Preparing for Midterm Madness

By Feroza, Academic Assistant (Work Study student)

Many of you are probably thinking to yourself right now, “I have midterms in a week, I haven’t even started studying! What am I going to do?!” It is a very stressful time of the semester for a lot of students as midterms approach. Every student has their own way of preparing for their midterms. Here are just a few things you can do to prepare for any upcoming exams:


Plan Ahead 
This has been a huge issue for me ever since I started university. I’m sure many of you could relate that on top of studying we have other commitments such as assignments, weekly quizzes, extracurricular activities and much more. This could be one of the many reasons why studying is left for the night before. In fact, 68% of students start studying or preparing for exams at most only a week in advance.¹
Some things you can do to overcome this is to:

• Plan ahead for your midterms so you could get enough quality study time
• Here is a Daily Task Planner tip sheet you can use https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/aacc/sites/utsc.utoronto.ca.aacc/files/tipsheets/Academic_Advising_Tipsheets/DailyTaskPlannerJournal.pdf
• Take breaks when you need to
• Here is some more information on how to utilize your study time better https://www.oxfordlearning.com/study-break-tips/ 
• Develop a regular study schedule and stick to it
• Use an agenda regularly or download an app (such as Evernote , Due, or Business Calendar Pro) on your phone to help you create a schedule 
• You can also check out this website for more apps to assist you on managing your time/schedule https://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/10-awesome-productivity-apps-help-manage-your-hectic-life.html 

Do Not Cram!
Cramming is not effective. It is overwhelming and will impact your ability to retain information. Whenever I stayed up the night before an exam, I felt that I was being unproductive and this was reflected on my exam performance. It was obvious when I studied in advance I had much better results. Cramming for an exam doesn’t allow your brain to retain important information.2 You lose valuable sleep that will affect your performance.
Some suggestions to not end up cramming the night before the midterm:

• Study way in advance to avoid such difficulties
• Here is a tip sheet on time management https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/aacc/sites/utsc.utoronto.ca.aacc/files/tipsheets/Academic_Advising_Tipsheets/timemanagement.pdf
• Review your notes before and after each class to make it easier to study for midterms
• Do not leave your readings and studying all for the night before the exam!
• Here is a tip sheet on procrastination https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/aacc/procrastination

Sleep, Exercise, Eat Healthy 
A huge difference that I have incorporated into my midterm preparations is making sure I sleep enough, eat healthy food/snacks, going out for walks or working out at least 3 times a week. These changes have reduced my stress and anxiety levels and boosted my self-confidence especially during midterm season. Studies have shown that exercise significantly reduces stress levels, allowing you to spend less time worrying and more time getting work done.2
Some very important things to do during your weeks of studying:

• Take a quick 20 min walk outside, it could make a big difference when it comes to studying
• Here is an article that further talks about the benefits of fitness during exam season https://simplygym.co.uk/exercising-will-help-exam-performance/ 
• Get into the habit of eating healthy. Consume nutritional foods and limit the amount of junk food
• Make sure to get plenty of sleep in before the day of your midterm
• Here is further information on why sleep is so important during exam season https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121145400.htm 

In addition, there are many resources that UTSC offers to help you prepare for midterms

• Check out the Tip Sheets 
• Procrastination - https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/aacc/procrastination 
• Time management - https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/aacc/sites/utsc.utoronto.ca.aacc/files/tipsheets/Academic_Advising_Tipsheets/timemanagement.pdf 
• Book a 1-on-1 study skills appointment with an Academic Advisor/Academic & Learning Strategist
• AA&CC (AC213) in person or contact 416-287-7561
• Or come in for drop ins AA&CC (AC213)
• Monday-Thursday 12pm-4pm, Fridays 12-2:30pm 
• Attend workshops by registering on CLN - https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/aacc/services-events 
• Study hacks videos 
• https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/aacc/study-hacks

Now that you know a few tips on how to prepare for midterms, here are some important course enrollment reminders/deadlines you will not want to miss!

• View your start time on ACORN 
• July 3rd – 1st, 2nd, 3rd year students 
• June 22 – 4th and 5th year students 
• Course enrollment begins 
• 1st year – July 9th 
• 2nd year – July 13 
• 3rd year – July 12 
• 4th and 5th year – June 27 
• Deadline to drop courses without academic penalty and have them removed from your transcript (Summer semester) 
• Y Section – July 23rd  
• S Section – July 30th 

For more information regarding course enrollment or other deadlines visit:

https://utsc.utoronto.ca/registrar/sites/utsc.utoronto.ca.registrar/files/resource-files/Fall%202018%20Winter%202019%20Academic%20Dates%20.pdf

https://utsc.utoronto.ca/registrar/sites/utsc.utoronto.ca.registrar/files/resource-files/Summer%202018%20Academic%20Dates%20.pdf 

Good luck on all your exams!

Until next time,
Feroza Tareen

Reference:

1. https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/news-polls/canadian-university-students-study-habits-and-exam-related-stress
2. https://simplygym.co.uk/exercising-will-help-exam-performance/