This week is one of the most dreaded weeks of the year:  finals week. No matter how old you are, it can be one of the most stressful, overwhelming experiences. Here are some tips to help keep a level head and make the most of time allotted for studying.

1. Beware of study groups. – Although study groups may seem ideal, they can often backfire. Unless you choose group members wisely, study sessions could end up being a hang out session with little to no studying done.

2. Finish guides before the day of the final. – If you wait until the last minute to finish your study guides, it might make you sorry. Finishing guides without days of school before your finals to spare allows you to ask your teachers any questions you may have. However, if it comes down to the wire and your guides aren’t finished, it is probably a good idea to finish anyway. Also, do not wait until the last minute to start studying in general. Give yourself enough time to master all materials.

3. Do not over study. – Information overload is one of the worst things to experience during finals week. If you reach a point where you feel confident in the information for one subject, move onto another. Spending too much time on a subject you have mastered can possibly hurt you in subjects that you need more work in.

4. Avoid all-nighters. Sleep is something that should not be sacrificed, especially during finals week. In some situations, it is better to sleep than study. This does not mean that you should nap instead of studying. This simply means that if you feel like you cannot study anymore, you should sleep instead of forcing yourself to study.

5. Flashcards are your friend. – Creating sets of flashcards is one of the simplest ways to study as well as one of the most helpful. Writing down information is an easy way to study as it is, but reviewing the flash cards to memorize it helps even more.

6. Location, location, location. – Although lounging in your favorite chair or your bed may seem like a good idea, there is a good chance you may doze off. Choosing somewhere like a desk or a kitchen table is a simple solution. However, if there is still too much going on, the library and cafes like Bread Co. are good choices. These locations are generally quite, calm environments that allow a good deal of quality studying to get done.

7. Give yourself a break. – Finals week is notorious for preventing students from things like Facebook and their favorite TV show. However, if you plan wisely and stick to your plan, it is okay to give yourself a break. The brain is believed to only be able to concentrate for 45 minutes. Based on this, it is a good idea to take five every 45 minutes.

8. Minimize distractions. – Distractions are as important to studying as location is. It is not going to hurt you if you shut off your computer for the night or silence your phone. Whenever you have earned a break, take time to scroll through Facebook and respond to messages. Choose study music wisely as well. Selecting something you know well and that can become background noise is a better choice than choosing a brand new album that will suck your attention away from the study materials.