The craziest part of the school year has begun. With turkeys and ornaments flying off of the shelves, it is time for the most dreaded three days ever: finals. Feeling confident when walking through the doorway and when sharpening your pencil before a test is a priceless feeling. The most popular way to achieve a near perfect score is not a secret, but simply a five-letter word that everyone dislikes: study.

Here is a rundown of the most common ways to study for a final that prove to be very influential on the day of the test:

1. The night before the test: Do not, I repeat, do not pull an all-nighter. Getting to bed earlier instead of studying all night will increase your chances of earning a high score on the final. When cramming in studying the night before, stash your phone so that you are not distracted when reviewing information that your brain will soak up while sleeping. Distracting yourself will only distract you from your studies and will drastically affect your overall score on the final the next day.
2. The morning of the test: Skip the early morning Instagram check and opt for extra “zzz’s…” instead. Studies show that the more sleep that you have the night before a big test, the better you will perform the next day. Eating a well balanced breakfast such as oatmeal or a yogurt parfait with juicy strawberries is a great way to prevent a possible whale call from your stomach while taking the test.
3. 30 minutes before the test: Whether it is 30 minutes before the first final of the day or the 30 minutes in between finals, last minute reviewing of the materials is very important. For math, make sure that you have your calculator on hand. For English, among other subjects, quickly review vocabulary words that maybe you starred in Quizlet the night before. Any last minute reviewing of the material that you are still flaky on will help summarize the information. Reviewing with a friend can also be very helpful when summarizing the information, just make sure not to get on a tangent about how cute the holiday red cups at Starbucks are.

Follow these simple rules and acing your finals will be a breeze. Just make sure to study, study, study the nights, and weeks, leading up to the test. Cramming in all of your studying for math the night before is not always the best idea. You will save yourself lots of time and mental sanity if you plan your studying.