While the school year is soon coming to a close, and summer only just a little more than a month away, this time of the year is vital for all students. Having three four day school weeks in a row, and two more four day weeks at the end of May, the final two months of the school year are chaotic with students having to study for many things, such as the state STAAR tests and AP exams, while also completing final projects.

In almost all core classes, preparations are already underway for remaining state or college board test students must take. With AP tests and STAAR testing starting Monday, students should already be studying and preparing.

These tests can require a lot of preparation for students that want to do well with different projects, practice tests, and quizzes all useful tools for students to better prepare themselves for these challenging exams.

On top of all that stress, some students also have to focus on what college admission test they will be taking such as the SAT and ACT. These standardized tests gives colleges a way to look at students and see if they meet the requirements to be accepted into that certain school, which can bring even more concern to the students who have to worry about so much during the month of May.

The next SAT’s are May 6 and June 3, while the next ACT isn’t until June 11. Although there seems to be plenty of time from now to until those June tests, with everything else students have to take care at the end of the school year, these dates are closer than they appear and early preparedness can be essential to success.

One of the best ways to do this is to study at home individually or in a group as this can help students get a better grade than simply relying on class time to do well on all the exams this next month. Teachers will do their best to get students ready for the exam in their class, but with students having multiple exams in different classes, it’s imperative students spend time outside of class getting ready.

All this, combined with several short weeks can lead to students finding themselves stressed out during this time of the school year as these last six weeks are the final chance for underclassmen to raise GPA’s and class rank as much as possible before summer.

It is important for students to take time out of the day during this last spell of school to make sure they are ready for when the time comes to put pencil to scantron. No matter how hard school seems and regardless of how tired a student may get, continuing to work will help students be ready for the tests to come.