How to Study for Midterms
To avoid procrastination, follow the best ways to study for midterms:
Attend regular lectures
Avoid bunking lectures and pay attention to the topics taught by the lecturers. Attendance may not bother you when you notice a considerable gap (let’s say a month) before the commencing of midterms. Experienced professors are appointed for classes to provide in-depth knowledge about a topic. By missing those precious lectures, you may end up facing trouble and find yourself in a state of dilemma. Regular attendees find themselves confident while preparing for any exam. Knowledge gained during lectures will not be available anywhere else.
Start early
It is advised not to wait for the last moment. Start preparing for the midterms early. Starting early preparation gives you an opportunity to understand your upsides and downsides. You may have plenty of time to overcome your problems at various topics. Many students undergo high-stress levels when they prepare at the end moment after knowing they are unaware of many topics. Following this may lower your stress at the time of exams.
Stay positive
The biggest treasure for a successful life is positivity. Stay positive, and you may conquer the world. Midterm anxiety may knock your door and may leave without entering if you stay positive. Create a study timetable and focus on studies while staying positive. You will understand topics faster.
Organize study materials
Clean up your stack of notes and arrange them in an organized way. Pile up your notes provided during lectures and organize them accordingly a week before the exam. You may be well aware of the topics and notes while studying a night before the exam. It may be a nightmare if you miss out on any notes while preparing a night before.
Teach topics
The best way to understand what you have mastered in a particular topic is by teaching is to anyone else. By teaching topics to your peers, you may face queries from them, and your apt answers would be a certificate of your understanding on that topic. Teaching others may benefit them and you as well.
Form a study group
How do you collaborate effectively to prepare for midterm exams? Not clear with all topics? It has been found that group studies have positive impacts on good scores. You may form a group of batchmates or friends and exchange concepts on topics. Topics you have mastered may not be mastered by someone in that group and vice-versa. Take the most benefits of studying in a group and forming a strong bond between each other.
Minimize distractions
Less the distraction, more the focus on studies. Distraction and interruptions eat a lot of time, which you may regret during the examination. You may end up thinking you may have studied more in those precious times. According to a study from the University of California, Irvine, it takes approximately 23 minutes to recover from distractions.
Avoid social media
Yes, you read that, right! Social media has the highest distraction rate. Addiction to social media does not help you concentrate on your studies. You may be eager to check for any notifications or texts from the loved ones while studying. You need to avoid using your mobile phone while studying. Keep it aside or switch it off while studying. Studying for midterms will be easy if you take a social media break.
Create a study schedule
You can make a schedule for topics to cover before midterm commencement. You need to know what topics will come in the exam and how much time you need to prepare any particular topic. Strictly stick to your plan and study accordingly. This may benefit you in scoring a good score in the midterms. Tip- you need to study (maybe a little bit) every night before you sleep until your midterms.
Meet your professors
Do not hesitate to clear your doubts with the professors before the exam. They would be happy to help you. Their teachings may not be gained anywhere else. Before visiting them, write down your queries and be clear about the topic. Active involvement from your side is equally important. It makes no sense when you meet your professor without awareness on that topic.
Make flashcards
You must have used flashcards when remembering the multiplication tables. You can do the same for your studies. These flashcards may test your timings. For making those flashcards, you need to study first. You may carry those flashcards whenever you are free and may pull out any card and recall important points mentioned on that card. An educational game, indeed.
Post-it notes
These notes are considered saviors. You may buy a pack of post-it notes and write down important notes or even important dates and stick to your study desk. Different colors attract the mind in recognizing. Use these notes efficiently for better results.
Use midterm study guides
Study guides are a valuable tool for a good score in exams. Your professor must be providing you with study guides. If not, then create your own study guide! A midterm study guide includes all valuable course materials. You must have mastered those study guides before the exam to get a good score in the exam.
Find a good study point
You may get bored of studying at your study desk for the entire day. It is an obvious nature of human beings. Need not worry about this. You may find an alternative in your place where you find it peaceful for studies. That may be your balcony where cold breeze enlightens without causing distractions. You may switch between the places and focus on studies. Not able to study at that point, take no time to shift from that place. After all, the study is the priority.
Wake up early
Waking up in the early morning when sun rays touch you, you feel fresh, and so does your brain. Your brain helps you study more during that time of the day. Wake up early in the morning and give your best in your studies. Late nights of sleep may harm you in focusing on topics. Not good for scores, right? Most of the youth prefer waking late and night and then struggle in waking up in the morning. Plan a proper sleep cycle to improve your efficiency.
Practice relaxation techniques
Having check listed all the above tips? Fear and anxiety will still follow you. Need not worry. Your brain and body need to relax. You may start doing exercises like yoga or meditation. For a peace full mind and body, yoga and meditation have proved as the strongest remedy on the planet Earth. Spare some time out of your schedule for yoga and medication to reap more benefits out of yourself. You will feel charged up and focus more on studies.
Reward yourself
Positive reinforcement may benefit you in your studies. Reward yourself with the things you like. These may include playing video games for a certain period, enjoy your favorite meal, or anything which you enjoy. It keeps you refreshed, and you get encouraged to study with sincerity. You must stick to your habits regularly without breaking the chain. Once you start achieving your goals, you may start decreasing those rewards frequency to get maximum output in studies.
Music
Playing favorite music has proved in blocking distractions. Choose the right music. Loud music may create distractions. A sound level of 85db or less is preferable to block other noises.
Stay hydrated
Drink enough water to stay hydrated for mental and physical fitness. Brain cells may affect their efficiency when there is a deficiency of water in the body. It may cause you difficulties in focusing on studies. Drinking excess water may control your diet appetite as well as leading to a healthy state of mind.
Eat a full meal
Prepare a full meal on the day of your midterm. Meanwhile, you may recall all the topics. A healthy brain comes from healthy food. A full meal may help you in feeling refreshed during examination hours.
Take breaks
Take breaks for 5 minutes after the start of every hour. These breaks may reward you with alertness, increasing efficiency in studies.
Take proper rest
Pressure and anxiety create hindrance in your sleep and lifestyle. A proper rest before the exam is highly important. It keeps you feel fresh during examination hours. Most students have their schedule of studying the whole night before the exam. Your proper rest will give justice to your midterm score with a healthy mental state. Studying for midterms would be easier if you follow these simple tips. Do a reality check and find out your upsides and downsides. This may help you improve in your studies to ace in midterm examinations. All the best for your midterms!
