Often, once people are done with midterms, they forget what to do with themselves because studying has consumed their whole life for so many weeks. Here are some tips for what to do once you've completed your exams!
Relax
Reward yourself for all the long nights and many hours you (hopefully) put into studying. Before you immerse yourself back into your hectic schedule and school work, take sometime to enjoy some of your favorite activities or past times. Go watch a movie, spend the whole day in bed or just hangout with your friends! Relaxing will allow for you to return your mind to a tranquil state. This will help you when you go back to hitting your books -- you won't feel overwhelmed or burned out.
Reflect
Reflect on your experience with your midterms. Think back on the feelings that went through your mind as you were studying for them. After figuring out what was making you most anxious, think deeper about why you felt so stressed out over it. If you felt stressed before the midterm, was it because you hadn't been mastering the material over enough time? Did you feel like you were trying to learn it, rather than review it? What was your confidence level when you were taking your exams? Did you go into an exam with a lot of confidence because you knew you studied, and studied well? Or did you go into an exam thinking you were going to fail it because you didn't study? Allowing yourself to look back and determine your strengths and weaknesses will only make it better for the next time you have to go through your exams.
Plan
Although finals or your next set of exams may seem like they are very far away, I'm sure you can agree that, just like midterms, they creep up on you fast! Review your syllabus and draw out a timeline with the end result being the date of your next midterm or final. Within the timeline, make a set schedule of how you are going to study, including when you will start studying, what you will be studying, and how many hours that you anticipate yourself studying. By doing this you will eliminate the thought and need to cram as you would have prepared for all your exams well in advance.
Discuss
Talk, talk, talk! It is very important to get other people's opinions on the exam. Having conservations with other students in your class will help you learn other methods or tips for studying. Talk to your teacher for their recommendations on the best way to prepare for their exams, as well. Are they fond of a lot of multiple choice or do they like essays? Do they like for skills to be applied or will you need to memorize a lot of vocabulary? By hearing other people's advice and opinion it allows you take a thorough approach to ensure that you succeed next time you take exams!
Have Fun
Although exams are never really any fun for anyone, try to take a creative approach to studying to make preparing more fun! Find creative ways to yourself for getting answers right or gather your friends and make a study group!
Studying for exams may seem boring, but just remember the amazing feeling that you will have receiving a good grade. There is nothing better than knowing you were able to learn new so much new information!