Whether you just had your first midterms of the semester or are currently in the middle of them, you know that time management is critical. We are officially halfway through the semester, so there’s still time to improve. I’m an engineering student, and this semester, multiple professors decided to have four midterms as opposed to two, so I’ve already had six! It’s been crazy to say the least. So, here’s a few time management strategies I’ve been using.
Understand assignments early on
If your homework assignments are strongly correlated to test content, it’s important to understand the homework when you do it as opposed to just trying to get it done. It may be more time consuming at that point, but when you start to study for your midterm, you’ll be spending less time revisiting assignments and trying to understand what you did. This will give you more time to do problems from old tests, class examples, etc. Then, you can come back to homework problems briefly.
Write your note sheet as you study
In all my classes we are allowed one sheet of paper, front and back, to bring to the test. In the past, I have waited until after I finished studying to start writing my sheet. Do not do this, because you’ll most likely be rushing to finish your sheet. Instead, as I solidify concepts and practice problems, I immediately put them on my sheet so it gets written over the course of my study period. Additionally, writing your note sheet earlier allows for you to use it as you study in a manner similar to during the test. Lastly, if your class builds on previous concepts, if you have enough space left, try to add to your old note sheets. This will save you the time of having to re-copy those same things onto your new sheet. This is how I did well on my last midterm!
Check in with your study group
I do all my studying with my engineering group because we are all close and just trying to make it through together. Everyone explains concepts to one another, we do problems on whiteboards together, and so on. Since we’re in a group, we keep each other on track. If you like to study independently and keep yourself on track, no problem! I still recommend checking in with others in your class/major in case they have any concepts or information you didn’t think of on your own. There are many times where people in my group think of ideas or explain something to me that would have taken me forever on my own. It can be very beneficial and efficient!
These three strategies have definitely saved me time this semester! Even if you have already taken your first midterms of the semester, try these out for your next ones. There is still half of the semester left to improve, so integrate these in with your current study habits to save more time and improve your performance!