December is by far the most stressful month in the first semester. Everybody is trying to turn in work or get club hours in before the year ends. Additionally, people are making sure that they can do everything they can to keep or obtain a good average in all their classes.

The one test that can really affect someone’s grade drastically also comes in during this time of chaos.

Midterms. 

It’s something that virtually no one looks forward to. Preparing for multiple high-stake tests all at once is stressful, and leads to insomniac nights and sometimes an overwhelming sense of dread. 

What’s even worse, is the fact that courses without an EOC have midterms count as a double summative, which heightens the stakes for a good grade. 

Frankly, we don’t necessarily mind taking midterms, but we would prefer not to. On the other hand, we do understand that some things are unavoidable. That’s just life.

To see what our fellow Longhorns thought, we interviewed two Lambert students during lunch.

We know that freshmen have never taken high school midterms before, so we wanted to hear another freshman’s opinion on these exams. Luckily, we were able to interview Lilli Kratz.

“I don’t get the point of them…it’s just so much information,” Lilli said.

However, she told us that she was quite prepared for her midterms, even though she felt stressed.

“It does not really bother me, I guess I’ll just prioritize those ones,” Lilli expressed nonchalantly.

We understood her point of view. Sometimes midterms are dreadful, but we must not be bothered by them too much. 

Another person we interviewed was Junior, Tristan Davis. He felt that the midterm schedule and the whole idea of midterms were flawed.

“They did not give us enough time,” Tristan stated.

“I just got done with a new unit last week, so I feel like they rushed us into midterms,” Tristan explained. 

Samantha Nyazema:

I was able to relate to Tristan’s sentiment because I have experienced this dilemma in the past. Luckily for me, this year my teachers gave me enough time to study for these lengthy and information-filled exams.

 When there is not enough time though, this is unfair to students. I think that if a unit must be taught quickly, it should not be present in the midterm.

During our interview, Tristan also gave a different perspective that we never considered. 

“If you are passing at the end of the semester, then you shouldn’t have to take midterms.” Tristan stated. 

Tristan’s point about exempting midterms if someone has a passing grade in the class is quite logical. After all, if you’ve already proven you know the material with a good grade, why should you have to take a big test to prove it? 

Personally, I believe that midterms should be optional. Moreover, I think that they should only be counted towards your grade if they increase your average. 

I understand that we have to study to get good grades, but if someone does not perform as they usually do, is it necessary for their average to suffer after one test? Especially if this test then counts as a double summative. 

Josh Mui: 

Really, midterms and other big tests shouldn’t seem like a big deal. Leaving the system stress-free and avoidable is something we’d like to somehow see in the future. I agree with what Samantha said, and I understand that sometimes the star’s simply don’t align because of difficult schedules and a lack of understanding, so for now we just have to hope for the best.

After hearing these views, what do you think about midterms? Do you think we should take them? Are they actually necessary or done because it has always been done? Feel free to comment!