School work and such...

Ahhh midterms are coming!
I don't think that I am really nervous about them I just dislike taking test sometimes. I used to hate taking standardized test like the SAT or the Connecticut State Mastery Test before I was in college. Time constraints make me feel overwhelmed sometimes. I had to get over that my first semester of college however. I was having some trouble in my french course. I was making simple mistakes on information that I knew well. I was doing this because of how nervous I was to get at least a 3.0 to keep my scholarship. Even though getting a 3.0 wasn't something that was really hard to achieve, I was sooo worried about not getting at least a 3.0 that i wasn't focusing myself correctly. I wasn't studying properly, staying up for hours trying to remember information and not taking the appropriate breaks that my brain needed to actually work correctly during the test.

Knowing this about MYSELF, I feel as though I will be more prepared to help my students with test taking strategies. I know that you need to take breaks during studying periods so that your brain can actually retain information. Simply re-reading the chapter does not always mean that you understand the information that you are reading so discussing the information with a classmate or, if you work better alone, taking notes on your reading to make sure you can explain the information for yourself are good ways to make sure you understand course material. Getting enough rest before an exam is also key! There is nothing worse than going into a long test or any test for that matter, TIRED!

~ChelsC.