October 31, 2022 by

Midterms are an incredibly stressful time of the year, especially for freshmen who have not experienced them before. Staying motivated throughout the year can already be a challenging task, but throwing in exams is even more demanding! Motivation is something many students – whether you’re in high school or college – struggle with, and knowing how to manage it and work through lack of motivation is an important skill to learn. You might be stressed about the upcoming college workload and how you’re able to successfully get through it. Well, depending on how your current high school is, it’s probably not much different – you’ll still be assigned homework, projects, and of course, exams. No matter where you are in life, knowing how to study and stay motivated during an examination is very important. So, here are five tips for any upcoming midterm or exam you might be faced with.  

#1: Create a Comfortable Environment 

You are going to be sitting in one place for an extended period of time, so the place you study should be comfortable. The library on campus is a lot of students’ go-to place to study, along with Beans n’ Cream, one of the local coffee shops, or sitting in one of the many lounges placed in buildings around campus. Staying in your residence hall can be tempting, but there are more distractions there and it can be too comfortable. Luckily, Cedarville provides its students with many locations and resources that will facilitate successful studying.  

#2: Know Your Learning Style 

Many people just look over notes or make a Quizlet for studying and call it a day, but you should be studying based on your learning style! If you are a visual learner, creating flashcards or linking images to different vocab words will be most helpful for you. As previously mentioned, Cedarville offers tons of study help, and The Cove might become your best friend. The Cove has lots of resources for students when it comes to studying or just academic help in general. Although college might seem different for you, there will always be resources available! 

#3: Goal-oriented Tasks 

Feeling accomplished is an important part of staying motivated. Not only does it boost your mood when you check things off, but then you will not forget to study for any classes! To-do lists do not work quite as well when the task is simply studying. So, break down your studying into smaller steps! You need to create the flashcards first, explain certain concepts first, or rewrite specific notes first. Break down the tasks into smaller steps to get as much serotonin as possible when checking things off your to-do list! 

#4: Momentum Is Important, but So Are Breaks!  

Many people assume that studying for as long as possible without breaks means that you will get the best possible outcome. However, your brain is not built to study for multiple hours at a time. Studying for that long only exhausts your brain and causes burnout. An optimal way of studying would be to study for an hour and then take a 10–20-minute break. Set timers! Ideally, break activities should not be something that you cannot easily put down. Napping makes you tired and can slow or even shut down your productivity. If you must take a nap, it should be no longer than 20 minutes at a time. Media-related activities also make you more tired and more likely to procrastinate getting back to studying. However, going for a walk, tidying up your room, running a quick errand, or even just coloring for a little while would be healthy study-break activities! 

#5: Starting Is the Hardest Part 

Finally, know that buckling down and starting to study is the hardest part to overcome. Once you get the ball rolling, get in the groove, or whatever other phrase – it becomes easier to persevere. Studying can feel draining, especially if you have a lot of midterms and finals, but the feeling of accomplishment after studying hard for something and then getting a good grade will be worth it! 

 

Ultimately, we want to help you as much as we can here at Cedarville. Whether it’s advice for move-in day or how to make friends when you first arrive, you will always have access to helpful advice and information. Luckily, this blog will not only assist you when you arrive here at Cedarville and begin your new academic journey, but these tips are also applicable as you finish your high school career! So, before you begin your college journey, finish off that high school journey successfully by implementing these tips. 

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