With midterms right around the corner, nearly every student feels the stress that comes along with preparing for the mid-year exams. All students want to exempt from the hardest exams and get that passing grade. Unfortunately, not all students have that possibility and have to resort to studying to help them pass the first semester with a good grade. But before the studying begins, a flurry of questions is sure to pop up for many: “When should I start studying?” “How can I remember everything that’s going to show up on the test?” “Can I even pass successfully?” After talking to some teachers around the school, they revealed some of their own tips that they recommend to their students to help them pass their midterms.
According to Tamesha Tomlinson, who teaches AP World History and AP Human Geography, “Completing their review and having a study partner or group,” she suggests, is the best way to start studying for midterms.
As for the best way to retain the information you study, she advised that “the more you interact with the information, such as reading and talking about the content with peers, helps a lot.” She also said that students should start studying three weeks in advance to be best prepared.
Sanja Simic, who teaches Pre-AP English 1 and 2 explained that “planning your time accordingly depending on how many exams you have, getting enough sleep the night before, and using (pre-existing) and general knowledge about the content,” are some important things for students to take into consideration. Regarding how to best preserve the content being studied, she recommended “practicing throughout the school year (especially for English), using different practice strategies such as organizers, charts, and mind maps, scanning through the text, and looking for important details.” Like Tomlinson, Simic personally suggests to start studying three weeks in advance but also adds that “it depends on the midterm but for a subject like English, you cannot really study.”
Olin Rhoads, who teaches Algebra 2 Honors, Pre-Calculus Honors, and Calculus Honors said to “review the materials that we’ve used through the semester and look and practice the test review.” After being asked how to successfully preserve the content studied, he advised that students “repeat the practice we’ve done in class, come up with acronyms, phrases, or songs for terms, and to work with peers.” In addition, when asked how early to start studying, he recommended starting as soon as the week prior to midterms is finished.
At the end of the day, the most important thing to remember is to not let stress get ahead of you and that practice makes perfect. A little preparation every day goes a long way. Also remember to get plenty of rest! Mental strength and health are incredibly important before going into any exam and will help you successfully get that passing score. Good luck to all students this midterm week!
