Balancing midterms along with class projects, part-time work, and a social life is tough. The most important things are to set a plan in place and to make sure that you focus on learning the things you don’t already know. Here are six steps to prepare you for your midterms:
1. Learn about the content and format of your exams
You don’t want to study something you won’t be tested on! First, consult your syllabus. Look for the chapters your midterm will cover and determine whether or not you’re responsible for information from the textbook that wasn’t covered in class. Also, check if the syllabus tells you about the format of the exam: is it multiple choice, short-answer, essay-based or a combination of those things? If you can’t find the answers to any or all of these questions, ask your TA or professor.
2. Assess your current knowledge
If you had to take the midterm today, how would you do? There are a few ways to get a realistic assessment. One completely objective way to know, assuming it’s available to you, is to take a practice exam. If there are no practice exams or only one that you would rather save for later, you should look over your notes and make three lists: one for concepts you feel totally comfortable with, one for concepts you feel a little uneasy about and one for concepts you don’t understand at all.
3. Choose your study method
Okay, now that you know what is on the exam and what parts you most need to study, you need to determine how to study. You’re probably not going to use the same method for every class. A few of my favorite methods for classes that involve a lot of memorization and vocabulary are rewriting notes, making flashcards and teaching a friend. For classes that focus more on math or problem solving, I prefer redoing homework problems, trying extra practice problems and taking past exams.
4. Schedule your study time
Writing out your goals makes you much more likely to follow through on them, so sit down and physically write out what you’re going to do each day. Be realistic; planning to do something like reading five chapters of your textbook in a couple of hours will only leave you feeling discouraged. When you’re making your plan, set aside most of your time to study what you’ve determined you don’t understand. Focusing on what you already know will only give you false confidence, but focusing on the areas you need to improve in will raise your grade!
5. Ask for help when you need it
It’s totally normal to become frustrated while studying. Spinning your wheels isn’t productive though, so don’t spend more than 10 minutes on something you’re stuck on. When you feel like you aren’t getting anywhere with a concept, put it aside and study something else. Then, come back to it later and give it another try. If you still can’t make any progress, connect with a TA, your professor or a classmate.
6. Relax!
When it comes to the day of the exam, there’s not much more you can do. It’s too late to cram, and you’re going to do much better if you can find a way to relax and remain clear-headed. Take some deep, cleansing breaths, and trust yourself.
Following these six steps should bring you success on any exam. Remember, however, that your worth as a person is in no way dependent on your GPA. You can only do your best, and I promise that’s good enough. Good luck!