It’s that time of year again! Midterms are about to start if they haven’t already for you. Whether you are first year or fifth year, midterms can be tough! Here are some study tips for getting through this bi-annual struggle.
1. Sleep it off. No seriously!
Research has found that sleeping can boost your memory. Even a nap can sharpen your thinking! Depriving yourself of sleep by pulling an all-nighter to study actually decreases your cognitive abilities and can lead to lower grades. So study and sleep well leading up to your midterm.
2. Eat more than just snacks.
A study at the University of Oxford revealed that students who consumed a diet of high-fat, low-carb foods for five days prior to an exam wielded lower scores than students who ate a balanced diet including fruits and vegetables. So don’t survive on vending machine food alone! Take care of your body and it will help you get through this difficult and highly stressful time of year.
3. Remain calm.
Clinical psychologist Richard Driscoll has researched test anxiety and has found that an estimated 35% of students are so nervous before high-stakes tests that it impairs their performance. This can be avoided by breathing deeply, rationalizing your concerns by writing them down, and of course, studying.
4. Use a mnemonic device.
Acronyms turned into stories can be easily remembered and then turned back into the information you require for your test! Use this great site to help if you get stuck!
5. Make Memorable Notes.
Create a visually dynamic set of notes and it will be easier to recall the details!
6. If it’s difficult to remember, it’s also difficult to forget.
Research shows that if something is difficult to remember it is also difficult to forget. This “desirable difficulty” effect shows that the more mental power it takes to remember something, the more ‘lodged’ in your brain that information is. So don’t sweat the hard stuff, just remember it will be the easiest to recall later!