It’s almost the end of February and midterm season is somehow already here. Having gone through midterms in three semesters at GW, I wish I could say I have it down, but in reality, I continue to be surprised by their arrival and find myself ill-prepared for at least one exam. While I haven’t figured it out completely, I have been able to adopt some habits that have benefited me in “acing” (or at least passing) my midterms.
One of the best pieces of advice I received about preparing for midterms was to plot it out in a calendar at the beginning of the semester. I am a huge Google Calendar fan and love being able to plot out my weeks and months. At the start of every semester, I take my syllabi and their respective schedules and mark important dates on my calendar. This means that I can see the event weeks in advance, and can set reminders for them. This allows me to be prepared for upcoming papers, quizzes, and exams. Being able to see all of the deadlines is crucial to being able to prepare adequately and timely. When I see I have a midterm about three weeks away, I start thinking about charting out my study plan and visiting my professors during office hours if I need to. If I have multiple midterms in a week, this allows me to be aware of this and set aside separate times to study for each exam.Â
Outlines are one of my favorite ways to study. It breaks down content and allows me to compile the most important information from lecture notes, homework, and reading notes into one place. Try color-coding the chunks into sections like: “most important”, “need to review”, and “got down”. Notecards are another great way to study for midterms. Categorizing information on separate cards allows you to go through individual topics on their own and mixing them up and quizzing yourself can work to prepare you.
I have always been slightly skeptical of group work as I am someone who gets distracted by my friends and often finds myself in a position of doing a majority of the work. Although, for midterms and generally studying, study groups can be the perfect way to reinforce the material and ensure you’re covering all the assigned topics. Forming a group to study with a few times before a midterm can greatly enhance your recall as you’re forced to repeat the material aloud. You can make class friends or even post in a Facebook group in order to find others who would want to study together. If they go well, these groups can be used throughout the semester, helping you prepare for other assignments and the final exam.Â
Giving yourself adequate time to study is crucial to acing your exams. For some people, this might be three days before the exam while for others it’s three weeks. Reflecting on your own study/procrastination/cramming abilities will be helpful to know how much time you’ll need.Â
Finding the perfect spot to study for midterms can be a difficult task, especially when Gelman’s third floor is packed. Check out Natalia Feinberg’s article on the “Top Five Coffee Shops Near Campus” to get some outside campus study location inspiration.Â
Midterms can be extremely stressful and taking care of yourself can be thrown to the side when you’re extremely stressed. Taking a few minutes to yourself, exercising, and eating well can help your brain be stronger for your studying time. And with that in mind, I’m going to go work out before starting to study for my geography midterm.