Getting Ready for Finals: How to Beat Finals Week April 27 on South Campus will help students tackle their finals exams.

Chris Carcerano, center for academic success coordinator for five years, will present the seminar 12:30-2 p.m. in SACA 1120 on South Campus.

“Finals can be easily handled if you take the time to prepare for them,” he said. “Finals aren’t to be survived. They are to be conquered.”

Many students rely on cramming to prepare for tests.

“The antiquated idea of the college student cramming all night and acing the final hurts more students than I can count,” he said. “Sleep deprivation kills good concentration.”

Carcerano has recognized one internal problem students face.

“What I find is lacking in most students is confidence in what they know,” he said. “Anxiety is a condition, not a sickness.”

He will also provide a few tips on dealing with test anxiety that some students experience around exam time.

“If you’re anxious taking tests, you’ll probably be a little anxious about it your whole life,” he said.

“The key is to recognize when your anxiety is interfering with your ability to concentrate.”

During the workshop, Carcerano will give students a process to follow.

“I’m basically going to take them through some finals preparation — some test-taking techniques, some relaxation stuff and some basic principles,” he said.

But he has one bit of advice for all students.

“Visualize success, and you will be a success,” he said. “Visualize being stressed out and unorganized, and that is what you will be.”

— Haneen Khatib