3 Ways to Prepare for Midterms

Midterms can be the bane of a student’s life, and having all of your midterms in the span of a few days can exponentially increase the pressure. It can be hard to figure out the best way to prepare for these monstrous tests that can make up a large portion of your final grade. Here are 5 great ways to prepare for the midterm season.

Create a Plan

This might seem like the obvious choice, but creating a plan and sticking with it is the most crucial step in the studying process. Without a plan it can be easy to overestimate your time and underestimate the amount of material you need to study, especially if you are studying for multiple classes at once. By making a plan, you are laying out everything you need to study and how much time it will take you. One of the best ways to make a plan is by first listing out everything that you need to study (it is better to add too much than to underestimate the material). Then once you have the list, you can grab a calendar and see how much you need to study each day in order to finish everything. 

Creating a schedule can be tricky, but figuring out the best schedule for you is an imperative part of your academic success. 

One pagers

A one pager is when you condense all of the information you need to study for either a class or topic onto a single page. It is helpful when trying to visually process the information. Typically one pagers are done with images or artistic flair to connect the ideas better in the brain and create a visual, which helps some people remember it better. However, images are not required. 

Creating a one pager is one of the most helpful strategies when it comes to studying a lot of information because by putting it all on one page, it focuses on the main ideas, which can be less overwhelming. 

Teach a Friend

A famous quote by Richard Feynman is “If you want to master something, teach it,” and this is one of the best study hacks for when you need an alternative way to study instead of staring at your notes for the millionth time. All you have to do is grab something or someone you can “teach.” (Even though this strategy works better with a person that can ask you questions or challenge what you are saying, you can definitely use a rubber duck or teddy bear to use if you just need to verbally process your notes.) Once you have your study buddy, go through your notes and teach them. 

Another way you could incorporate this strategy if you are reasonably confident in your skills is to host study groups for people who need additional help. This is an excellent way to help other people while also cementing your knowledge around that topic. 

Even though midterms are a difficult challenge, they are conquerable, so don’t let yourself grow discouraged while you are preparing. Instead use these tips to make sure that you are as prepared as you can be. However, make sure to take care of yourself too. Remember that you can get through this!