Row of chairs with five counselors, ask the experts & CX logos, question mark

How Can I Best Prepare for College Midterms and Finals?

College midterms and final exams can be tough! But there are ways successful students get through it all. See what our experts have to say on the subject.

CX experts generic imageJim Terhune
VP of Student Affairs
Swarthmore College 
The best way to manage midterms and finals is to stay on top of your academic work throughout the semester. Do the reading when it’s assigned. Speak to the professor or teaching assistant if you encounter difficulty in a class. Start working on papers, labs, and other graded assignments well early, and make sure you hand them in on time. When it comes time to take midterms and finals, study hard but avoid cramming and all-nighters. It’s far better to get plenty of sleep, eat well, and carve out time for exercise in ways that are consistent with the rest of the term rather than trying to adopt some frantic exam schedule where you’re sleep deprived, hopped up on caffeine and cold pizza, and glued to a study carrel in the library. This is one of those hard and immutable truths that we all have to come to accept eventually: When it comes to doing your homework, getting plenty of sleep, and eating well, your mother was right.

Find the answers to more of your burning questions about college by checking out our other Ask the Experts posts

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now
Have a question for our college experts? Submit it here!

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress

College Quick Connect

Swipe right to request information.
Swipe left if you're not interested.

Colorado School of Mines

Golden, CO