Midterm Mania Amirite?

By Sayo Jolayemi
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     It is that time of the year Glenelg, midterms are almost upon us. Whether it happens to be your first or last year of high school, I’m sure you have some level of stress going into these fateful examinations. Fortunately, it does not have to be this way. By making a few adjustments in your daily routine, you can reduce midterm stress and guarantee yourself the highest possible chance of success.

9th Graders: Given that this is your first midterm experience, let’s clear the air: Midterms are not that bad, really. Sure it seems intimidating, but proper preparation prevents poor performance and that brings us to the first major key for managing midterm stress: get started now. You are going to have seven exhausting exams to power through in the final week of January. The sooner you get started the better, and don’t be scared to ask for help! Freshman Evan Whatley gave an insight to his tips for studying by saying, “I’m going to use Quizlets students last year made and modify them.” Many upperclassmen would be more than happy to point you in the right direction, whether it be an older sibling, a GHS Gladiator on the Horizon, or even a friend you have in a class. Their experience gives them an insight you are yet to achieve and they are sure to have some useful advice.

10th Graders: Okay Sophomores, this is your second time around and you may be looking to improve your midterms this year.. Make sure to take full advantage of your teachers this year, as they will not handhold you like they did last year. Midterm review/study guides will be your bread and butter so be sure to not only hold onto all of the review guides you receive, but actually take the time to look over them. Many teachers will only slightly variate their questions from these free handouts and proper inspection of these sheets of paper almost guarantee easy points. Also don’t be scared to ask your teachers questions you may have, going over the study guide with them will be a major convenience to you, and they may even give you tips regarding the exam. After all, who better to ask about a test than the person who wrote it?

11th Graders: Alright Juniors, you are trained in all the usual studying methods, Kahoot, Quizlet, etc. There is not much to introduce to you on that front. As many of you have taken this year to load up on APs and G/Ts in order to boost your class rank, you may very well be stressed out with numerous difficult midterms ahead of you. Lean on your friends! Make study groups with your classmates. Odds are they are just as stressed out as you are, and managing your workload amongst yourselves is a tactic useful for ensuring everyone maintains their sanity. Schedule study group sessions so that you all can go over class notes and analyze different bits of information each of you may have found important. The combined conglomeration of all your notes should ensure that all of you get a better score than what could have been accomplished individually. Just be sure to actually study, since it is quite easy to get caught up having fun with friends and not accomplish anything, so set study goals and stay on task.

12th Graders: Seniors, hopefully by now in your fourth year of midterms you’ve developed a form of studying. Glenelg Senior Dillon Skovron gave us his methods, “I just go over study guides my friends work on every once in a while. A little reviewing helps me a lot” However, if you have not nailed a study technique yet don’t fret, the other tips work for you guys as well. A more relevant issue may be figuring out a form of studying that does work. Especially if you plan to go to college because you will have approximately four more years of these dreaded exams come further education.

     Obviously, midterms are a big deal. They carry about 10% of your grade so it’s important to do well. Make sure come midterm week you are prepared, well nourished and well rested. Use those half days to get a jump on the next days exams, and you should do well. Hopefully these tips help you get the grade you're striving for coming the final week of January.