In some classes
and at some schools, mid-terms seem to be almost
non-existent. The phrase is used loosely to represent a
short period of time occurring closer to the first
day of classes than to finals with no specific calendar
segment allotted for it. Some classes require so many exams
and papers that a "mid-term" never really
happens. Other courses don't give any exams at all; they
require written assignments only. Nevertheless, there
still exists a sizeable number of schools and curricula that rely on the traditional mid-term/final peaks in the
semester to assess student performance. At TheSemester.Com, we believe that mid-terms can create so
much undue stress and anxiety that an extra bit of
planning and strategy is required for some college
students to get through
them successfully!
The
mere fact that mid-terms are intended to monitor one's understanding
of a subject mid-way through the term
carries a heavy burden for most students. At one end of
the spectrum, students who perform well on their mid-terms
tend to then study with far less consistency for their
final exams --
thus reducing their overall grade for the course. On the
other end of that same spectrum, students who perform
poorly on a mid-term often become psychologically
negative; viewing the rest of the semester as a hopeless
void. Almost immediately upon receiving their mid-term
grade, they're already looking at the course
syllabus...trying to compute what their final grade will
be if only they can score __ on their final and ___ on other
relevant assessments. Realizing that an "A" or
maybe even a "B+" are no longer within their realm
of possibility, these students put undue pressure on
themselves and spend more time worrying about...than
studying for...their final exams. It's only students with a
rare form of resilience that are capable of bouncing back
after receiving a less-than-adequate grade during this
crucial point in the term...
Of course, to avoid becoming a victim of negative mid-term psychology
on either end of the spectrum, TheSemester.Com
recommends working hard to do VERY WELL on your
mid-semester exams. The mid-term truly is--- quite
unavoidably-- at the center of the see-saw and as such--
it has the
power to tip your semester grade in either direction. The
effects of doing poorly on your
mid-term are far worse
than those that may result from doing especially well and
becoming over-confident. Plan in steps. Too many students
only loosely understand their subject material and then
attempt to learn it all on their own one week or even one
night before an exam. But this tactic rarely works! Ease the
anxiety of mid-terms and spend less time studying the
week before.... Before each class pretend you are
going to be taking a mid-term that covers whatever you
learned in the previous class and study THAT material...
and ONLY THAT MATERIAL the night before! If you
approach each class as though you're going to be taking an
exam on just a few topics, you'll do MUCH better when the
real mid-term comes along and you'll have far less
studying to do. In the long run, this tactic really takes
less time than the infamous "night before
cram session"-- and certainly produces less stress and
anxiety. The "trick," however, is whether or not
you can motivate yourself to do it!!!
Recommended
reading: Iowa State University's daily newspaper published
a great article on the stress surrounding mid-terms... Click
here to read it!
