Home | Midterms and Finals Archives
04 October 2010
Why Sleep?
Do you ever get the feeling that there is just not enough time in a day for all the things you're trying to do? Especially during midterm season, right? Instead of sleeping we might as well be studying. Well, before breaking out the caffeine shots and prepare for the all-nighters, here me out!
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Posted by Stephen Chen at 4:40 | Permalink
28 September 2010
Managing Midterms
By this time, you have probably settled more comfortably into your living situation and life here at UC Berkeley (regardless of your class year). However, are you comfortably settling in on the prospects of midterm season (a season that seems to come in wave after wave instead of solo in the middle of the term)? Of course not. Why? Because we're mostly all hard working--or procrastinating--Cal students. No worries. You've obviously made it this far to Cal, but that
doesn't mean that whatever you've been doing in the past is going to still work in your freshman, sophomore, junior, or even senior year.
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Posted by Katrina Hong at 4:40 | Permalink
21 April 2010
Push to the Finish
With only 2 weeks or so left for instruction the end to this semester is in sight, and with the end of each semester also comes finals. Finals can be stressful mentally and physically so in addition to remembering to study remember to take care of yourself. Most classes offer review sessions, which can be very helpful in preparing for you tests, and be sure to visit your professor or GSI office hours with any questions before their normal office hours end. The most important thing, especially with cumulative finals, is to start early!
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Posted by Kerry Boyle at 5:15 | Permalink
15 March 2010
Staying Healthy During Exams
Midterms are upon us and while everyone is focusing on studying as much as possible and writing fantastic papers, one really important aspect to keep in mind is that doing all of these things with a cold makes the tasks that much more difficult. Staying healthy during midterms is important especially because so many of us spend tons of time in classes around people with colds and in computer labs sharing computers with others. Getting enough sleep is vital to maintaining your immune system as well as keeping focused on studies. I know that some people stay up extremely late working but it’s important to rest your body and your mind. Make sure to stay hydrated and consume foods rich in nutrients to give your body what it needs to fight off sickness. Someone pointed out to me one simple way to stay mentally healthy during this season at CAL, and that is to refer to the midterms as exams instead. Midterms has a stressful connotation to me and might allow us to psych ourselves up for the pressure while exams might place less pressure on us. Whether or not it is the case, I think that anything that can help reduce stress and increase my well being is well worth trying.
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Posted by Jessica Lebeau at 5:18 | Permalink
09 March 2010
Midterm recovery
Midterms are not pleasant for anyone, but they are particularly unpleasant if they don't go as well as you would like. We have all been there getting your test back and your stomach sinks with realization that maybe you didn't quite study as much as you should have. The most important thing if a midterm goes badly is not to give up. All too often students have a bad grade on the first test and then stop going to class and section, and give up on trying to catch up on reading. The best thing you can do is to go to section MORE talk to your GSI about how things are going and what you can do to improve on the next test. Go through your test, even if it's painful, and understand each problem and why the answers are correct. There are also tutors available at the SLC for many larger classes, which can help you to get a better understanding of the material. If you know other people in the class take the initiative and start a study group, which will benefit everyone. The CNR resource center is also a good place to study where you can even have a cup of coffee with you, and sit on a comfy couch, so no usual library avoiding excuses! Remember that a rocky start is a challenge to work harder and finish out the best that you can.
If you did outstanding on your first exam, Congratulations! However don't start neglecting classes just because you are off to a great start. Keep up the good work and keep going to section and lecture :D
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Posted by Kerry Boyle at 2:31 | Permalink
08 March 2010
Tips for Studying
1.
Start early! If you already know the material, you don’t have to spend as much time studying for it. Get in the habit of reviewing your notes before and after lecture!
2.
Budget your time wisely. Plan out what you want to do, and realistically allot the time you will need to accomplish each task. I usually list out everything that I want to do to prepare for an exam (for example: read over my notes, re-read assigned chapters, do practice problems, do practice exams), and then fit it into my schedule for the week preceding the date of the test.
3.
Make a study group. It’s always better when you can talk over exam material with your fellow peers. Make up a list of questions while going through the material on your own, and quiz each other to see if you actually know it!
Need a place to get together? Study rooms are available in the Main Stacks. Go to http://sunsite.berkeley.edu:7090/main_stack/ to reserve online.
4.
Utilize outside resources, such as test banks and the SLC. A few of the test banks I have used are: Tau Beta Pi Honor Society - http://tbp.berkeley.edu/, Bioengineering Honor Society - http://bioehs.berkeley.edu/index.php/resources/test-bank. A lot of honor societies and student organizations have their own test files, so try to find those that are relevant to your field of study!
5.
Get help from GSIs and professors! Go to office hours and review sessions with specific questions, so that you can get the most out of it. Also, try to go early because office hours tend to get crowded right before an exam!
6.
Do what works best for you. For me, I need to go through all of my lecture notes and re-copy them into an organized study guide. So, find what method works best for you and go with it!
7.
Do practice problems! Once you feel comfortable with the material, time yourself while taking practice exams to better prepare yourself for the actual test.
8.
Get enough sleep the night before… you don’t want to fall asleep during the exam!
9.
Take a break before the actual exam…don’t cram right up until the exam starts!
10.
Be confident! You got into Berkeley for a reason…don’t doubt your abilities!
Best of luck during midterm season!
Kelley
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Posted by Kelley Doyle at 9:48 | Permalink
22 February 2010
Midterm Season!!!!
Midterm Season has ARRIVED!
(Insert shriek of doom here haha)! So, it's that time of year again.... MIDTERMS! Okay, so we all want to "reach for the stars" and "soar to new heights" as the old sayings go. But, at Berkeley where everyone is a natural Einstein, how do we shine above the rest? The key is to click below where it says "Continue reading "Midterm Season!!!!" »" ;-)
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Posted by Wellington Onyenwe at 4:35 | Permalink
04 October 2009
Places to Study
With the first round of midterms here it's important to find a good place to sit down and study. Luckily at Berkeley you can find a place to get your work done no matter what your learning style and preference is. Here are some places I recommend around campus. Also, make sure to becoming a member of the PAL Facebook Fanpage and use the discussion page to let the PALs know where you like to go to study.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Berkeley-CA/College-of-Natural-Resources-Peer-Advising-Leaders-CNR-PALs/138439192417?ref=mf Continue reading "Places to Study" »
Posted by Olga at 3:07 | Permalink
30 September 2009
Midterms are coming...Are you panic?
The next two weeks seem to be the busy weeks for Cal students as midterms are coming. I know some of you; especially freshman and newly transferred students, might be panic about your first midterm season at Berkeley. As for my own experience, I was very stressed during my first semester and didn’t do well on my tests; thus, I want to share some tips that might be helpful for you to survive through your first challenge.
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Posted by Chau Pham at 0:45 | Permalink
