Assistant Editor’s Log: Midterm Preparation

By Auburn Mann           

Yes everyone, it’s that time of the semester again, week eight of the semester is just around the corner, and that is associated with one thing: Midterm examinations. Midterms occur at probably one of the most pivotal points of the semester. Eight weeks is right at the center of the semester, with the midterms marking the halfway point for the total 16 week semester.                       

Therefore, depending on the course, quite a few of your mid-term examinations might be comprehensive of everything that was covered in your class up to that point. Some Professors might be lenient and only use a regular assessment or project and allow that to count for a midterm grade. Regardless, of which avenue they go, you are still responsible to be prepared.                

Since midterms are administered in the heart of the semester, it is in a ambiguous complex place. Even though, it is worth a major portion of your grade, it is not everything. There is plenty of time and plenty of assignments and exams left to count in determining your final grade, including the final exam. This means if you don’t do as well as you would like, there will probably be many other opportunities to change your ultimate standings. In contrast, if your midterm grade turns out pretty well, don’t begin to slack off on your work because there are still eight more weeks remaining to make, as well as break your grade.                

Here are some tips to prepare for your midterm examinations:

·         Begin to review older material you’ve already covered earlier in the semester while of course keeping up with current material. 

·         See if your professors issue a study guide for the exam or hint about certain areas to concentrate on while studying for the tests.

·         Check how you’re doing so far in each of your classes to see which courses you need to spend more time and energy preparing for.

·         Try various study strategies, such as, through simply reading over information in your notes and text books, quizzing yourself, rewriting material over, or even aside from alone you can get together with classmates and exchange techniques and ideas on viewing certain concepts within the material, and see if they understand and/ or have a different way of grasping already difficult material.  

·         The night before each exam, try to eat a full and wholesome meal followed by a substantial amount of rest.            

Hopefully these steps will effectively aid you and your preparation for your midterms. If you do all you can, then all should go smoothly and successfully, so you can get through midterm week, and prepare to enjoy a relaxing and fun filled spring break.