Hey Utes, it’s that time of the year again. Leaves are changing colors, Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back in stock – and of course – the “Hump Day” of the semester. With Fall Break around the corner, it might feel hard to keep your eye on the prize, but do not give up just yet! We have put together a couple of helpers that will make this midterm season go a little smoother for you.
Get enough sleep. You might feel the need to pull an all-nighter, or two or three, with your best friend, Mr. Energy Drink. But we promise this is not the way. (Trust us, we have had personal experience.) Instead, giving your mind and body the full sleep it needs will allow yourself to retain new information easier and leave you feeling ready to take on the day.
Break your study time into smaller chunks. Don’t cram. Just don’t do it. Make a to-do list, prioritize your tests, and allow yourself an hour or two at a time to study the subject over a few days. We don’t recommend cramming an entire season of Netflix in one night either, but watching an episode of your favorite show or treating yourself to a nice dessert in between study sessions is certainly good for the soul.
Eat healthy and meditate. As much as those In-n-Out animal fries may be calling your name, wait until midterm week is over and eat them as a celebration. Your body and mind are most alert when you’re fueling them with the “good stuff.” Don’t skip breakfast and make sure you have snacks ready if needed for a little pick-me-up. And hey, if daily yoga and meditation aren’t your thing, simply taking 10 minutes in the morning to relax or listen to your favorite playlist will help you calm down before a test.
Test yourself frequently. Take advantage of those study guides and class slideshows that your professors provide; all these resources are there for a reason. Use sites like Quizlet to help review old quizzes and definitions. Attend study/review sessions. Physically rewrite your notes if you have time. (It is proven your brain will retain the information better this way.) Reading something once and then not looking at it again until 20 minutes before the test will most likely NOT be beneficial.
Pretend you’re taking the test multiple times. There always seems to be that ONE question you get wrong simply because you overlooked it. Go through the test the first time and answer any question that takes less than 60 seconds to answer. Then, go through the test again, and answer the most time consuming questions. The third time around, answer any questions leftover. Finally, look the test through from BACK to FRONT. (And whatever you do – no matter how badly you want to – don’t spend your time sitting there trying to calculate your grade based off of however many you *think* you got wrong.) Do your best, you got this!
