Final Exams: Tips for Parents

2 ways an adult at home can help a student who is preparing for final exams:

1. Help your student keep these tests in perspective.

• Emphasize the process versus the product. This means emphasizing the habits that your student is working to develop, and the process of figuring out the sorts of study techniques that work best for him as an individual, rather than solely emphasizing the grade he earns on the test.
• Focus on HOW your student is studying, rather than HOW MUCH she is studying.
• Ensure that your student is maintaining healthy habits- eating well-balanced meals, getting plenty of sleep, engaging in leisure activities- and not getting too stressed. 
• Assure your student that how he performs on this one test won't "make or break" his whole school year. 

2. Help your student with time management

• Help your student find blocks of 20-45 minutes in his schedule, and then help him plan what to focus on during those blocks of time.
  • Map out the specific “what” AND “how.”
  • Build in a short break (2-5 minutes) for every 30-45 minutes of studying.
    • Students should use a timer for breaks.
  • A visual schedule can be a great cue or prompt, and mapping out a study plan in advance can save her time later on.
• Students should prepare by first collecting content from which to study; then, creating study materials; then, actively engaging with and utilizing those study materials.

​Exam prep tips for students will be posted soon, so check back!