As the dreaded semester finals approach, we interviewed four different Amador students about their expectations for finals, the ways and strategies they’re studying for different classes, and what their relative stress levels are. 

(These interviews have been edited for clarity.)

Kathryn Go (‘24) 

What classes are you taking this year? 

Band, AP World, AP Spanish, Honors Pre-calculus, English, and AP Biology. 

Rank your classes from easiest to hardest. 

Easiest is definitely Band. Then it’s English, AP Spanish, Honors Pre-calculus, AP Biology, then AP World. 

What are your expectations for finals this semester?

I hope it will be fine, but I think it’s definitely gonna be a lot harder than finals in middle school. It was a cumulative test, but more of a unit test that focused on the last stuff learned. 

How have you been studying for finals? 

For AP Bio and AP World, we have small group chats with people taking the same class with the same teacher. For AP Bio I’m using a long review book and reviewing all the main concepts. For AP World, I’m going to watch all of Heimler’s [videos], and I found this website online and I registered for an account and it has [a bunch of] practice multiple-choice questions, so I’m doing them. 

On a scale of 1-10, 1 being super calm and 10 being unbelievably stressed, where would you consider yourself to be right now? 

Monday and Tuesday will both be fine, but Wednesday, because I have AP Bio and AP World on the same day, it’s like a nine [laughs]. 

Srikala Mumukuton (‘24)

What classes are you taking this year? 

AP World History Modern, AP Biology, Chemistry, Honors English, Spanish, and Honors Pre-calculus. 

Rank your classes from easiest to hardest. 

Spanish, chemistry, AP Biology, and then AP World slash Honors Pre-calculus is my hardest class because my grade’s like borderline so I have to get a good grade on the final to keep my grade up. 

How have you been studying for finals? 

I haven’t even started studying yet [laughs], but I’m not gonna focus on Spanish too much, and then I have friends in AP Bio and AP World and I’m going to study with them. I have an AP Barrons textbook thing so I’m going to study from that, and then we have a test prep book for bio, so I’m gonna do that. We’re doing a final project for bio and [my teacher] gave us a rubric with all the cumulative questions throughout the whole year, so I’m going to do those. Heimler’s videos are also very good.  

What are your expectations for finals this semester?

I think they’re gonna be hard, obviously. I’ll have to study. A lot of them are multiple-choice for me this year. For math, I have a multiple-choice test and I don’t know if that’s good or bad. 

On a scale of 1-10, 1 being super calm and 10 being unbelievably stressed, where would you consider yourself to be right now? 

As the week goes by and the days get closer… I’d say like an 8 or a 7, just [because] this is my first finals in-person at school and I don’t really know what it’s like. [Finals in middle school] haven’t really mattered much ‘cause it’s like middle school and also our finals have been more like progress sort-of, like last big projects to end the semester. 

Any advice for finals?

Just be calm and study hard. Don’t procrastinate. 

Giacomo Colella (‘23)

What classes are you taking this year? 

AP Language, Spanish 1, Physics, Pre-calculus, US History, and symphony orchestra. 

Rank your classes from easiest to hardest. 

Probably AP Lang, well I guess symphony orchestra might be easier because we’re just turning in music. Probably Spanish I, history, physics, then math. 

How have you been studying for finals? 

I’ve been mostly studying for math actually, on the weekends I do more physics and just brush up on some history. I do small assignments for Spanish. 

On a scale of 1-10, 1 being super calm and 10 being unbelievably stressed, where would you consider yourself to be right now? 

I think I’m pretty level-headed and I don’t really stress about things like this, so if I’m normal it’s a 1. Uh no, I’m stressed about math, so maybe a 3. And the rest is… yeah [shrugs]. 

Any advice for underclassmen?

If your grade is in the middle, like at an 85%, as long as you get above a C, your grade isn’t going to drop below [that], so don’t stress too much about those classes. Focus more on the classes that are more borderline. Put time into all, but make sure to put critical time into your borderline classes. 

Peter Sanchez (‘22)

What classes are you taking this year? 

English, Civics, AP Psychology, physics, culinary, and math. 

Rank your classes from easiest to hardest. 

Easiest is probably culinary, I would say. Then English, civics, psych and physics, and then math.  

How have you been studying for finals? 

I’m looking back on old notes and worksheets. 

What are you expecting finals to be like this year?

Very long. [My freshman and sophomore finals] went pretty well, I did fine. I didn’t have finals in middle school. 

On a scale of 1-10, 1 being super calm and 10 being unbelievably stressed, where would you consider yourself to be right now? 

I would say a four or five. 

Any advice for others?  

Start studying early. Don’t procrastinate.