With Midterms coming up on March 3rd, many of us students are feeling stressed and overwhelmed. We interviewed 5 students to get an insight into how they feel about midterms.
“I’m feeling a little bit overwhelmed.” said Georgia Noble, 9th grader. “Because of the amount of material and classes I have to study for – on top of the normal classwork, homework, and various test retakes.” Some students find that the workload becomes difficult to manage approaching midterms, while others find it lighter.
Others are feeling prepared. 9th grader, Ella Vogel, said, “great. I’m not stressed at all because I’m doing good in my classes and it’s not a big part of our grade. Also, it’s a day we don’t have to have classes.” Brooke Dion also said she feels ready. When we asked her how she was preparing for them, she told us how she made study guides and has been studying them for a certain amount of time every night. Ella Vogel also said, “I’m using an exam study schedule from Ms. Lyons. I’m also meeting with my teachers to discuss anything I’m unclear on.”
We then interviewed upperclassmen to get some advice for anyone taking the exams for the first time. Angela Montano, an 11th grader, said: “definitely create a study guide. Start studying earlier and use the breaks you are given during the midterm week.” Another tip she gave for the day of the test was to, “bring water and gum.”
We also heard from Eve Veloz, who agreed with Angela’s advice. “I like to chew gum to stay grounded and not stress too much. The mintyness is helpful.” Another piece of advice we heard repeatedly, was to remind yourself it’s only 10% of your 2nd trimester grade. Even if you do badly, it won’t be detrimental to your grade.
Dr. Johnson, our head of school, told us “Often the most important thing you can do for any major test or exam is to get sleep, hydrate, and to eat a good breakfast.” If you don’t do these things, all of a sudden you don’t have the energy and focus to do these exams without taking care of your body first.
Another key piece of advice he told us was to have a “Positive mindset that you will be able to do this, believe in yourself. You know the material and you need to trust that. Belief in yourself and your abilities can bring about a good result. Put it in perspective, it’s just one small data point.”
It seems the general consensus was to take care of yourself, prioritize study time, and have faith in your learning. Good luck Pingree!
