With the end of midterms commonly come the afterthoughts of, “How could I have done better?” or “I wish I studied harder.” Midterms aren’t the only stressful exams in the school year with weekly topic quizzes and tests arising throughout the year and the IB and AP exams rapidly approaching in May.

Learning to cope with the stress and pressure that comes with tests can be difficult but this article is here to help. The first step to ace an exam is to come up with a study plan or develop a routine. 

“If I’m struggling on something I stay after school for extra help and right when I get home I review what I did in extra help, I look over my textbooks, and try more practice problems,” said junior Christina Z.

Also, some students try to romanticize studying to make it enjoyable.  

“Create an environment that’s best for you. Typically I would say a clean environment where you can organize your belongings. Try to make it as relaxing as it can be, light a candle, if you have an oil diffuser, or have certain lights you like, things that make you feel at peace,” said social worker Emily Dugan. 

Changing your environment can prove helpful as well.

“I love going to Barnes and Noble because it is an amazing environment for studying and helps me to be much more productive,” said senior Lindsey N, in a text message. 

Even if you make studying fun, it is inevitable for upcoming exams to come with stress as well. 

“Tests really drain me and I often find myself stressed out over them studying for hours and I end up not sleeping well worrying about them,” said junior Madison G.

In addition to the general exam stress, seniors had the added stress of submitting mid-year grades to colleges. 

“I do believe that having a high grade on the midterm will help colleges to know that the student is motivated, even in their last year of high school,” said Lindsey N. 

It’s important to learn how to cope with stress in order to avoid feeling overwhelmed. 

“I know it’s overwhelming to study for a whole two weeks before [an exam] but the longer amount of time you have you can study a little bit of information and your brain will be able to absorb it better than trying to cram all the information in one or two nights […] utilizing the resources we have here it’s common for people to get stressed during [exams], there’s no shame in it, everyone wants to succeed and sometimes the pressure we put on ourselves can make us feel more stressed so utilizing your school counselor, your teachers, our mental health staff can definitely put some stress at bay,” said Dugan.🔳