All of HHS knows the dates for midterms for months preceding the actual tests, yet everyone is always scrambling the night before to cram in their studying. Midterms and finals are known as the “fifth marking period” accounting for 10% of a student’s final average. With six classes and a gym period, studying for these mammoths-of-a-test can be overwhelming, but with good studying habits, it becomes very achievable. Here are five tips you should keep in mind with studying for midterms, and even finals down the road.

1. Start studying weeks before the tests. Yes, this might sound like common sense to some, but you would be surprised by the amount of people who save their review until the night before the exam. There is an entire five months of material to review for midterms, so starting your studying earlier is imperative for your success.

2. Study different topics in small increments. Trying to review an entire subject’s material over a prolonged period of time has been proven to be less effective than studying in shorter increments. For example, if you were studying for your algebra class, reviewing daily in approximately 20 minute increments is more effective than studying one day for multiple hours.

3. Try quizzing yourself. When you quiz yourself on the material you need to know for the exam, you are more likely to remember the information than if you only reread the notes. While rereading the notes is still a good strategy. quizzing yourself provides a better alternative that puts your brain to work. It allows you to develop a deeper understanding of the topic and more importantly the concepts, something that simply rereading fails to do.

4. Study with friends. This can be a great studying tool if you use it effectively. There is no better way to go over the material from a certain class than to do it with your peers that take the class as well. Peers can provide answers that you cannot come up with on your own. However, if the friends that you are studying with are too much of a distraction, this study session can become a social session real fast! Therefore, make sure that you and your friends are both focused on completing the task at hand.

5. Ask Questions! As you begin to review material that you learned as far back as September, it is inevitable that you will not have the clearest memory of all topics, in all subjects. Don’t be afraid to ask your teachers to clarify anything you don’t completely understand. Teachers know the subject better than anyone, so they are a great resource to complete any midterm exam studying.

As the dates of the exams get closer, hopefully you take these tips into account and perform to the best of your abilities.