You planned on studying for your mid-term for the past two weeks. However, because procrastination is a high school student’s finest talent, somehow you never got around to reading your history textbook this semester. Stay calm. We have are some tips from teachers on how to make the best of your last-minute studying.

For the semi-organized student (One week in advance):
“I believe firmly in reviewing early on and going over the material again and again until it has sunk in to the point where you can visually remember exactly where information is found in your notebook and textbook,” Modern World History teacher Art Bescher said.

If you are unable to spend extensive amounts of time reading and rereading your exciting text book, there are other options.

“When students study for the English final they should make sure they are aware of the key terms used all the time in English class,” English teacher Kevin Brown said. “It may also help them to go through their portfolios and take note of the things they continue to lose points on.”

According to math teacher Curtis Southworth, it is best to study the county semester exam review and make corrections on your unit tests in order to prepare for the mid-term.

“Organize your class materials and notes around the study guides,” History teacher Michael Carroll said. “If you have the possible essay questions, write short outlines. Find a study group if possible. Make flash cards for content material, but make sure you understand how terms are related to each other.”

According to Psychology teacher Jared Pulliam, the key steps to doing well on exams are eating well, rehearsing material, rewriting notes, making the information personal and breaking up time spent studying over the week.

“You’re more likely to remember information if you have a personal example to relate it to.” Pulliam said. “For instance, if you have to remember the Pythagorean Theorem for math class, you might associate it with a famous love triangle, like: A(Angelina) squared + B(Brad) squared = C (See Jennifer break down) squared.”

For the frantic student (One night in advanced):
So you have not started studying for the past week, despite the tips, and the clock reads 6 p.m. before your midterm tomorrow. What should you do?

“Do all of the problems on the semester exam review, but don’t stay up so late that you aren’t rested for the exam,” Southworth said. “You pretty much need to live with the fact that you won’t score to you potential due to the choices that led to your procrastination.”

According to Carroll, cramming is extremely challenging because you are not organized and will find it hard to know what to study. Therefore, studying the night before can get frustrating.

“Pray!” Carroll said. “Find that study group, or read the textbook. Reading will make up for a lot of sins.”

When all else fails, do not panic. Try your best to remain calm and get down the information that was stressed by your teacher.

“Huddle up in the fetal position in the corner of a room and start chanting ‘serenity now’” Pulliam said. “Seriously, though, if it is the last night, focus mostly on getting down the key facts that the teacher emphasized. Be able to answer in depth questions on it and when you can repeatedly do this, then dive into the smaller points.”

However, key facts are not crucial for all exams.

“English is a lot about applying skills like organization, strong wording, and integrating support,” Brown said. “I think cramming and staying up late will only lead to a groggy and cluttered mind the next morning.”

Now that you have some cram-strategies down, here is additional information to help you to get an A on your test.

According to Carroll, you should start reviewing as soon as the review guides are given to you, but no later than a week before.

“[For English,] take an hour or two to refresh your mind about the key concepts and review your writing,” Brown said.

According to Pulliam, you should start studying at least two weeks out for 20-30 minutes at a time, but gradually increase your studying time as the test approaches.

“Don’t fall into the trap of dividing up information as essay or multiple choice,” Bescher said. “The best method is to study and learn the material well and thoroughly. In that case, you can then approach any type of test.”

Even though you promise yourself that you will not cram the night before your midterms, do not forget these tips when you realize the test is much sooner than you had thought. To avoid all the hassle, start studying now!