For the past two years, Wayland High School has canceled midterm exams due to COVID-19. This year, midterms will resume once again on Thursday, Jan. 26 and Friday, Jan. 27. With WHS holding midterms, some WHS students have mixed feelings about the exam.

In June of 2021, then WHS freshmen and sophomores took a final exam for the first time. Although some WHS students have experience with taking a final, the seniors are the only ones who have experience with taking a midterm, as the Class of 2023 completed midterm exams before COVID-19 hit in 2020.

As the 2023 midterms will be the first major cumulative assessment for many WHS students, some worry about the outcome of midterms. Students, like freshman Sofia DiCarlo, believe that midterms will add more stress into their schedules.

“Besides the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS), I have not taken an assessment like midterms except for the eighth grade math final,” freshman Sofia DiCarlo said. “I think midterms are putting stress and pressure on the students at the high school, and I am not looking forward to it.”

DiCarlo is beginning to study for the upcoming midterms as soon as possible. She is currently deciding which materials she will use to study, and how she will study most effectively.

“I think I will start studying a month before the midterms,” DiCarlo said. “I am going to make Quizlets for the biology midterm. For the math midterm, I am going to run through my old math tests to prepare.”

Through past exam experience, junior Nicholas Steen has developed helpful techniques for studying. For Steen, his techniques help on any type of quiz or test, especially larger scale assessments like midterms and finals.

“I generally review the material when I’m studying for tests,” Steen said. “Usually, I look over my notes which helps me get ready for midterms considering the notes mainly have all the information I need.”

Other students prefer to use a variety of resources, including class handouts or websites, to study for midterms. Students, like sophomore Jillian Mele, rely on their teachers to help them prepare for midterms and find it helpful to meet with their teachers to review the material before the exam.

“Chemistry teacher Courtland Ferreira-Douglas posts the review sheets and answer keys for every test we take on Google Classroom, so I will definitely look through those and test myself to memorize all the information,” Mele said. “Douglas also helps students with a lot of other subjects, including math, so I hope he can help me prepare a little more for the math midterm too.”