It’s that time of the year again and instead of it being the most wonderful, it is the most dreadful. Midterm week.
Usually, just the word ‘midterm’ is enough to get students into a frenzy of note cards and study sheets. However this year, the energy level is low. Perhaps high schoolers have reached the end of their line or perhaps they just don’t know how to study. Has the tension level reached a point in which it’s just easier to pretend you don’t have any responsibilities? Midterms can cause stress levels to increase heavily, but there are always ways to reduce some of the stress. Whether you’re stressed, ready, on the verge of giving up, or none of the above, here are some surefire tips on how to study for your tests.
This is the one piece of advice most people hear constantly, and it’s the most obnoxious, but being organized can work wonders. Plan out your days and hours. Figure out which tests you have first and plan accordingly. What days will be scheduled for a language exam only? Will you assign a day to a test, or study for all of them for a shorter period of time? Figure it out. But once you do, you’ll need some ideas on how to actually study.
Flashcards are a godsend in disguise. They can be used for most subjects. They’re helpful with verbs in languages, formulas for science and math, complicated words in English, and important dates and historical figures for social studies. You can make your own physical flashcards or use Quizlet or Flashcardlet. Quizlet already has a large variety of flashcard sets and chances are, you can find just the set you’re looking for.
Notice how it says Write and Repeat, not Type. Typing might be more convenient, but you won’t be taking your tests on a computer. The tests will all be written with a pen and pencil. Not only will you be working on your muscle memory, but the repetitiveness will help with memorization. On spare sheets of paper, write the verb and it’s translations over and over again. Write out questions and answer them repeatedly. Rewrite some old, but important, notes. It’s tedious, but in the end, it’s very worthwhile.
While the old fashioned way is helpful, there are plenty of sources online to prepare you for your tests. There’s Crash Course, a popular YouTube series that covers World History, Physics, Chemistry and much more. Khan Academy covers basically everything you can think of and provides explanation and practice questions. There are various practice questions that are just waiting to be used. There plenty of websites and videos online if you just take the time to look.
Or, instead of taking the time to look, you can ask the one person who knows what’s up. Ask your teacher what resources to use, ask them for study sheets, what to study, and if you didn’t really understand one specific unit, ask for more practice questions from that unit. Repeatedly doing questions you know how to do might make you feel prepared, but it’s a fake blanket of security.
And not just hydration, but the other bare necessities as well. Don’t over stress yourself for midterms to an unhealthy extent. Don’t stay up into the early hours of the morning. The best grades on a test come from a working, healthy mind. And if you’re overextending yourself, how strong will your brain be on the test?
It’s 2018, a new year, but the same old story. Midterms, finals, and tests in general are not an uncommon thing. You can survive them, just like you’ve survived the others, by planning and preparing.
Good luck on midterms!