One of the most stressful times of the year for high school students is finals week. A whole semester of learning is measured in one 90-minute test. This test could either make or break your grade. So why have it before winter break?

Some argue that the two weeks of winter break is just enough time to forget all they had learned. If students are forgetting everything they’ve learned during four months in just two short weeks, then that is all the more reason for them to test after break. This way, students will be able to relearn everything from the previous semester, just in time to start a new year and new semester.

Most teens complain about waiting until after break to take finals, it is also an opportunity. Yes, winter break is meant as a relaxing period for students, but it’s also the perfect opportunity to review for finals. Few teens like to study during breaks, but the time is yours to spend however you choose.

Taking finals after break also helps get students back into the school mood before testing. After two week of taking it easy, students often become lazy in their work. However, final exams are so important that they snap students back to reality, preparing them for another stretch of school until spring break. If we were to take finals before winter break, students would have been in school for several consecutive weeks with no break, causing them to feel tired and stressed. After break we are refreshed from the two weeks and are more able to take on a heavy study load. In this way, students would be better prepared to take finals.

Another thing to consider is second semester finals. Cutting the winter semester short would leave more material to cover in the spring, ultimately leading to even more information to know during June finals. Many students don’t look that far into the future and don’t realize that the dates of finals have been set to split the year in half, minimizing stress for students.

Taking finals after winter break gives students more time to adequately prepare for exams both physically and mentally.