At the end of each year at WHBHS, students of every grade level share one thing in common—they’re all cramming for finals and regents exams. Every student has the obligation to do well on every test they take, so why are finals and regents so stressful?

All students at WHBHS know the stress of the last weeks of school, final projects are due, regents’ prep is in full swing, and other loose ends from the school year need to be tied up. As long as students are punctual about handing in homework and projects, the biggest stressor at this time of year should really be preparing for final and regents exams. Many students get nervous, anxious, or even panicky when thinking about their end of year finals and regents. However, the reasons for feeling this way are usually justified, junior Casey Garcia says, “I’m most nervous for my math regents because I’m taking Algebra 2 and Trig, so I have to take two regents this year.”

The more regents a student takes, the longer they have to spend studying and preparing, and the thought of not doing so well gets worse and worse. Junior Hannah Wagner says, “Regents exams are very stressful to me because they enable you to earn more credits, and I notice that they hold more weight against other classes.” Hannah also explains her motivations for doing well on these exams, she says, “I like to set high standards for myself because having good grades and working hard is rewarding.” Junior Gwen Mercep is also very conscientious about her scores, she says, “Having a final grade that I can be proud of is my biggest motivation to study for finals.”

Whether a student believes he/she is going to pass every final and regents exam with a high score/perfect grade, or if a student is nervous that the score they get won’t be the one they wanted, one thing that will not hurt either one of them is studying. Study what you need the most help on first, and then begin reviewing material you have mastered. Time spent studying is never time wasted.