With October in full swing, besides anticipating Halloween, students are preparing for midterms to begin. While it seems daunting, midterms should not stress students out too much… unless they have not paid attention at all! Researching the best study hacks helps to evoke confidence in a student entering midterm season and eventually finals. Lucky for you, no research will need to be done on your part! I have compiled a list of my favorite and most effective study hacks I have learned through trial and error and research. With the intent of giving students new ideas and ways to study effectively, I hope these tips will lead you in the right direction and ace your midterms!
The first hack is time management. Now this seems broad but broken down into simple steps it is truly effective. Creating a schedule for exactly what you must study and in what order to do so makes your time more productive and keeps you and your mind more organized. The Pomodoro Technique is the 20-minute study method that has helped my attention span when studying for big exams. Working intently on one subject or lesson plan for 20 minutes straight, followed by a short break of up to 5 minutes, Sometimes writing a physical sticky note with the tasks to be completed can keep you on par with what you need to do in a timely manner. Setting aside time to sit down, fully engaged and not distracted and begin studying can be the hardest part of studying for midterms.
My second hack is using physical writing techniques to process the information you are studying. Reviewing material with a pen or pencil is a productive alternative to reviewing on a laptop or tablet. Writing, reviewing and ingraining the material that you are not too sure about in a notebook or on note cards helps memorization and can be a lifesaver on the test.
Taking a blank sheet of paper and writing down all the terms or ideas that you are not familiar with and a sheet with what you are familiar with helps organize your thoughts, creating two separate study agendas.
Thirdly, become a professor! Well, you don’t actually have to but… take a friend, roommate or classmate and pretend to teach them the material needed for the test. Hit all the key components you need to talk out and make sure you are confident in what you are speaking about. Confidence in what you know is vital to succeeding on exams.
Fourth, and finally, music can be a lifesaver when studying for a big exam. Classical music or music without lyrics is usually my go-to and has been proven to help the human mind study more effectively. Use certain songs or parts in a song when studying material, use your memory to think of the song in your head to help you if you are stuck on the exam. According to Harvard Health, music has a strong ability to boost mood and memory, making studying more effective and fun! Popping in airpods and jamming out by yourself in the library or your desk may not seem like a good study tactic, but it is!
As we enter the middle of the semester, exams and projects pile up quickly. Midterms are a stressful time as we try to cram information into our brains and hope for the very best, but finding new tips and hacks to up our game can help stags ace their midterms!