You know they’re coming, but when someone asks, you reply that the teacher hasn’t mentioned anything about finals yet. With the school year quickly coming to an end, any student who waits for the teacher to say it’s time to start studying is already falling behind.

There’s someone in every class who easily masters the material along the way, reviews some notes the day before the final, and aces the test. The rest of us not-so-secretly wish it were us. For those in the latter category, here are five tips on how to successfully manage final exams:

1. Start going over the material for each of your classes a few weeks before testing is due to start. Spending 5-10 minutes per class each day gives you a very good idea of what you know and what you need to work on.
2. Not sure how to fill-in your learning gaps? Try going over the class study guide, textbook review tests, class notes and handouts, and tests and quizzes. If you’re still at a loss, you can always ask other students or the teacher for ideas and suggestions.
3. If your understanding is weak in a particular area, re-read that section. You may also find it helpful to take notes or try your hand at a few practice problems. And don’t hesitate to set a time to meet with your teacher, a parent, or a tutor to ask for some extra help.
4. Meet with a classmate and quiz each other. If getting together in-person is difficult, you can also quiz each other over instant messaging or a chat program on your computer.
5. Using your study materials, write down the questions you think are most likely to show up on the final. Then give yourself a practice test to see how well you perform. Consider trading homemade pretests with friends. You can also look for free online tests from the textbook publisher or other online sources.

Getting a head start on studying for finals will help avoid dreaded cram sessions and allow plenty of time for understanding to sink in. By the time the end of the semester rolls around, you should already have a firm grasp of the earlier material presented and have time leftover to concentrate on concepts introduced closer to exam time.