10 Ways To Fail Your College Finals

When finals are coming up, it can help to have a handy guide when it comes to the best ways to fail them. Enjoy!

1. Procrastinate!

Via theguardian.com

Procrastinating will not always end badly, but a lot of the time getting some sleep before a college final will help you a lot more than a few hours of sleep-addled studying. You actually retain information better if you sleep on it. Try and study at least a little bit before the final so you don’t have to do it all the night before.

2. Don't Show Up

Via techinasia.com

It’s easy to get confused by the finals schedule, and not showing up if you think you’re going to fail or class is earlier than you’d like is tempting. But show up and try your best—even if you don’t know much, writing something general about the topic will get you some points.

3. Plagiarize

Via guides.library.vu.edu.au

Plagiarizing on an exam is a quick way to drop your grade significantly, if your professor doesn't just give you an automatic zero. Try and get information from multiple different sources like the textbook, lecture notes, and the internet (but only the internet sparingly or as a last resort). Combine this information in your own words to avoid copying someone else’s work.

4. Don't Study

Via brainlesstales.com

In college, you will most likely need to invest a lot of time and effort in studying if you want to do well on finals. Try and study a little every day so you can retain the information and don’t have to do all your studying at once. Participating in a study group can also be very beneficial.

5. Leave Early

Via sofeminine.co.uk

In a college final, unless you really have no idea what you’re doing, turning in your exam early is not usually a good plan. Try and use all your time, because usually finals are long and you don’t get a whole lot of time to take them. Even if you finish before your time is up you should check over and/or elaborate on your answers.

6. Panic

Via theawkwardocdnerd.tumblr.com

Panicking will never help you on a test! When you are in ‘panic mode’ you will likely not think your answers through and may make long, confusing run-on sentences. Try and relax; writing clear answers that make sense to the reader and not just in your panicked brain will most likely increase your grade.

7. Cheat

Via oddee.com

Though similar to plagiarism, cheating offers a whole new realm of possibilities when it comes to failing your college final. First, getting caught cheating will at best get you a dirty look and at worst get you an automatic zero. Second, if you pick the wrong person to cheat of off you may end up writing about how the Scottish assassinated Franz Ferdinand and started the Vietnam War. The best advice I can give you when it comes to cheating is DON’T.

8. Don’t Go to Class

Via quickmeme.com

Though it can be boring, if you never go to class you can almost guarantee a low grade on the final because you won’t know any of the information! Professors will also often tell you how the exams will be laid out, so you can know what to expect. They may even give insight into what information will be covered on the test.

9. Party the Night Before

Via campusdiaries.com

Getting drunk at a party instead of sleeping and studying the night before an exam may not guarantee a failing grade, but it does say something about your character that may not bode well for passing it. Instead, try and relax a little and party to celebrate after the exam if you really want to. You’ll probably have more fun without all the pressure anyway.

10. Give Up

Via someecards.com

Giving up when exam and assignment due dates are jam-packed in and you don’t think you can possibly do it all may be the easiest choice, but it isn’t the best. Don’t give up when you’ve made it through almost the entire semester, think of all the work you’d be wasting! Instead try and either suck it up (sorry, but you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do) or prioritize and only do what you absolutely have to do to pass.