Cat Levine, Reporter
@catcourant
Sorting between papers and tests, sophomore Caroline Callahan grabs her timer to mark the end of the day. As she records the amount of time she spent, she peers through the list of endless units that must be memorized in just a few days before the exams. She takes a deep breath, thinking, “and so it begins.”
With midterms around the corner, students find themselves scrambling to complete worksheets and packets that were handed out to them with the intention of completing over break. Now, with only a day day till the first exams, inexperienced and unprepared members of NCHS find themselves looking for guidance. At times like these, students can look to teachers and other students to provide their insight on the do’s and don’t’s of successfully surviving the madness surrounding midterm week.
The head of the English department and teacher, Heidi D’Acosta, has a few pointers from what she has noticed over the years about how students successfully prepare for midterms. “Use buddies because having study groups and problem solving is a great resource; it does not have to come from the teacher,” she said. “Pace yourself so you can do a little bit each day instead of waiting for the last minute.”
Caroline gives insight on tips that she uses to prepare for the exams. “Get yourself organized and know what you need to reteach yourself the week before midterms, then the week of midterms you only have to worry just about reviewing,” she said. “Make sure you do this equally for all your subjects; although one class might seem to be harder than another, you do not want to be put in a situation where you overestimate how much you remember.”
Senior Claire Conley believes that students should spend the most time on subjects they find difficult. “The most important aspect of midterms is prioritizing. Know what you know and know what you do not know, that’s crucial.”
For Caroline, a major component to studying for exams is to start early and review previous material. “I divide up the nights according to each subject two weeks before so that each night has a specific focus,” she said. “I do worksheets, reread my notes and I’ll make study guides based on essential concepts and topics that appeared frequently on tests and quizzes.”
Latin teacher, David Harvey, notices a difference between the grade levels’ preparation. “Usually the stress level goes down as the student goes through high school with the exception being freshman as they do not know what they’re facing this time around so they’re either more uptight than they need to be or more relaxed than they should be.”
Ms. D’Acosta also sees the contrast between the emotional state of her two classes. “Generally juniors feel the most stressed because it is a year when they are also looking ahead to these grades counting for college, and with that comes parental pressure,” she said. “While freshman feel panicked because it’s a different kind of experience; it’s more emotional, while juniors are more concerned over the grade.”
Caroline takes the time the week before to look over and complete review guides that teachers previously handed out so that she knows what to expect. “I always do what my teachers give me because it helps to get me back in the mindset of the units that were toward the beginning of the year.”
When it comes to the test week, junior Jack Dahill schedules time into his after school routine to study. “I’ll do my normal homework first and then work on the various study guides after that, but it is all underscored by nerves and anxiety from the mounting pressure of midterms.”
Caroline observes that this changed schedule can also impact sleeping patterns. “During midterms I get seven to eight hours of sleep, which a lot more than normal, because I do not want to be exhausted during the tests,” she said. “However, before midterms I get more five or six so I have enough time to study after school and sports.”
Mr. Harvey believes that the grade a student receives is more based on how the test was constructed than what the students actually know. “A student’s performance on their exam should be typically in line with how they have exhibited throughout the year. In a class where the kids do poorly, it reflects more on the teacher’s design of the test then on the material discovered,” he said. “Controversially, if everyone does extremely well, it’s not a real indicator on the spread of abilities.”
Finally, once midterms are over, Jack stresses the importance of a slight mental break.“Some teachers understand that after midterms there needs to be a day or two of light work so kids can chill. Those teachers are truly the ones that understand the stress and pressure that is on the kids,” he said. “Others do not, and so they dive right back in. Those teachers should be feared for they know not the plight of the student.”
Now as the countdown continues, Jack reflects on the exams in terms of the entire high school. “You will be tired, you will be stressed, you will definitely want to kill at least one of your teachers, but we are all in the same boat, and nothing brings us closer than the hell of midterms.”
