By Alexa Faletra ‘25
With the end of quarter two approaching rapidly, it’s time we start facing the absolute worst week of the entire year: midterms. 4 days, 8 tests, 10% of our grade, and at least 5 tears shed. This is my third year of the dreaded tests and while still overwhelming, midterms have become easier to prepare for. Knowing the expectations has helped me develop some strategies to improve studying and alleviate some of the stress that midterms bring. The best advice I can give is to follow these 6 steps to help you prepare for your midterms this year.
- Catch up on Formatives
If you’re like me and you’ve gotten lazy and let a couple of formative assignments slip by without turning them in, now is the time to fix that. It may be easy to forget about doing your work until you open Aspen and realize your teachers did in fact take notice. Most teachers will let you make up these assignments which is probably why we wait until the absolute last minute to get them done. If you plan to return to some skipped assignments, make sure to get them done a week or two before midterms week. This will make sure you have ample time to study and for your teachers to grade them. By doing this work you also get the chance to revisit some topics from earlier in the quarter and give an idea of what needs to be studied or what you still remember.
- Prioritize Classes
With 8 tests in four days, it can get overwhelming to think about having to relearn an entire 4 month’s worth of work. Just remember that some classes are more important than others. A history midterm will probably require more studying than your gym final. Categorize the classes that need more studying and plan to have the most study time for those classes. These classes might include history, science, math, and your foreign language class. Or if any of these topics come naturally to you, put them in the category of classes that either can’t be studied for or don’t need to be.Cutting down your study list to 5 or less classes can make reviewing much more manageable and less stressful.
- Quizlet!!!
One of my personal favorite study methods is Quizlet. Even better if you can find a friend with Quizlet plus and get their login. Not only do Quizlets help you memorize material, but actually making Quizlets is a good way to study since you have to type out the terms along with definitions that you understand.If you don’t have time to make Quizlets for every test, just do it for the most important ones and use another person’s Quizlet for the rest. If you find that Quizlet doesn’t help for studying, research other study methods and see which ones work best for you.
- Time Management
The silver lining of midterms week is the fact that the school day is over before noon. Make sure to use those extra two and a half hours wisely. Hopefully at this point you’ve been studying for all of your important midterms, but if not this gives you the perfect amount of time to cram. Scientifically, cramming is less effective at encoding knowledge into your long term memory but that doesn’t mean you can’t still try. Use the extra time after school to study for tests you have the next day or later in the week. If your teachers are hosting any extra help hours, stop by their room for any last minute questions. The time in between midterms is also a great opportunity to go over your notes. For me that involves lapping the hallways while flipping through my Quizlets. Also remember to give yourself breaks while studying. Try not to take a break every 15 minutes but also don’t let yourself get burnt out. If you can find that balance in your study sessions then it will lead to more productive learning.
- Review Old Tests
What teachers don’t tell you is that they often recycle old test questions for the midterm. If you’ve ever sat down for a midterm or final and thought that a question looked familiar, you’ve probably already answered it. If your teacher uses Moodle for tests, you might be able to look at old tests and see which answers you got right or wrong. If you’re like me and save all the paper tests that are handed back, keep them and look it over. This strategy has helped me with multiple exams and unit tests and even if the teacher changes up the questions, then you’re still looking over useful material.
- Self Care
The most important tip I can give you is to prioritize your health over the next couple of weeks. Pulling an all nighter to study for a test can actually do more harm than good. While you sleep, the mind strengthens memories that have been formed throughout the day. If the brain doesn’t receive the sleep it needs, it has a hard time focusing attention and storing memories. It may seem like you’re being lazy by ending a study session to go to bed, but you are actually strengthening your learning by processing the information you just learned while asleep.
Healthy eating is also beneficial for memory. A balanced nutritional diet allows for increased neurogenesis which is the process of neuron production. Strengthening the mind, strengthens memory which is crucial for relearning 8 classes worth of material. With all the stress that comes with midterms, it can be easy to forget to take care of yourself. This is a reminder that sleep and nutrition are just as important to studying as your notes and flashcards are.
