Studying Tips for Midterms
Midterms are coming up for many students, which means very stressed weeks, hours of studying, and days on end of work. These weeks can be really tough for a typical student, but there are many ways to make studying just a little bit easier. Here are the top seven tips you should remember while studying:

1. Study over a course of multiple days

The worst thing you can do while studying is cram everything you need to learn in one night. This will not help you fully know the material, and will overall be overwhelming and a waste of time. To avoid this, study around a week prior to your test. This way, you can slowly engrave the material into your head, and will fully remember what you studied by the time midterms come around. However, don’t study more than two weeks before your test, as you can forget the material you started with by the time you take the test.

2. Don’t used flashcards

One of the most popular ways of studying is using flashcards, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best. Flashcards can be unbeneficial, as it only allows the mind to memorize, not comprehend. To fully understand a topic, it is best if you research the topic a little more in depth, or use other learning methods like self-testing and written responses.

3. Limit distractions

While studying, it can be hard to focus if you have constant distractions, like your phone, noise, or anything else that can take your mind away from studying. To best limit distractions, move yourself into a quiet room without any devices (besides the one you’re using to study). Also, if you have other tasks you need to do, figure out a time plan to spread out everything you need to complete. This will help avoid task-switching, and will keep you focused for a long period of time.

3.  Only study what you don’t know

Studying everything in one unit is very time-consuming, so to better help yourself, only study what you don’t know. If you don’t know what you might have trouble with, take a quick quiz and figure out which topics are the hardest for you, and then study those ones specifically. If you do this every day, you can slowly remove topics you feel comfortable with, until you have studied everything you need to know.

4. Don’t study for long periods of time, have breaks

Studying 3 hours in one night sounds like a beneficial use of time, but it can actually be harmful to you. Long periods of working can cause stress and exhaustion, which is why it is recommended to have breaks every 30 minutes to an hour. The breaks should not be short, but they also should not be long. You will have to figure out what time management works best for you, but the recommended studying time is 45 minutes with 20 minute breaks. 

5. Quiz yourself often

To fully understand what you know of the topic and how much you should be studying, it is best to quiz yourself twice every day: once before you start studying and once after. If you quiz yourself and only get half of the questions correct, then that would mean you have to put more time into studying that topic. If you quiz yourself and get almost all correct answers, then you would not value studying that subject over others, as you already know most of the information.

6. Listen to non-lyrical music

Many students may get bored of studying, so they resort to listening to music. This, however, can harm your knowledge when studying, and can make you forget the material you studied the next day. If you want that music relief, but also want to be beneficial, then you should listen to music without lyrics. It is best to listen to classical music, as it can boost your concentration, but any non-lyrical music works just as fine.

7. Get plenty of sleep

Sleeping is one of the most important things you can do to keep your mind healthy. If you have a bad sleep schedule the week before a test, it can affect your thought process and memory. Having 8-10 hours of sleep each night can make a drastic difference to how your brain functions, and can be really beneficial to you when you are taking a test.

Using all of these studying techniques can ensure a good grade on your midterms. These tips can also help you for any other future tests, and even for finals and real college testing. Just make sure you keep your body healthy, and don’t overwork yourself.