if finals were worth less points or just didn’t exist altogether, but the way finals are at the moment causes more stress than needed.