Hey Big Green!
So it’s Week 4, and it’s midterm season. How could this have happened so soon? It seems like it was only yesterday that you and your friends were getting gelato at Morano and sitting on the Green.
Now it’s time to hit the books. You have a math test on Tuesday, a biology midterm on Wednesday, and a history paper due on Thursday. Three consecutive days of assignments and midterms, now that’s rough.
Luckily for you, the Academic Skills Center has you covered with a few quick and easy tips to knock out all of your assignments. Let’s get started.
Papers
Have a paper due? Avoid writer’s block and get your essay done earlier by consulting our “Seven Step Guide for Writing A+ Essays (see page 62 of our E-Book). Also, save time on citations by using a citation generator like EasyBib or Zotero.
Quantitative Exams (Math and Econ)
The best way to tackle these exams is through practice tests. Almost every math class at Dartmouth has a set of practice exams posted online. Try to look up previous course webpages to find these practice exams. Econ exams also have practice tests – usually your professor will provide them to you.
Qualitative Exams (History and English)
You’ll usually have in-class essays or take-home essays for qualitative classes. Sometimes, your professor will provide you with the essay prompts in advance. Other times, they will tell you the general topic, but the actual prompt will be unkown. You can usually guess the general prompt by reviewing your lecture notes (see page 45 of our E-book).
Exam Strategies
When you’re in the thick of the exam, it’s important to keep a few tips in mind. If you suffer from pre-midterm anxiety, then make sure you watch a cute animal video before the test. Research has shown that watching cute animal videos creates higher levels of endorphins and reduces cortisol – this improves your memory and relaxes you (see page 80 of our E-book). Also, remember to bring a watch with you. Having a watch helps you pace yourself during your exam. That way, you’ll be able to allocate enough time to answer every question. Finally, the best way to prepare for an exam is to study for it in advance. To help you synthesize your course material in preparation of midterms, please see pages 42 through 58 of our E-book.