There’s only one week until May, which means that the ever-tortuous 2017 testing session is just around the corner.

This may mean nothing to underclassmen, who only deal with their feeble RQA’s, but for IB seniors like me, it means that the five $115 IB tests I paid for are going to come at me one after the other. For any sane person, this may seem stressful – but there are ways to manage and even lessen the stress of testing season.

The most valuable advice I can give is to manage your time wisely. In these last weeks, try to make a schedule to set time aside for studying. Make sure you go into depth on what exactly you’ll be studying on certain days, because you will end up distracting yourself with endless scrolling on Twitter if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Distractions like social media can be used for good. Study breaks are recommended and encouraged, but don’t get carried away. Giving yourself too much time is practically a death wish for your productivity. At most, 15-20 minutes should appease your need for social interaction. Any longer, and you’ll be stuck in an endless cycle of “I’ll study in 30 minutes.”

Now, I know what you’re thinking. But Steeven! I’m a student athlete and the grind never stops! [insert 100 emoji here]. Unfortunately, in cases like these you’ll have to make time, probably by sacrificing precious minutes that would be spent with friends on the weekend. But fear not – the pain of being deprived of social time will only last until the end of May.

Alternatively, you could kill two birds with one stone and study with your friends. This, however, is a dangerous game. Studying with others only increases the chance for distraction. But, when done right, it’s the best option, because it reminds you that you’re not the only one going through all this stress.

Managing your time is crucial for surviving the testing season, because cramming the night before is the last thing you want to do. Take your time. Breathe. You WILL survive. Good luck.