Interactive graphic: How to handle exams and papers according to Harry Potter

Final exam advice

According to Harry Potter

Written by Alice Wilder Graphic by Kelsey Weekman

Accio advice!

A judge from the Triwizard Tournament showed up on the grounds confused and talking about Lord Voldemort, but he disappeared. It’s likely he apparated off of the grounds, right?

Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban and you think he maybe apparated into Hogwarts to attack you. 

You’re procrastinating on all your homework

All you can think about is classwork, and everything else is falling by the wayside

Everything is piling up in such a deeply overwhelming way that you just want to go to bed

You’re having trouble staying on track with schoolwork

Your professor is being completely impossible, you’re wondering if they even have a heart

What’s your problem?

An assignment is due really soon and you’ve got nothing

Look to Hermione in Order of the Phoenix, even with O.W.L exams coming up, she keeps things in perspective. There may be big exams coming, but Lord Voldemort has returned, and even academically oriented Hermione understands that it’s important to know when it’s time to take a break.

More advice, please!

Advice

Look to Harry in Goblet of Fire. He has months to figure out how to survive underwater for an hour and procrastinates so spectacularly that he wakes up late the morning of the second task with no idea how he’s going to swim to the bottom and rescue his best friend from the bottom of a lake. Yeah, Dobby ends up saving him with some stolen Gillyweed, but what if that hadn’t happened?  As much fun as messing around with friends might be, remember that at some point you’re gonna have to dive into that lake, and once you hit the water you’ll wish you’d picked up Magical Mediterranean Water-Plants and Their Properties earlier.

Look to Harry and Ron in Goblet of Fire, sometimes you’ve just gotta bullsh*t. When you’re juggling a million things you have to prioritize, and that means that there’s going to be a class that’s low priority. For Harry and Ron, that’s Divination, and they impressively fudge their way through several star charts by inventing terrible tragedies that will befall them.  There’s a difference between turning in an assignment almost devoid of real ideas and thought, and actually violating the honor code. Learn to walk that line.

Look to Hermione in Order of the Phoenix for guidance. Ron and Harry complain when Hermione give them study planners for Christmas, but having an organized friend to help balance out your fun side is important. They know you well enough to know when you really do need a break and when you’re just trying to get out of work.  Ask nicely if they’ll be your Hermione and help you stay accountable to a study plan. Working together with friends to make study plans may not be the most fun thing you ever do, but making a plan together and keeping each other accountable works well. Besides, the sooner you get school work done, the sooner you can get back to mischief.

As frustrating as this is, remember that professors are people too. Don’t forget Remus Lupin in Prisoner of Azkaban. Sure, he missed class and set back the syllabus, but he was dealing with a lot of other things that nobody knew about at the time, like being a werewolf.  If a professor is short with you in class, remember that they might have been up all night transforming into their wolf form. But, no number of personal problems warrants Snape-like behavior. If a professor is openly mocking you in front of the class or condoning racist behavior from classmates, don’t be afraid to take it to Dumbledore’s Army.

Albus Dumbledore said it best in Chamber of Secrets — help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it. There are people on campus whose whole job is helping you to balance all the things you have going on. The Learning Center will basically give you a free life coach. You can get short term counseling at CAPS and pretty much anything you might ever need from Student Wellness.

You. Can’t. Apperate. Inside. Hogwarts. Honestly, have you even read Hogwarts: a History?

Barty Crouch’s panicked appearance is for sure a problem, but he definitely didn’t apparate from the Hogwarts grounds, because you can’t apparate inside of Hogwarts, as is explained in Hogwarts: a History.

A judge from the Triwizard Tournament showed up on the grounds confused and talking about Lord Voldemort, but he disappeared. It’s likely he apparated off the grounds, right?

Look to Harry in Goblet of Fire. He has months to figure out how to survive underwater for an hour and procrastinates so spectacularly that he wakes up late the morning of the second task with no idea how he’s going to swim to the bottom and rescue his best friend from the bottom of a lake. Yeah, Dobby ends up saving him with some stolen Gillyweed, but what if that hadn’t happened?  As much fun as messing around with friends might be, remember that at some point you’re gonna have to dive into that lake, and once you hit the water you’ll wish you’d picked up Magical Mediterranean Water-Plants and Their Properties earlier.