Hey everyone! Wow. It feels like it’s been a month and a half since I’ve last blogged about ANYTHING (oh wait… it’s been two months… shhhhhh). Midterms have been hitting me on the head lately (and they still are!) but I suppose since I’ve written 5 midterms so far, I’d give some advice (even though I’m sure that other blog squad members would be more qualified to do so). 🙂
1. ALWAYS start studying before the day right before your exam. Sounds reasonable and makes sense, but you’d be surprised how hard it is to get yourself to study early… especially with everything else going on.
2. Know how you study the best. It always helps to study with others, but if you feel like you could be more productive studying the privacy of your own room/house, don’t be afraid to turn the study group down. It’s your mark at the end of the day.
3. On the same note as #2, if you feel like you need help, ASK FOR IT. Ask a friend, ask your TA, ask your prof. Make sure you understand it before you sit down to write your exam.
4. Sleep really well the night before the exam, or if you can, throughout the week leading up to your exam. Nothing’s worse than knowing you know the information and not being able to draw upon it because you have a pounding headache or if you’re falling asleep.
5. Stay calm during the midterm. Don’t know the answer to a question and it’s worth 20 marks (out of 40)? Don’t freak out! Clear your mind, write down what you know (usually you’ll get partial credit), and if you still can’t logic your way through a question, skip it and come back. Something later on in the test may jog your memory.
6. Okay, you’ve gotten your mark back for your midterm. And it’s not pretty. Don’t panic! Seriously. Yes, it may have been worth 20% or your grade for the class. But guess what? Your final’s probably worth 50%. Pick yourself up and redeem yourself. Find out what went wrong, talk to your prof or TA to see how you can improve, and keep chugging along. It’s always good to ruminate for a little bit, but don’t let it drag you down for days or weeks at a time (trust me… this is coming from someone who flips out about marks).
7. For the few lucky souls that only have a couple midterms, maybe this won’t apply to you. But for other people that have courses with more than one midterm AND you have more than one midterm a week, don’t despair! Just ration out your time. Don’t neglect other assignments, but certainly don’t neglect those exams.
8. Don’t forget to give yourself a break! The last thing you want to do is to get burnt out in the middle of midterm season. And the LAST memories you’ll want to have of university are of you just studying in your room 24/7. Take a break, get some fresh air, hang out with some people. It’ll all bee good.
That’s all I got for now :3. Got to go and study for a psych midterm on Friday… I’ll post again soon! Promise.