Stressed about Midterms?

What exactly are midterms? Midterms is an exam given near the middle of the semester. It’s a formative assessment that measures students’ grasp of the course material. Midterms are stressful for high schoolers, especially freshmen. It also won’t contribute to your grade as much as the finals will. However, despite being stressful, it can help with what was previously learned and could potentially help you with finals.

Julien Heoard (11) provides, “Midterms help me remember my past units. I was somewhat prepared for it, and I feel like I will make mistakes. The advice for those who will have to take the midterms to study in advance, it will help.”

May Sharahan (10) says, “Midterms are stressful, but they help for further units and the final. I personally believe they are worth too much of your grade as they are only supposed to test/reinforce previous lessons. I’m not prepared but I think I will do alright though. The advice I have is to stay on top of your work and test your knowledge after every lesson to strengthen your base.”

Ioana Mocanu (10) shares, “Midterms can apply unneeded stress on students and a waste of time for students that struggle in the units at the beginning of the year/course. If a student does bad on a first test/unit, they are expected to remember everything and do well on midterms/finals. They can also increase anxiety levels unnecessarily for students in rigorous courses. Midterms, though used to gauge how much a student remembers, lead to less practice on units to come. Even with all that I don’t think I’ll do well since I’m not prepared. My advice is to study and try to remember everything you can.”

Ways you can be better prepared for the midterms is to study. Whether with friends or by yourself, studying is one of the most important ways to be ready. First, be well-rested, so you’re functioning by the time for the midterm. Second, practice whatever the subject the midterm is on. Start studying early; that way, you’re not cramming everything in one go; giving yourself time will provide you with time to space everything out. Third, take breaks and make sure you’re not tense and relaxed. Identify your weakness and strengths to see where you need to study most, but also make sure you’re also looking where you are good at, so you don’t forget. It’s important to be prepared as it can be helpful to you later in the future.

Midterms may be stressful for some students, but it’s helpful. With students either already taking them or going to take them, any advice to help the students of Wheeler be better prepared to take the midterms and do better is welcome. The midterms may not be as crucial as the finals, but it can help you prepare for it and is a good practice when it comes down to it. So, we should treat the midterms as seriously as possible. The midterms may be an excellent way to prepare students who want to go to college. Midterms may increase your chances of success.