First-Year Academic Success
Part 2: Practise Tests
By Paul Antiperovitch and Sarah Allison

A continuation from Part One. A lot of first year courses make practice tests available to students and these are valuable study aids for those wondering what midterms will be like. Most first year students who did not have this luxury in high school quickly conclude that they are unimportant. However, practice tests help students become comfortable with the types of questions asked, so make sure you take advantage of them! Here are some tips for attempting practice tests:

a) Be honest with yourself: note time limits.

Being aware of which sections or concepts take you longer to complete will indicate which areas you need to go back and review. On the actual test, time is of the essence! Once the invigilator says the test is over, there is no time to complete that last question you didn’t get to!

b) After each practice test, go back and review weak concepts.

Practice tests are a great way to identify your weaknesses. Don’t skip over questions and never come back to them. As you work through the practice test, write down a list of concepts you need to clear up, and review them once you finish. If you are unable to answer questions and have trouble understanding certain concepts, visit the professor’s office hours or go to tutorials/help office hours. As midterms approach, professors often extend their office hours for students who need clarification.

c) Do all of them!

One or two questions that appeared on previous midterms sometimes make an appearance on current midterms. Why not earn a few free marks while you can? Working through many practice tests also helps you become comfortable with the types of questions professors ask.

Midterm time creeps up on all students! Keep these tips in mind as you prepare for your first set of midterms. Best of luck to you all!

Study hard!

-- Sarah and Paul

Seriously.

Midterms come out of nowhere and can ruin all of your fun.