MIDTERM CHECKLIST - Steve Vogel Learning Strategist

Whoa! The term just started, and here we are–midterms! How did that happen so quickly?

If you’re like most students (self-included when I was a student), you get a bit to quite a bit of an adrenaline jolt when you realize that this is going to happen soon. Unlike final exams, midterms can overlap in your different subjects, so scheduling your prep and exams can help you switch focus between study time, exam writing, class time, and the rest of your life.

Have a plan.

By now, you will know which subjects need the most study time.

Working backwards from when each midterm is due, pencil in your review time.
Coordinate study times with a study buddy, but allow study time on your own as well.
If STEM courses are a challenge, start your study time soon enough that you can seek help if you find yourself snagged on integral calculus examples.
Expect to need to reschedule. Life happens. Everything takes longer than we hope.

Use rewards and reinforcers to keep focussed.

Keeping focus during the next two weeks is key to avoiding last-minute panic and all-nighters.

Reading week is coming up so plan for the reward you will enjoy for getting through midterms. It doesn’t have to be expensive or expansive. It just needs to be an activity or treat that acknowledges you made a solid effort.
Have your reinforcers ready for completing each activity. These do need to be short and frequent.
Use a timer to keep yourself on task, and to keep from working beyond your effective time slots.
Stretching, beverage breaks, a brief walk, playing with the dog–a change of activity and brain function that is enjoyable will reward you and maximize the effectiveness of your study time.

What to study?

Again, take time to preplan what you are going to study.

Review the syllabus.
Jot down the topics for each course and where the information is–e.g., your notes, the text, online videos.
Fine-tune your schedule, filling in your estimated times for covering the material you have identified.

Tip: Always ask the instructor what is going to be on the exam. Sometimes they don’t tell you, but sometimes they give Very Strong Hints. They won’t provide those extra hints if you don’t ask.

How to study.

If you’ve been following along, how to study for the exam is very similar to getting the most from your text and your lectures–except instead of just reviewing the day or the week, you are going all the way back to the beginning of term.

Make up exam questions.
Use a study buddy and test each other.
Make note of your weak spots and put away some extra questions for the next day.
At the end of the day, briefly sketch out what you are going to review the next day.
Then close your books, endorse yourself for the effort you have made, and spend a few minutes on an activity you enjoy.
Close the day–books out of sight as you go to bed.

Maintain the infrastructure.

Sometimes it’s easy to neglect sleep, hydration, exercise, and mental and physical hygiene in the effort and stress of trying to maximize study time. If you do neglect these support areas, your study time will be less effective and efficient, and you are less likely to have optimal performance on the exam.

Schedule exercise breaks.
Dress and groom for efficiency and feeling that you’re on your game.
Have a healthy beverage and tasty, nutritious, quick meals on hand.
Go to bed at your target time.
Use your meditative or breathing techniques to close the day and get to sleep.

There’s also the IT infrastructure: Make sure your electronics are up to date, backed up, and ready to roll.

The night before the exam.

Pack your bag, making sure you have chargers, pens, extra pencils, erasers, student ID, watch, etc., as well as informational material that you’re allowed to take into the exam.
Make sure your bag, bus pass, keys, thermos, wallet are where you will take them.
Put the bag next to the door but out of sight of your bed.
Set your alarm or make wake-up arrangements.
Practice mental hygiene, and go to bed.

The day of the exam.

Eat a light breakfast.
Allow adequate time including traffic to get to the exam 10 or 15 minutes early.
When you get there, do not mill around with other students, picking up fear pheromones and hearing what everybody else has studied.
Go to the bathroom instead.

Writing the exam.

When you are seated, set your timepiece where you can see it. Note: if your usual timepiece is a smartphone, you may not be allowed to use it. So have an analog watch with a large dial.
Skim through the whole exam. Quickly allow how long you will spend on each section, allowing for a review at the end.
READ THE DIRECTIONS for the entire exam and for each question. You don’t want to miss phrases such as “Label the redox directions in your diagram,” or “Show your work,” or “Answer in complete sentences.”
Answer the questions as best you can. Flag any you want to come back to.
GUESS on multiple choice or matching questions, unless they are right minus wrong. If you don’t guess, you are leaving possible marks on the table.
Use all of the time you allowed. Leaving early can be leaving marks on the table, too. Proofreading text and making sure you followed directions will increase your chances of not losing marks on the little things.

After the exam.

Avoid hanging around the exam autopsy crowd. You do not need to hear everybody’s woulda coulda shoulda to build your anxiety level.
Leave the exam area and go for a favourite coffee or a walk.

Close the chapter on that exam for that course and go home or to your next class.

Next.

After your refresh, reset.
Refocus on your next challenge.

You are doing this!

If you would like to change up your approach to exams, connect with me in the form below or directly through email: [email protected]

The information in this blog cannot take the place of support from your own mental health professional or community health resources. Reach out to them. And IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS PLEASE DIAL 911.