To take or not to take?

Opinions on finals

Opinion | February 2026

“Should I choose to take any finals this semester?” Every December and every May, that is the question I ask myself. If I have an “A” in the class, my answer has consistently been, “Absolutely not! I already have an ‘A’ in the class, so I am happy.”

Taking finals has never been something I have wanted to do, and I have not had to take them.

For some reason, the thought of having to take finals has always freaked me out, so I have done my very best to get good grades and not miss any school. I think the part that scares me most is forgetting everything I have learned and failing the final. The most important thing for me and everyone else in my position to remember is the final is only worth 10-15 percent of your grade, so if you make sure to study, you will be fine.

If only I could remember that myself.

Unless it means moving up a letter grade, I would not want to take finals. They are worth such a small portion of your grade. They also cover so much material that I do not think I would be able to remember every-thing, especially if I get nervous and my mind goes blank.

According to the National Library of Medicine, out of 200 hundred students, 151 were stressed out before final exams. 

Leading up to a big test, cortisol levels, hormones that regulate stress, can rise by 15%, causing an 80 point drop in standardized test scores, like the SAT.

Taking finals is definitely not worth the stress and preparation time. Grade-wise, they seem much more detrimental than they actually are, leading me to worry about constantly getting good grades in my classes and not missing any school.

I also do not like the thought of having to sit in a classroom for 75 minutes, even if I am already done with the test. That sounds incredibly boring. I would much rather have two days off of school at the end of each semester, so I work hard to avoid finals.