Midterm season is right around the corner. Whether you’re an upperclassman and a seasoned midterm-taker, or a freshman who’s new to this whole “college thing”, it can never hurt to get a little advice every now and then. These tips are sure to help you prepare and ace your midterms!
-
Find a good study spot. Find a place where you know you won’t run into any distractions. It should be a spot that you’re comfortable with, but not too comfortable. For example, your bed might not serve as the best study spot- unless the goal is to fall asleep. Try the library, or maybe even your local Starbucks! Being away from potential distractions will help to ensure that you’re actually being productive, as opposed to wasting time half-studying the material.
-
Start studying as early as possible. While it might work for you to procrastinate any other time, I wouldn’t push my limits during midterm season. It may be easier to put things off until the last minute, but believe me, I speak from experience when I say that you’re only making things stressful and more difficult for yourself. Studying at least a week in advance has worked like a charm for me.
-
Create a study guide! Creating your own study guide from scratch forces you to review the information and decide what’s important to know for the test, and what you may be able to put on the back burner. It’s simple, but effective- just like creating an outline for a paper. While your end goal might be to ace your midterm, a study guide will provide the necessary blueprint for you to get there.
-
Swing by office hours to make sure that your studying is on track. Teachers are a HUGE resource-not just during midterm season, but at any point in the semester when you might need that extra helping hand. I prefer to have my teachers look over my study guides after I create them, just in case I may have missed a few details. This is tremendously helpful, as they provide you with the means to really hone-in on what information to study. When teachers see effort, they’ll usually meet you halfway- I’ve even received an extra practice test or two, just on account of visiting my teacher’s office hours!
-
Study with a group. I know we’ve all heard the common saying “Two heads are better than one.” That being said, be selective about your study group. While you may have made a friend or two in class, not everyone is an effective study partner. However, with the right study group to keep you accountable, you’ll be amazed to see how much information you’re able to retain by the time the midterm rolls around.
-
Morning of midterm: wake up early enough to eat breakfast and review material. You can do all the studying in the world, but if your brain isn’t ready to take the midterm, all that hard work will have been in vain. You should be feeling refreshed and ready before you take your midterm- rolling out of bed 10 minutes before will not suffice. Set yourself up for success! If that means waking up a few minutes early to fry up some French toast and read over notes, then so be it.
Follow all these tips, and you’ll be well on your way to 4.0 season. Good luck everyone, and happy studying!