It’s that time of year again: midterms. Students school wide begin to feel the pressure, waiting for the relief of winter break. But really, how does Solon High feel about these end of semester tests?
Student stress, especially at Solon, is not out of the ordinary. It’s common for students to take multiple AP and Honors courses as well as participate in many extracurricular activities.
With all these responsibilities, the time to review for midterms may be few and far between.
Spanish teacher Senor Staab said he doesn’t view midterms as important.
“If I were king of the world, I wouldn’t have midterms– In my content area anyways, I dont think it’s necessary for foreign languages, but maybe in other subjects.”
However, Damien Kopkas, who works in the math department, has a different opinion.
“Midterms are important to help with long-term retention of concepts,” Kopkas said, “Too often, I see students trying to learn the material for the moment, then quickly forget it after a test. To truly understand something means retaining that knowledge long after the assessment.”
So, how do students feel about the upcoming exams?
We sent out a survey to English teachers to send out to their students about midterm stress. It was taken by 108 students.
In our survey, one of the biggest responses to “What could teachers do to make you feel more confident about midterms?” was to give out study guides and dedicate multiple days to review.
Sophomore Hermes Pan said they support a similar point.
“I think teachers could motivate us more to do well, and give out study guides,” Pan said. “Also give us a page on what we need to know.”
Senior Ruchira Patil said she supports these thoughts as well.
“I think teachers could offer more help for the class, but I do think they’ve done a good job getting us in the midterm mood.”
Also in our survey, over 62% reported their stress about midterms at a 7/10 or above.
Paxton Kirby, a sophomore, said that midterms do seem more stressful this year than they have in the past.
“I think I am definitely more stressed than last year because the classes are so much harder,” Kirby said. “I also think my extracurriculars are interfering with studying. I’m not in a lot, but I am in MIM [Music in Motion] Crew, and I do get taken out a lot. That definitely interferes to a good extent.”
So, with all these factors, how can you do well on your midterms?
One study method that works well is called blotting. Start by pulling out your past notes, papers and study materials. Figure out the information you know well, and the information you don’t know as much about. Now ‘blot’ all the information down. Blotting is when without using notes, you write down as much information you can recall about a topic.
After this, go through your notes and find the information you had trouble with. Start with reviewing the material you struggle with the most, when you think you have that down well, start working on the material you are most familiar with.
Another study method that may lead to success is using websites such as Khan Academy and Fiveable. Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos and a personalized learning dashboard to help you review the material. Fiveable is a great resource if you’re studying for AP classes. It offers students a massive library of materials including guides, practice questions, as well as cheat sheets for every single AP course.
Remember– you need to dedicate a focused time slot for each subject. In order to do well, you need to avoid cramming and dedicate time and energy into the subjects you are working towards.
Kopkas also agrees with this point, saying students need to avoid cramming.
“To me, students need to avoid cramming the few days leading up to midterms,” Kopkas said. “They need to understand that the work they have put forth throughout the semester has prepared them to take this test. The answers are in their brains, they simply just need to search for them and transfer them to the paper or computer.”
