Finals Week Game Beginners Guide: How to Cheat and Survive

Finals Week is a cooperative cheating simulation developed by DESTINYbit and published by Pretty Soon for PC on Steam. Players act as unprepared students who must collaborate during high-stakes exams, using covert methods to pass tests while evading a roaming teacher. Because the entire class shares a passing or failing outcome, coordination and stealth determine whether everyone graduates.

Core Examination Rules and Class Scoring

Every test in Finals Week enforces a shared grading system where all participants pass together or fail together. Individual score thresholds vary depending on the subject, requiring classes to meet a baseline such as a D average, C-, or C+ to advance to subsequent days.

Official school regulations posted in the Student Handbook prohibit specific behaviors:

• Leaving your assigned desk without permission
• Speaking or communicating with other students
• Throwing books, paper, or foreign objects
• Consulting textbooks or unauthorized reference items

Violating these rules alerts the teacher, who monitors the room continuously. If students repeatedly get caught out of their seats, talking, or handling contraband, the class accumulates write-ups. Once the write-up limit is exceeded, or if the timer runs out before everyone submits their tests, the entire room fails.

Methods for Gathering Answers

Tests consist of multiple-choice and matching questions that cannot be solved by guesswork alone. Teams must locate information through specific in-game sources before and during the examination period.

Memory Recall and Brain Focus

At the start of certain tests, basic questions must be answered from memory. Interacting with the test sheet and activating the focus mechanic prompts your character to recall the correct option directly inside their brain without external tools.

Subject Textbooks

Classrooms contain specialized textbooks matching the active exam, such as zoology, marine biology, physical education, or mathematics. These books are scattered inside desks, lockers, behind pillars, or in storage drawers:

• Each book typically provides the answer to a single question or reveals a code corresponding to an answer key.
• Books can be stored in your pocket or tossed across the floor to classmates using right-click to throw.
• Physical education exams pair letters in textbooks with a master reference board at the front of the room, requiring students to match diagrams to letters.

Peeking and Desk Interaction

NPC students placed throughout the classroom know specific answers. Leaning over from your desk lets you inspect their papers. Players can also physically interact with adjacent desks to flip pages for teammates or write answers directly onto a partner's exam sheet.

Classroom Electronics and Tools

Later stages feature tools that assist answer sharing:

• Computers: Terminals located in computer labs can access web searches to retrieve solutions, though monitors require time to load.
• Binoculars: Allow players seated farther away to read chalkboards or glance across rows at distant papers.
• Walkie-Talkies: Enable team voice transmission across large lecture halls or library wings.
• Paper Sheets: Notes can be scribbled on, crumpled into balls, or folded into paper airplanes to send answers across open spaces.

Evading the Teacher and Managing Classroom Noise

The teacher actively patrols between rows and investigates suspicious disturbances. When the teacher detects infractions, they issue write-ups, place misbehaving students in restraints such as the Cone of Shame, or throw erasers directly at targets.

Microphones play a direct mechanical role in gameplay. The teacher can hear real-time voice chat through in-game proximity audio. Speaking loudly or leaving open microphones uncalibrated causes the teacher's alertness meter to turn red, drawing immediate inspection. Utilizing push-to-talk or speaking in hushed tones keeps alertness low.

Sightlines can be broken by crouching behind desks, using structural pillars, or hiding within partitioned study areas. If the teacher approaches your desk while you hold unauthorized objects, dropping or pocketing the item before eye contact prevents an immediate write-up.

Lobby Preparation and Desk Selection

Between exam stages, players congregate in school hallways. This staging area allows groups to test athletic mini-games like basketball, open lockers, and review performance reports.

Before an exam starts, every student must sign the classroom attendance sheet. Players have a limited pre-test window to search the room for books, position reference materials near preferred desks, and claim their seats. Failing to take an open chair before the countdown ends results in random desk assignment, which can separate communication partners and place players in exposed teacher patrol paths.

PC System Requirements

The official Steam data specifies the hardware needed to run Finals Week on Windows:

Frequently Asked Questions

When does Finals Week release?

The official Steam store page lists the release date as October 29, 2026.

What platforms support Finals Week?

The game is listed for Windows PC via Steam, supporting single-player, online co-op, Steam Achievements, and Family Sharing.

How many players can play together in Finals Week?

Official Steam store details confirm multiplayer and online co-op support, though a strict maximum lobby cap has not been confirmed in developer documentation.

Why is a microphone recommended?

The game features audio-based stealth mechanics where the patrolling teacher detects sound levels from players' microphones during tests. Push-to-talk or calibrated sensitivity prevents noise spikes from triggering write-ups.