The difference between an 'A' student and a 'B' student often isn't intelligence—it's strategy. A math exam is a performance sport. You can know all the formulas but still fail if you choke under pressure, misread a question, or run out of time. Here is the field guide to crushing your finals, refined by years of academic warfare.

1. Pre-Game Prep: Biology Matters

Your brain is a biological machine. Treat it like one.

Sleep > Cramming:
Memory consolidation happens during REM sleep. If you study for 5 hours and sleep for 3, you will remember less than if you studied for 2 hours and slept for 6. Pulling an all-nighter drops your IQ by about 15 points—equivalent to being legally drunk.

The Glucose Trap:
Don't eat candy right before the test. You'll get a sugar spike followed by a crash 45 minutes later—right when you are tackling the hard problems. Eat slow-burning carbs (oatmeal, eggs, whole grains).

2. The "Brain Dump" Maneuver

The moment the proctor says "Begin", do NOT read the first question.
Instead, find a blank sheet of scratch paper and write down everything you are terrified of forgetting.
• The Quadratic Formula.
• SOH CAH TOA.
• The Unit Circle values.
• The Integral rules.

By dumping this info onto paper, you free up your Working Memory. You no longer have to panic about forgetting it, because it's right there. You have legally created your own cheat sheet.

3. Triage: Pick Your Battles

Scan the entire test first. Categorize questions into three buckets:

• Easy: Do these FIRST. It builds confidence and banks guaranteed points.
• Medium: Do these next.
• Hard: Save for last. If you run out of time, at least you didn't miss the easy marks while staring at a hard one.

4. Calculator Hygiene

CHECK. YOUR. MODE.
If you take a derivative in Degree mode, you fail. If you do geometry in Radian mode, you fail. Check it three times.

The History Key:
Never re-type a long decimal like 3.141592.... Use the [Ans] key or scroll up to select the previous number. Re-typing introduces transcription errors (typing 54 instead of 45).

5. The "Sanity Check" (Fermi Estimation)

Before you hit equals, GUESSTIMATE the answer.

Question: 521 * 19.
Estimate: 500 * 20 = 10,000.
Calculator says: 989,900.
Conclusion: You hit an extra digit. Re-type it.

Always ask: "Does this answer make physical sense?"
• If you calculate the mass of an electron and get 50kg, you are wrong.
• If you calculate a probability of 1.5, you are wrong.
• If time is negative, you are wrong.

6. Dealing with Panic

It happens to everyone. You read a question, and your mind goes blank. Your heart races. This is the Fight-or-Flight response, and it shuts down your Pre-Frontal Cortex (the logic part of your brain).

The Solution: Box Breathing.
1. Inhale for 4 seconds.
2. Hold for 4 seconds.
3. Exhale for 4 seconds.
4. Hold for 4 seconds.

This physically forces your nervous system to calm down. Do not stare at the question that caused the panic. Skip it immediately and do an easy one to get your rhythm back.

7. Show Your Work (The Partial Credit Algorithm)

Teachers want to give you points. Make it easy for them.

Even if you use a calculator, WRITE DOWN the setup.
Don't write: "Answer: 5".
Write: "x = -5 + sqrt(25 - 4(1)(2)) / 2".
If you fat-finger the calculator part and get the wrong number, the teacher can still give you 9/10 points because you showed the correct method.

8. FAQ

Q: What if I run out of time?
A: Outline your plan. Write: "I would take the derivative of this, set it to zero to find t, and plug t back into the position equation." You might get partial credit for knowing the path.

Q: Should I change my answer if I'm unsure?
A: Statistically, your first instinct is usually right. Only change it if you find a specific calculation error. Second-guessing leads to over-thinking.

Conclusion

An exam is not a judgment of your soul or your intelligence. It is a check-up on your preparation. Treat it like a game, play with strategy, and you will win. Good luck!