The Five Secrets to Helping Students Ace Midterm Exams
Posted by Erica Warren on
Many students are facing midterms from December - January. With the holiday season upon us, it can be difficult for many students to properly prepare for these looming exams.
What are the Five Secrets to Acing Midterms?
1) Planning a Study Schedule. This includes:
- Estimating the amount of time it will take to prepare for midterms for each class.
- Filling in a blank calendar with all the study times allocated.
- Creating a study plan for each course. This might include putting information on index cards, creating study sheets, predicting essay questions, entering exam content into sites like Quizlet, planning out appointments with teachers, or creating study groups.
2) Reviewing and Organizing Materials: This includes:- Past tests
- Assignments
- Notes
- Readings
- Labs
- Handouts.
3) Creating a Daily Routine: Make a conscious effort to decide on the best time to study each day, and stick to your study schedule. In addition, avoid distractions such as:
- Social media
- Television
4) Utilizing memory strategies: Memory strategies help learners organize information before they store it in long-term memory and quickly retrieve the needed information upon command. If you would like to read about memory strategies and download a handout, come on over to my blog post: 12 Memory Strategies That Maximize Learning.
5) Preparing the mind and body: Stress and lack of sleep can all wreak havoc on the brain’s ability to recall information. As a result, manage your stress through breathing exercises and mindfulness-based approaches before exam days. Also, make sure to:
- Eating a healthy meal and avoiding sugar and processed foods the day of the exam can assure that your attentional skills and stamina are optimized.
- Calm your mind by visualizing the grade you hope to achieve, and make sure to make a conscious effort to relax your body and breathe. If you would like to learn more about managing test anxiety, come read my blog post: 12 Strategies for Overcoming Test Anxiety.
If you would like to learn about my ready-made materials that help students with test taking, as well as planning, time management, and organization, click here or click on the image below:
I hope you found this blog helpful.
Cheers, Dr. Erica Warren
Dr. Erica Warren is the author, illustrator, and publisher of multisensory educational materials at Good Sensory Learning. She is also the director of Learning to Learn and Learning Specialist Courses.
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