Crunch Time

Student Reporter: Nick Bornheimer


Students feeling stressed out and overwhelmed, frantically working to finish a semester’s worth of work in a few days, it must be exam time. It happens every year, students working tirelessly, attempting to make their last minute preparations for the grueling three days of testing. “If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done,” said Jason Croatt. “I just hope my procrastination won’t come back to bite me this year.” The stakes are high, and students know they must be on their “A” game because of the impact exams have on semester grades. An exam can be worth anywhere from 10% to 20% a students semester grade, meaning it is crucial to study hard and not let your laziness get the best of you.


This year though, circumstances are a bit unusual. School was canceled on Thursday the 15th and Friday the 16th due to the frigid temperatures, which meant the students had two less days of review for their exams, and the teachers had two less days to prepare. There was a meeting called on Monday morning before school to discuss the best course of action in dealing with exams, and it was decided to keep exams on their original days. This means that teachers had to crunch to determine what was fair game for their exams, and students are required to do a lot more work outside of the classroom. Most teachers have decided to shorten their exams, and allow for more perks. Teachers allowing students to use their books for a particular amount of time would be one example. In some cases, wishful thinking can come back and complicate things significantly.


It is important not to let the stress from exams get to you, because stressing out about them will only make them worse. If you study properly and you paid attention throughout the semester, exams are basically only a review of what you know. So think positively and don’t get filled with disparity, exams aren’t terrible if you prepare yourself accordingly.