Tips and Tricks for Surviving Midterm Season

As Fall ends, we slowly enter Midterm Season, one of the most hectic times of the semester. You’ll think you’re doing fine and then, suddenly, there’s 20 unwatched lectures on MyCourses and a closed-book midterm tomorrow.  It’s happened to all of us. Here’s some pointers and coping mechanisms to prepare yourself for the wave of deadlines ahead.

1.     Go Over Assignments

If you’re in a coding-based COMP class, like COMP202 or COMP250, you should be familiar with the grueling assignments. Professors will likely use concepts from those assignments in the midterm, so it’s important to go over each solution. Make sure you understand both the syntax, i.e how to write the code independently, as well as the theory behind it.

This technique is consistent with doing well in Math exams too, as often Professors will reuse assignment questions with different plug-in values. If you’re already used to the general structure of most questions and approaches, you’ll feel much more confident going into the midterm.

2.     Take Time to De-Stress

Long coffee-fueled nights at McLennan may work for the first leg of the midterm marathon, but it’s bound to fail without some self-care. Try to allocate one hour each day to non-work-related activities; for example, doing your nails and watching reality TV, possibly both at the same time. This will help you de-stress and keep your work schedule sustainable.

You should also remember to get a full night’s sleep. There’s no use in a 1 hour relax session when it’s 4am and your midterm is in 5 hours!

3.     Find a Way to Memorize

The past year and a half have gifted us open-book exams. The obvious positive of this is being able to look at notes during midterms and not needing to memorize complex equations and concepts. Since most of us no longer have the luxury, we need to remind ourselves of how to drill this content into our heads.

We suggest writing out equations or complex statements to remember them while studying. Otherwise, if you’re more of an auditory learner, you can also record yourself saying them and listen on repeat! The key takeaway here is simply not to forget the importance of memorization during exam season.

4.     What’s Your Best Work Environment?

With a reduction in pandemic restrictions, we are given the choice to work in environments other than our homes. It’s important we take advantage of this and cultivate learning habits that encourage focus. Staying in bed and reading lecture slides may feel less strenuous than going to the library, for example, but you’re also absorbing less content and preventing yourself from fully concentrating.

Try to find study locations that are both comfortable and productive. Luckily, there is no shortage of nice cafes around Montreal. If you prefer something quieter, McGill libraries are also a staple go-to.  

5.     Look at Past Exams 

The best place to seek out pointers for your midterm is through past exams. This will tell you your professor’s examination and grading style, in particular what format they use, how they write questions, and the difficulty level. These aspects will inform how you study for the exam and, more importantly, give you the practice to boost your confidence with the course material.

Finally, good luck to everyone with their coursework and exams! Let’s get through this midterm season together.