Five Useful Study Methods for Midterms

As the middle of the spring semester approaches, students become busy studying for midterms. While many Concordia classes have tests spread out throughout the entire semester, others may only have a midterm and a final exam, meaning that both tests are quite important. Earning good grades on midterms requires a time commitment; however, having proper study habits can make study sessions more efficient. Although there are many study methods available for students to try, these five are some of the best and most popular to try this midterms season.  

Active Recall 

The active recall technique forces your brain to retrieve information from its stores rather than simply recognizing it, for example, from a multiple-choice question bank. Recalling information completely from memory tells you that you really know the answer to a question rather than just recognizing the answer out of a list of options.  

Practicing active recall when studying is simple; you can make use of your brain’s incredible retrieval power with some basic flashcards. Just make sure that you’re attempting to come up with whatever is written on the other side of the card before checking it and saying, “oh, yeah, I totally knew that!” When making flashcards, write questions on one side and answers on the other. Then, flip through them and answer the questions by memory – and don’t be afraid to create flashcards that have more than one-word answers! You can include short explanations of concepts, diagrams or step-by-step processes.  

The Feynman Technique 

The Feynman Technique for studying may be especially attractive for future educators – Richard Feynman, the technique’s developer, believed that one best demonstrates understanding of a concept when they can explain it in simple, rather than complex, terms. 

To utilize the Feynman Technique, round up your stuffed animals, younger siblings or other children that you know, or even friends who have limited knowledge of the concept you’re studying. Then teach them a simple lesson about the topic and fill in gaps in your own understanding by making your explanation as clear and concise as possible. After teaching, reread, review and refine your notes, then teach again, and repeat the process until you’re comfortable in your understanding.  

Spaced/Distributed Practice 

Spaced, or distributed, practice is a study method that takes place either over time or consistently throughout the school year, but in much shorter learning sessions. Most often, students who “cram” for exams in the few days leading up to a big test tend to overlook or miss important details that are more likely to stand out to students who study in smaller chunks over time and focus on repetition.  

Spaced practice does take a lot of planning time, – often before even starting a course – but once you establish a schedule and fall into a routine, it can easily become a habit. So look at your syllabi before the semester begins, schedule time to review for each class at least a few times per week, and divide your time between looking at new material and reviewing older material. The key to spaced practice is that review sessions are regular. Whether this means that you review for a half an hour each day or two hours every Tuesday and Thursday doesn’t matter as much as the regularity of your studying.  

Pomodoro Technique 

Let’s face it: for most students, studying for hours at a time while maintaining focus and not stopping is pretty much infeasible. The Pomodoro Technique, then, is perfect for students who recognize that taking purposeful breaks while studying can prove more effective than just “powering through” a long session.  

The key to using the Pomodoro Technique effectively is to use a timer to split your studying into 45-minute work sessions with 15-minute breaks in between. Then, at the end of 4 such sessions (if you must study that long), you can take a longer break, perhaps to eat a meal or engage in another activity. These breaks are purposeful, however, which means that you should choose to do something during them that is unrelated to your studies and refreshes your mind, body and soul. Some ideas for Pomodoro-style breaks include going for a walk, taking a shower, grabbing a snack or crafting.  

Leitner System 

The Leitner System is a final study technique that is especially suitable for Quizlet lovers. Like many active recall techniques, it uses flashcards, but the system is unique. When it’s not online, this method uses paper flashcards as well as three different boxes. Using this system, you’d make flashcards just as you would for any other active recall method, but they’re all placed in Box 1 and reviewed every day.  

Once you begin reviewing the cards, move the cards with questions that you answer correctly on to the second box. You will review these cards every other day. If you continue to get these answers correct, you will move the cards to the third box for once-a-week review. By the time your test rolls around, the Leitner system's goal is that all your cards will sit comfortably in Box 3.  

Of course, none of these study techniques will work for every class, subject or student – so find the one that works best for you and makes you feel most prepared; alternatively, combine different aspects of the methods to create your own personalized, effective study routine! Use these study techniques to learn, review and succeed this midterms season! 

Interested in studying at Concordia University, Nebraska? Learn more here.