When October rolls around, the atmosphere changes. The air (hopefully) gets crisp, there's a nice breeze and everyone breathes a deep sigh of relief from the hustle and bustle of the summer and begging of the semester. However, with this relief, soon comes the panic and reality of midterms. Whether you're a freshman anxiously awaiting your first midterm with panic, or you're a senior who has little to no motivation and is repeating the mantra "I just need to graduate" over and over again in your mind– here are some surefire ways to help you study and ace those midterms.
1. Set Up A Study Space
Your space around you can either distract you, or it can encourage you. You'll need to do a few test runs to figure out what you study best in. Completely quiet? With music in your ears? All alone? With friends? After you figure these out, find a location and stick to it. I don't suggest your bedroom because from experience, you'll probably fall asleep or get distracted at some point. If your library is too stuffy for you, find a quiet coffee shop or bookstore with tables that you can set up at. Make sure to have all your supplies with you before you set out to study as well. If you're going to use your laptop, make sure you have your charger. Have all your textbooks, syllabi, and notes with you as aids. If you are going to use the classic pencil/paper route, that's cool! Just make sure to bring notebooks, pens/highlighters, and anything else that will aid you in comprehending the material more. Not being prepared will cause you to not be as effective and/or to not dedicate as much time.
2. Make A Schedule
I know I'm not the first to tell my friends, "I can't, I have to study" and then wasted three hours of my life watching YouTube videos or trying to make the "perfect" playlist for my study session. To avoid this, make your playlist before your plan. Make your schedule around your classes and events, as to avoid excuses not to study. Also, plan around your best learning time. If you know you comprehend more in the mornings, then set your alarm, and get into the routine of studying. Even studying for an hour before your classes will be better than all night studying when your brain isn't as aware, and vice versa.
3. Form Good Habits
It's tempting while studying to forgo sleep and eat only junk/drink only caffeine sugar-filled drinks. But both of these are actually damaging to your brain and your mental capacity, harming your ability to understand and comprehend the material. Instead, make sure to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night. During the day, make a habit to drink only water in order to hydrate and to keep yourself awake more, and carry healthy 'brain foods' such as pumpkin seeds for the pumpkin spice obsessed (helps with enhancing memory and thinking skills), nuts (which help prevent cognitive decline, and even some delicious blueberries. Even if you cannot carry these snacks around, do not succumb the the pressures of the vending machine. Get trail mix instead of a candy bar. Do your brain and your health a favor.
4. Take A Break
5. On The Day Of - BREATHE.
Test anxiety is real and annoying, but don't let it overwhelm you. On the day of the exam, wake up, read over your material, and be done with it. Cramming will most likely stress you out even more. Eat a healthy breakfast, and wake up with plenty of time to get to the exam. Being late will stress you even more. During the test, if you become overwhelmed at a question, move on from it, and during it, remind yourself of how prepared and confident you are in yourself. This test does not define who you are. Let yourself work through it, and learn from it for the next one.
Good luck with midterms everyone! I know that you will all do fantastically, and I'll see you in the library!
