The end of the semester is a very stressful time for many students. There are so many sporting events, concerts, and celebrations to take part in, along with insurmountable amounts of homework. Looming on top of it all are the dreaded and feared semester exams.
Junior Madeline Warrick remembers experiencing some of these anxieties the first time she took semester tests.
“I was most worried about not having enough time because I take a long time to study everything,” Warrick said.
Semester tests are typically an accumulation of all the information learned in class throughout the semester. As many teachers count these exams as a large part of the students’ grades, many students feel pressure to do well. This pressure brings lots of anxieties, especially to first year students.
Science teacher Comron Yazdgerdi has come up with ways to help alleviate some of the last minute stress.
“Semester tests are an accumulation of tests,” Yazdgerdi said. “I try to give the students a study guide at least a week in advance.”
Even though semester tests can be stressful to a student, many agree that doing well hinges on being prepared.
“I always say that failing to prepare is preparing to fail,” Yazdgerdi said. “Using repetition to go over objectives and using note cards to recall information are good tools for preparation.
Warrick said that certain study habits prepared her the best for her first semester tests.
“Asking for advice really helped a lot, especially in science,” Warrick said. “It also helped to clarify how tests would be set up and the material that would be covered.”
After having had experience in taking semester tests several times, Warrick has some advice for freshmen.
“I always write things down and organize with bullets and numbers,” Warrick said. “I also use repetition and use a different color highlighter for each time. But don’t sweat too much, because it’s not as bad as you think.”
