Although the recent memories of joyful traditions and holiday festivities are still with many students, this time of year also signifies the coming of one of the most horrifying periods of the school year: preparation for midterms. Midterm exams can be extremely stressful and frustrating for students, especially when they don’t have a clue on how to start studying. One of the hardest classes for a student to study for is often math, since it isn’t a subject where you can easily read notes and facts. It’s not as simple as memorizing dates for a history exam or vocabulary for an english test. To help alleviate some of the negative feelings brought on by the impending fear of a math exam, I interviewed three amazing Merion math teachers, Mrs. Crawford, Mrs. Pellicone, and Mr. Badgio, and asked them for tips and tricks to prepare for their tests.
Mrs. Crawford
This school year, Mrs. Crawford teaches Honors Algebra 2 and Honors Pre-Calculus in Room 213, but she has taught different math courses at Merion since 1995. Mrs. Crawford has tons of great advice when it comes to preparing for midterms. The most common mistakes that Mrs. Crawford notices that students make on math tests are simple things, such as forgetting a negative sign, not fully reducing fractions or factors, or not carrying out the whole process of solving a formula. To ensure success on your upcoming exam, she urges students to be wary of these small errors. In terms of preparing for the exam, Mrs. Crawford is telling her students something new this year: “I am not telling my students to study this year, but instead to practice. You can go over past homework problems until you get them right, don’t just skip the ones you don’t know!” If you need help, Mrs. Crawford highly recommends reaching out to someone. You don’t need to reach out to your teacher, but you can ask a friend, sibling, peer tutor, or go to the math lab. There are tons of resources at Merion to be used at your disposal!
No matter how much a student prepares, it is still common to experience anxiety. If you missed material for something like an outside of school event, illness, or athletic event and don’t feel comfortable with the material, talk to your teacher. Your teacher will understand and be able to help you grasp the material better. To combat anxiety during the test, Mrs. Crawford recommends going through the test once, circling the problems that you’re not sure about, and then going back to them later. The most important thing to remember is that “You should verbalize any fears you have with your teacher because the math department is very understanding.” It is important to not get too caught up in test anxiety that you forget that your teachers are not out to get you!! If you tell them how you are feeling before the test, they should be able to help you and try to make accommodations. In summary, Mrs. Crawford says, “Test anxiety can never go away, but I think being prepared, having a conversation with your teacher, and chunking the questions helps sometimes.”
Mrs. Pellicone
In Room 211, you can find Mrs. Pellicone teaching Algebra 1, Honors Pre-Calculus, and Accelerated Calculus. Common mistakes that Mrs. Pellicone notices students make are small computational errors, such as forgetting negative symbols, adding or subtracting wrong, and trying to get the test over with by going through it fast. “Rushing through a problem leads to sign mistakes,” says Mrs. Pellicone. It’s best for students to complete the test at a consistent pace since it gives them a higher chance for success. When it comes to preparing for the exam, make sure you complete the review sheet from your teacher to the best of your ability. According to Mrs. Pellicone, “That should give you any indication on what you need to work on and tells you that you need to go back to your notes.” For motivation, you need to “find it within yourself” to study. You know your limits and how to push harder.
Mrs. Pellicone understands the struggle of test taking anxiety as well as any student does. To help her students while they are taking a test or quiz, she bought stress balls for them to use. Even if your teacher doesn’t have stress relievers like Mrs. Pellicone does, there are still ways that you can make yourself feel more comfortable during the exam. According to Mrs. Pellicone, “Figure out what calms you down: deep breathing, thinking positive thoughts, or even try asking your teacher if you can use a fidget or stress toy during the exam.” To prevent the fears from creeping up on you during the exam, start preparing multiple days in advance. “More preparation, less anxiety. Try to practice one section each night,” is great advice from Mrs. Pellicone.
Mr. Badgio
Mr. Badgio is currently the math department chair at Merion, and teaches Honors Geometry and AP Calculus BC in Room 212. In geometry, Mr. Badgio often notices his students mistakenly assuming a proof that cannot be justified. For his calculus students, it’s applying a rule incorrectly or not justifying the conditions in which a rule can be applied. According to Mr. Badgio, “calculus has a lot of different things to memorize, so it can be hard to recall the most useful fact for a given problem.” When it comes to preparing for the exam, the most useful way to practice is by self testing. You can practice homework problems and test questions from the past. Something to keep in mind while studying is, “you’ve been preparing all year and all semester, so being thorough and attentive to homework and asking questions when learning the material all has a big impact on how you do in the long run.” If you’ve paid attention in class, you’re already a step ahead. Mr. Badgio also recommends getting a full night of sleep before the test. “Studying earlier on has been shown to do better than cramming the night before.” So, don’t stay up too late and get some rest!
Mr. Badgio has a helpful perspective on test taking. He says, “What’s important is to not define yourself on the grade or result on one test. We all get results that we might be disappointed from sometimes, and we can all learn from those experiences moving forward.” Don’t make the exam any bigger than it is! Be gentle with yourself and stay positive. A final piece of advice from Mr. Badgio is to simply do your best. Putting forth your best effort is always appreciated.
Hopefully, this article has helped you find a new test preparation method or a different way to deal with test taking anxiety. Best of luck on your math midterms, you’re going to do great!!
