Emily Beinkampen ’17: With exams rapidly approaching as May comes closer and closer, EA students must start thinking about how to prepare for their final assessments. Scholium caught up with students from each grade to gain their different perspectives on what is known as “Spring Cramming.”
Photo Courtesty of Sammi Ciardi ’15
As a freshman, Molly Giles ’18 explained her concerns of, “Not knowing what to expect, and not knowing what to study.” This will be the freshman class’s first year of exams in high school, but Giles shared some tips on how she will tackle the new challenge. “In preparing for finals I will most likely do study guides and use Quizlet to study vocabulary. But I will also make sure not to forget first semester material and study my notes from the beginning of the year.”
Sophomore Maximo Moyer ’17 stressed the importance of time management, saying, “I would not suggest cramming for an exam; definitely study ahead of time.” After going through one year of exams, Moyer shared that he, “Goes through everything he learned and studies what he doesn’t know first.“ He recommended this tactic, especially if a student has limited time to study.
Getting ahead is extremely important when it comes to exams, as Madison Soukup ’16 explained. “I start to put materials aside after we learn them. As we get closer to exams I would suggest making review sheets for each class and add things as we learn more.” Soukup also commented on the importance of organizing older materials. “Because we didn’t have mid terms I would organize all of your first semester material,” she suggested.
Photo Courtesy of Sammi Ciardi ’15
Woody Nimoityn ’15 also shared his wisdom, as these are his fourth and last high school exams. “It’s important that you manage your time wisely and use your free blocks to work,” Nimoityn said. “Make sure that you do not wait until the end of May to begin studying.” For specific study methods, Nimoityn makes note cards with vocabulary and sheets with big picture ideas to connect everything. He also encouraged that students, “Take advantage of reading day,” where you can meet with any teachers you want to meet with and review the year’s subject materials. Most importantly, Nimoityn said he has learned to “try not to stress,” during the exam process.
Alyson Kurz, Upper School Learning Specialist, explained that she thinks students have a harder time in the spring semester because, “It’s really nice outside which is a huge distraction.” She also noted that, “There’s a little bit more pressure from teachers because they are trying to get all of the material that is on the exam tested as well, so the speed of courses ramps up.” Kurz advised students to, “Use manila folders and organize by unit.” She continued saying, “Having students test themselves to see if they can put information into a timeline, figuring out what keywords they need to know, and remembering big picture ideas is important.” However, she ultimately stressed, “One of the most important things students can do is to start organizing now.”