Second week off of fall break and magnet students are swamped with midterms, but what midterms are they? The majority of those interviewed had no clue whether or not they had a midterm. In fact, every junior I interviewed had zero clue what tests were coming up. Even a majority of seniors also lacked a clue.

The only security seniors were given was that there has to be a government final. Although the test is a pain for most students, a majority feel prepared for it. Quizlet flashcards have done their rounds and detailed notes have come in handy. A lot of our more history-inclined students already know a majority of the content from before taking the class. They should be more horrified by the upcoming economics class. Statistics was another big midterm. Once again those that are math-inclined felt well prepared. Honors stats students get every other class period as a study day, so they were doubly prepared. AP seemed a little more difficult, though, as many of those students were scrambling to study. All in all, seniors only really had two midterms or finals to look out for, and many felt prepared for them.

I wish I could report on the midterms of juniors, but as previously mentioned, I received zero decisive answers. The only exam, which can be found in any grade, mentioned was AP Psychology. I can barely even remember what midterms I had in my junior year. I feel sorry for all the students who did not realize their physics test was coming up. Last year it was a doozy. But mostly that time is a complete blur, as I am sure it is for many other seniors and, apparently, current juniors. Worse than midterms, juniors have been spotted in the hallways practicing for their upcoming TMPs. For the underclassmen, that stands for Team Multimedia Presentation. Imagine a group project, but worse than anything you could ever imagine. Your performance affects all of your group members’ AP scores. There are oral response questions based on the essays written by your peers. The slides must include a majority of graphs and images rather than words. The script better be memorized. It is a stressful time and not one I enjoy to reminisce on.

Sophomores have it a bit better. They have more midterms, but a majority of them knew what they were. There is chemistry, geometry or algebra II, and world or euro. Still, though, many of them were not completely sure. One student only knew the one midterm he had already taken, and had no clue if another was going to spring upon him. I believe most sophomores felt prepared for any exam. Sophomore year is a wonderful year. By that point you are past the acclimation stage, but before the college and AP Capstone grind. They get to pick any two electives they would like. I wasted that chance at two electives, but I hope that current sophomores are comfortable in their decisions.
Freshmen had to be the most prepared of us all. Every single one I asked prattled off the five or six midterms they had. Biology, geometry, human geography, English, computer science or engineering, and the list continued on. I cannot say I am envious. All I can say is that I hope they look forward to the Physical Education final exam. Every class was piling a test onto them. State standards are bearing down on them the most. Unfortunately, I have forgotten every piece of information from those classes. I could not tell you what ATP does let alone what it stands for the processes that make it. Luckily, many freshmen took this horror novel of midterms in stride. They almost boasted about how hard their course load was. I am so glad they can suck the joy out of it while they can. If I had that many exams this year I would probably drop out.

In conclusion, besides freshmen with the laundry list of exams, many students are unaware of which classes have midterms. I cannot say where this shortcoming is coming from. Are teachers not clear, are students not listening, or does the admin need to inform students more on required tests and schedules? Maybe they think as the years go along the students mature and do not need to be reminded as much. Or maybe more and more senioritis infects the body as they continue their schooling. One may never know, but I do know that Magnet students are confused about midterms.