By Carlos Micames
It’s that time of the year again! That time of the semester when coffee becomes your best friend, your textbooks become your sleeping buddy, and television becomes like that high school friend you haven’t spoken to in a year. Midterm madness has arrived and all of us are quickly trying to catch up on all the work that has piled up during the semester. While every student has experienced the occasional “hell week”, few would admit to having been efficiently prepared for the plethora of exams waiting. For those students (you know who you are) who can’t seem to arrive prepared for midterm season, here are a few tips to help you breeze through the exams.
1. Don’t Procrastinate
A simple one to follow that pays off significantly is to study two weeks in anticipation of any exam. Professors, even the worst, will tend to announce the date of the exam usually a month prior to the day. If you see that two or even three exams are scheduled for the same week, it’s usually a good idea to study two weeks before to avoid the stress buildup. Procrastination is evitable, contrary to popular belief, and the right preparation can make the difference between having to pull an all-nighter or reviewing the material and getting a good night’s rest the night before. In addition, studying early reduces the amount of stress and allows you to study more efficiently and relaxed, giving you a better chance of understanding the material.
2. Sleep Well
Going an entire week without sleeping doesn’t improve your chances of getting a good grade. A scientific study by the National Sleep Foundation shows that students who sleep more report higher grades. For example, students averaging Bs slept 17-33 minutes more than those averaging Cs and below. An article by Michael J Breus on Webmd.org about increasing the amount of time children sleep also presents similar results. The article states that sleep deprivation can negatively impact performance, mood and behavior. Combined with stress, the student’s performance could severely diminish and, in the worst of cases, result in an F. In other words, students who sleep more tend to get better grades than those who sleep less.
3. Find your happy place
This tip refers to both the internal and external sense of a “happy place”. Having an organized area where you can study allows you to maximize time and get rid of unnecessary distractions. I doubt many people study for a big upcoming exam in a bar with loud music and large crowds of people. Having an area that is best fit for your unique style reaps massive benefits in terms of studying efficiently. In addition, it can also help in developing positive habits for other moments throughout the semester.
4. Meditate
This doesn’t necessarily mean to go stand in a corner, legs crossed mumbling “ohmmm”. Meditation takes all types of forms, whether it’s yoga, playing a sport, or just listening to music. The idea of meditation is to free your mind and relieve excessive stress. Studying frantically and constantly feeling overloaded won’t do any good while midterms around the corner. Whenever you feel extremely stressed out, it’s probably best to relax. Meditation is proven to have beneficial effects on concentration and brain activity, so in addition to help relieve stress, it also makes it easier to focus on the exam material.
5. Don’t prepare the day before, be prepared the day before
If your test is a Friday, don’t try and test fate by going out drinking the night before. Instead, spend your time wisely and review the material to see if you feel confident. If you feel prepared, then start organizing all the materials you’re going to need for the exam. This includes necessities such as: pencils, erasers, calculator (if it’s math or chemistry), and other items that you feel you may need during the exam. Avoid waking up the next day in a rush trying to remember all the items required for the exam, which will only increase your current stress, by organizing everything the night before. As amazing as the party may be, don’t risk the opportunity of success for a night out.