For many of us, midterms loom on the horizon, or have possibly come and gone. I for one have two midterms this coming Monday, for which I am preparing as best I can. Lucky one that I am, I pulled a professor that does not believe in study guides of any kind and this midterm represents a the first exam of the quarter for that course. Faced with so much material to review in a week’s time, I often wonder what motivates instructors to pursue that mode of academic evaluation.
On one hand, I can certainly understand the underlying principle: the instructor feels, and rightfully so, that it is ultimately the responsibility of the student to take and maintain lecture notes. Ideally, one would have all of the required information to prepare themselves for an exam covering the material. On the other hand, it also represents confusion for many students when faced with an incredible amount of terminology to memorize and (in this case) refresh themselves on. Not knowing exactly what we will need to know has more than a few of my colleagues stressing out. So it goes.
For those of us that have been through the motions quite a few times already, this is perhaps nothing new, but relatively rare. In my personal experience, instructors have done everything short of giving you an answer key. They, perhaps, realize that by providing the key points and leaving students to conceptualize and flesh out these terms, concepts, and principles we might be better equipped to truly understand the material after the test has long since come and gone.
That said, I think there’s some merit to the argument that some students would benefit more in the long-term by being forced to keep comprehensive notes and rely on themselves to research the material. Whatever the case may be for you, I know there are a few things that, without fail, I must have – or do – to prepare for any major exam. I generally do pretty well, so I figured I would share some of my mid term preparation tips. (Nothing mind-blowing, but maybe it will help someone out.)
- Notecards. I’ve been utilizing them since probably the sixth grade and they have never failed to help me memorize key concepts in a class. They are especially helpful for short-term memorization, but they tend to not help all that much for retaining things for the long haul. They’re amazing for language classes (which I have discussed before), but they also give you the opportunity to study on the go. I have had more than one teacher that swears students who use notecards almost universally pass exams—often doing better than average.
- Coffee. Now, this is more of a personal thing, you could substitute coffee with just about anything that helps you concentrate. I personally believe in the theory that drinking coffee or associating study with some other activity that you could repeat during an exam helps you to remember the material more easily. The brain loves habit, so every little bit helps. Your mileage may vary.
- Plenty of time to study. While it’s common sense, it’s never a great idea to wait to cram until the night before a major test. It is just not enough time to get it firmly engrained in your mind. I usually start studying a week before exam day to adequately prepare myself—this is especially helpful if you have multiple exams on the same day. (Which, unfortunately, I do this quarter with some regularity.)
- Find a comfortable place to study. Being free of distractions may seem obvious, but also being as relaxed as possible will help you concentrate. I realize this is a luxury that some can’t afford (here’s to you, parents!), but finding an hour or two a day to review in relative silence can work wonders.
- Study with classmates. Scheduling this is always a chore, I know, but on the occasions that group study was realistic I felt incredibly prepared to tackle the material following our meetings. There’s usually at least one person in your class who would be more than willing to sit down with you and study. Don’t be a stranger, use whatever resources you have at your disposal.
- Last, but certainly not least, find plenty of time to relax between work and school. The more stress you put on your body, the worse it will perform when you need it to. Find time to enjoy what free time you have.
Hopefully the quarter is going well for everyone and midterms will come and go without much incident. I am going to try particularly hard this quarter to keep all of my study guides for the final exam (two of my finals are comprehensive), and refresh myself once a week or so on material that we have long since moved past. If I’m lucky, finals will be a no stress affair.
Good luck!
(edit: After getting home, I realized NPR had just posted a story about conventional studying tips possibly being ineffective. Haha, well, the more you know. You can check it out here.)
November 5, 2010 at 6:48 pm |
Hey Chris, I love your writing style. I am a long distance learner, 1st quarter freshman after being out of high school for 29 years. Needless to say, midterms have been problematic! I really don’t know how I ever eeked through cumulative final exams in high school. My poor brain struggles to remember what formulas were used in the last chapter!
At any rate, you have a clear, friendly voice in your writing and I am sure your blog will continue to be a success.
All the best,
Dottie
November 14, 2010 at 9:16 pm |
This blog has really bothered me. Are you sure we are referring to CSCC? This is a community college, most are non- traditional students. We work full time, have families and all the responsibility that comes with this. If a instructor can not work to help students achieve, get the word out, so folks don’t encounter this problem on top of the many we already have. Rate your professor. Put this instructor out of job, we don’t need obstacles to prevent us from reaching our goals.
Maybe the instructor is disillusioned and thinks he or she is teaching at accredited university or wishes they where. I really can not stand it when folks purposely make it as difficult as possible, I view it as a way to project their misery on others.
Please speak up and identify so we don’t have to encounter the same problem.
November 16, 2010 at 1:12 pm |
I agree with a lot of this, but I thought I’d address a few things (both in your post and from what people have said to me.)
I go out of my way to not mention professors’ names, whether they’re amazing or terrible, so that I can maintain some level of anonymity and be as candid as I please about my experience in the class room. It’s really the only restriction I have on my writing. Student blogger or no, I’m still an employee of the college when it’s all said and done. I also adhere to it because it protects my own interests as a student, and calling people out directly has never been my style. The fact that Rate My Professor exists (and is used by many of us) makes it unnecessary anyway. I’m sure the feedback is already there.
This blog entry put me in a particularly interesting position, because it was the first and only time that I lost complete anonymity by way of the front page feature on the Columbus State website. That said, I feel like I need to address this a little bit.
Of the three courses I am currently taking, all three have wonderful professors with their own idiosyncrasies. While I may disagree with this particular approach to exams, I understand its merits and its shortcomings. Having already taken the exam in question, I was adequately prepared based on lecture notes and my own study time. No big deal, this time. My professor has also been very helpful and engaging, and I’m not just saying that because this blog entry was apparently discussed in-class while I was absent.
I do agree, however, that instructors that clearly do everything they can to make their students’ lives miserable should not be teaching here or anywhere. My current instructors do not fall into this category–I have had a handful of teachers in the past, here and elsewhere, that certainly did.
Anyhoo, just thought I’d revisit this.
November 22, 2010 at 3:43 pm |
Note to Melissa. You mentioned that the professor in question perhaps “is disillusioned and thinks he or she is teaching at accredited university.” Columbus State is, in fact, fully accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, the same folks who accredit Ohio University, The Ohio State University among many many others.