Mid-Term Tips from ANC Faculty & Staff

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There are two distinct times of the semester when students may feel their most stressed and vulnerable: mid-term and final exams.  Whether it's not knowing what to study, the classic good-in-class-horrible-at-tests syndrome, or just general nervousness, you and many others could be in zombie mode (after pulling all-nighters to cram), hyper mode (from insane amounts of coffee or energy drinks to offset late-night study sessions), or helpless resignation to the testing powers.  However, this can all be avoided with the right preparation and mindset.

Mid-term exams will be held this week at Arkansas Northeastern College.  There are several great resources on campus to help you both learn study skills for mid-terms and increase your odds of success anytime during the semester.  In this blog, several ANC faculty and staff members have come together to give tips and advice for mid-term week that are also helpful throughout your educational career.

• The Academic Success Center (ASC) is housed in the Adams/Vines Library Complex. Learning labs offer individualized instruction in the areas of mathematics, reading, writing, and vocabulary development.  ASC Mentor/Instructor Dr. Bridget Shemwell and the regular staff of the ASC, along with certified tutors and volunteers, work with individuals needing help, both on a drop-in and appointment basis. The staff also maintains a shelf of free materials addressing specific problems, such as procedures for writing essays and term papers, punctuation reviews, and other useful materials. For more details, contact Pat Ellis.
• TRiO Student Support Services (SSS), located in Statehouse Hall, promotes the development of a college climate supportive of the success of students.  As a participant, students can receive individual or small group tutoring from qualified peer or professional tutors.  Tutoring is available in developmental, general education and specific courses. In addition, computer assisted tutoring is available on an individual basis.  In addition to free tutoring, the program offers academic advising, career and personal counseling, and assistance in acquiring financial aid.  SSS also provides various study skill workshops during the academic year to assist students in preparing for course-work and improving their grades.  For more information about qualification guidelines, contact Director Lisa McGhee.
• Lance Morris, Biology instructor, says that for any class, time management skills are a must.  Setting aside time to study in the days before your exam, rather than putting it off until the day (or night) before is crucial.  Give yourself plenty of time to review and reabsorb the materials, and save exam eve as a time to go back and refresh.
• Mr. Morris also suggests that for Biology and many of the sciences, repetition is the key.  Rewrite your notes, copy a friend's notes (two minds are better than one), and flashcards for basic terms/definitions are all great tools to help hammer the ideas home.  Reading your  notes out loud, or having a friend read your notes out loud, can sometimes jog your memory.  Using colored pens with typing paper to create diagrams with labels are great, particularly with body systems, cell parts, and such.  Forming study groups with others in your class is also helpful.  He also suggests going to the web for tutorials at YouTube and Khan Academy on nearly every subject.
• For midterm exams and major essays, English instructor Julie Dorris states that many instructors are looking for critical thinking skills. Understanding contextual information is important, but you need to be able to interpret information from lecture, especially for essay questions on exams. And even though it may sound very basic, make sure essays are complete with an introduction paragraph, multiple support paragraphs, and a clear conclusion paragraph. You'd  be surprised how easy it is to make simple mistakes from nervousness or lack of sleep.  Always remember to read over and revise any paper, short answer, or essay question that you've completed. You want to catch your mistakes before your instructor does.
• History instructor Jillian Hartley expects much of the same from her students at Mrs. Dorris.  You need to be able to understand the information and put it into the proper context.  She adds, "I'm obviously looking for historical perspective and the accurate use of facts, but the main focus is developing the skills to analyze, synthesize (this is a big one with history) and critically think."
• If it's not been emphasized enough, Criminal Justice instructor James Hartley also notes that the content and structure of essays are the most important part of his exams.  Hone your skills by studying your lecture notes and practicing writing.

Best of luck on your mid-terms!  Do you have more suggestions that you'd like to share with students?  Leave a comment with your most helpful testing tips.