This year is the first year freshmen students are taking Midterm exams which count as 20% of their semester grade. Each exam is a 90 minute period and students only have to come to school for their designated exam periods. Morgan Mentors shared tips for managing stress during exams.

Freshman Solange Morales-Toledo shared that she’s scared about what will be on them and the types of questions that will be on it. This is her first year taking midterms.

Mathematics teacher, Stephanie Davis suggested not to save studying for the last minute. She said most teachers start reviews a week in advance which will help students with their stress levels.. She said, ¨When you do study, start with the ones that are first and work on the ones that are later, after that.¨ When Mrs. Davis was in school, she found it helpful to write things down because it would help her to remember. She added, whenever she was stressed, she would take a break and color. She reassured students that a midterm is only a small portion of your grade for the year, so if you don’t do too well it won’t affect your end of the year grade. She made it clear that, ¨That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.¨ She wanted to remind students that the teachers are there to help, so if a student needs help they should ask. 

Chemistry teacher, Jake Rowe said that his best advice is pacing. He also said, ¨Teachers will provide study guides and practice lists for midterms.¨ Mr. Rowe likes to study by looking at the guide to see what he has to study and whatever is hardest, he would practice first. He said, ¨You don’t want to cram in information because you don’t want to get stressed so find something that distresses you. Like taking a 5 or 10-minute break.¨ He added that you’re going to want to take breaks because you want to reach your goal. When you come back from your break, you’ll be recharged and refreshed. Mr. Rowe wants the students to know that, ¨If you ever have a question, never hesitate to ask. That shows teachers that your putting in time and effort to succeed, and also if teachers give you a study guide and practice guides, reference them because we want you to be successful.¨

School counselor, Maureen Tranquilli started by saying that she thinks it’s really important during exams to eat breakfast and get a good night’s sleep each night before exams. She said, ¨Studying is important but taking breaks from studying is also important.¨ Mrs. Tranquilli suggested some strategies to help people if they were to get stressed. She said, ¨If you’re feeling stressed, plan for breaks, take a walk, do something else, exercise, talk with a friend or family member.¨ She also said, ¨If stress comes out of nowhere and you haven’t planned for one of those things, take some deep breaths, listen to some music and even meditate if that’s something that you like to do.¨

Learning strategies teacher Beth Nadeau gave some advice to students who had never taken midterms before and are new to the schedule. She suggested that you organize yourself by putting a study guide together, making note cards for each subject. She also suggested studying 15 minutes per class each night two weeks before, along with making sure you ¨Find a quiet area and unplug.¨ She added that after each 15 minute study reward yourself with a 10-minute break.