The stress of already making it to the halfway mark of the semester has appeared. Students have already begun doing late hour cram sessions. Students are pulling their hair as they struggle to remember all the information they have learned so far.
Some students are caught off-guard when they first hear midterms. It is shocking to think that the halfway point in the sixteen week semester is already upon them. For some it comes as relief as they see that spring break is soon to arrive, and that the summer vacation will come soon after. For others it means that it is time to panic as they struggle to make sure that they have enough time to bring up their grades before finals. Although, students should know though that if they communicate well with their teachers, the professors are actually very understanding. Midterms are the time to see where the student stands with these professors and their class. If they have not done so well up to this point, now is when students need to take the opportunity and step up their game. The best way to prepare for midterms is to keep on top of what the professors have gone over so far and review the syllabus they have given you. Midterms may seem scary because they’re a halfway mark of the progress students have made, but it’s simple to keep on track.
The first tip is to keep any notes the professor may have handed out, or posted on eCollege for the students. It may have seemed unimportant or useless at first, but more than likely there will be information on the midterm from those notes. It is a well-known fact that professors use a lot of material from information they give students throughout the course, so utilize it.
Next, make sure that if there have been any reading that the professor may have assigned, that students find a source for the text (print or electronic). Students do not always have to read an entire reading assignment, because more than likely the professor has mentioned in class what out of the reading is most important. So make sure to skim at least the information the professor stressed and summaries. It is a good idea to highlight or write down page numbers that the professors bring up during classes.
Last, students should plan to review the information enough times before the actual midterm. Waiting until the last minute usually results in frustration and sometimes even tears. This does not help the students because now if they have questions about the information, they have no time to consult anyone about answers. This frustration also makes the student unable to fully understand and remember what they are frantically trying to shove in their brain, and will most likely cause the students to lose sleep over it. It’s important that students get at least three hours of sleep to make sure that they can actually function during the midterm itself.
