Preparing For Midterms

   Midterms are not only dreadful exams but they take a toll on your body and brain.

   Avoiding midterms is unfortunately not an option considering the scores are 10% of student’s final grade. Therefore preparing for the test is the only option to make this burden less hectic.

   Tips and strategies to prepare for midterms vary from keeping your body healthy to cramming in study time.

  According to Woodland Regional High School nurse, Christina Marchal, the most important way to keep your body healthy is a good night sleep of 8-10 hours each night before each testing day. This keeps your body alert during both exams.

   Feeling awake is important during the testing week but only when the rest is natural and not from energy drinks.

    Consuming high caffeinated energy drinks such as Monster or Red Bull increases your heart rate and anxiety level. This is not a healthy way to start an exam, ultimately students may feel too anxious for a two hour sit down exam.

   Nurse Marchal stated “When drinking energy drinks during or before exams the possibility exists, students may feel irritable, shaky or nervous.”

   Nutrition is also an important factor in being as focused and prepared as possible for midterms.

   Eating healthy foods during the week of midterm exams creates positive energy among the test taking students.  Taking in essential nutrients helps your brain to function and think more clearly. Healthy meals throughout the day provide students with vitamins and minerals along with sustainable energy.

   Candy bars, cookies and chips do not supply student’s bodies with the correct energy and vitamins for the day, the sugar filled snacks will only make students more sleepy and slouchy.  

   Fruits, vegetables and pasta are the most recommmended foods during exam time, they contain all the energy and vitamins a student needs to stay focused during the day. Marchal suggests students eat “Colorful Veggies,” which are greens, reds, and orange vegetables. She also suggests drinking orange juice to provide students with protein.

   Although grabbing cookies out of the snack machine seems easier, preparing a healthy snack at home will benefit in the end. Eating healthy also is proven to take stress levels down.

   Managing the time to study is one of the factors that raises student’s frustration.

   Studying for several major tests takes time and dedication. Time management is one tip to be asured that each test will be studied for. Marking test dates and study times on a calendar will create organization and prevent you from forgetting.

   Students, who participate in after school activities may have little time to study, so prioritizing is another key to maintain the little time students have. A suggestion given by Nikia Halim, Woodland sophomore, would be to schedule more study time for a student’s worst subject.

   “A tip I would give to students would be to study a lot more for the weaker subjects” said Halim.

   Prioritizing study time and school before friends, hobbies, sports and work will change students’ last minute studying habits into organizing in enough time to study for each subject. To change this habit student’s have the option of lowering work hours, staying after with teachers instead of sports or studying with a friend instead of seeing a movie with a friend.

   Making a few simple changes can turn this stressful week into an easy study hall.