On The Dawn of Test Week

Weeks that are filled with tests are always very stressful. This week my friends and I have many tests across many different subjects. I title weeks like this ‘test week’. In the past, I have recapped weeks where I had a lot of tests .On one occasion, I even interviewed other people about their experience after a ‘test week’. So this time I sat down with some of my fellow sophomores on the dawn of a ‘test week’ to give you an idea of how they are going to prepare and how they are feeling. Maybe this gives you an opportunity to relate or a new strategy for how to prepare or approach a ‘test week’. Before I begin, I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart Sean Vowells, Luigi Franzese, Nick Sannito, and Chris Uustal for taking the time to answer my questions.

1.Sean Vowells

Q: Hey Sean. Knowing that you have a lot of tests and quizzes this week, how does that change the entire tone of the week?

A: Knowing that I have a lot of tests and quizzes doesn’t make me look forward to the week, it means staying up later and not getting enough sleep. Having a lot of tests and quizzes in a short period of time just makes the whole week go bad, especially if I don’t do well on some/all of them.

Q: I feel your pain Sean. How do you think you will prepare for these tests?

A: I will prepare for these tests by studying a little bit for each test. I would rather get all ok grades than a few bad grades and a few good ones.

Q: So do you think you will procrastinate (or last minute study) or use adequate time to study?

A:  I will probably do a little bit of both, knowing that a lot of quizzes/tests crucial to the marking period are coming up this week, I will have that sense of urgency, but also there are a lot of other things I’d rather be doing than staying up late and studying for a test.

2. Luigi Franzese

Q: How does it feel knowing that you have a lot of tests and quizzes this week, how does that change the entire tone of the week?

A: I’m glad you asked Joey. Since I have a lot of quizzes and tests this week, I feel pretty stressed and nervous throughout my classes.

Q: I know you’re in a hurry, so I’ll make this question quick.  How do you think you will prepare for these tests and do you think you will procrastinate (last minute study) or use adequate time to study?

A: I’m gonna prepare by studying and watching videos on the material. To the answer the second part of your question yes and no. I’ll study everything the night before, but still feel like I need to go over it again just before the test.

3. Nick Sannito

Q:  How does it feel knowing that you have a lot of tests and quizzes this week, how does that change the entire tone of the week?

A: Tests and quizzes definitely change the tone of the week because studying takes a lot of time and I’m usually really tired the day after studying for a big test, which means I’m usually really tired for the rest of the week.

Q:  I know you’re in a hurry like Luigi, so I’ll make this question concise.  How do you think you will prepare for these tests and do you think you will procrastinate (last minute study) or use adequate time to study?

A: I’ll probably use the textbook, study guides, and videos and yes I’ll probably procrastinate (laughing).

       4.Chris Uustal

Q: Hey Chris, I know I can always get a lot from you so let’s begin before you attack your studies. How do you feel knowing that you have a lot of tests and quizzes this week, how does that change the entire tone of the week?

A: ​Alrighty then, let’s get right into it.  Going into this week, I knew I wasn’t going to be getting much of any sleep and I basically just died. Having a busy weekend, I didn’t have much of an opportunity to prepare for the week to come either. Though I don’t want to say I am constantly stressed, it is basically the truth. I never have any free time anymore on weeks like this and I simply have to accept that and move on. It transforms the week from one of fun and learning into one of pain and misery. Not even joking, those adjectives are accurate.

Q: No I believe you, trust me I do. How do you think you will prepare for these tests?

A: How will I prepare for the tests? Really depends on how important the test is. Most nights I am so busy that I don’t even have time to study for my small quizzes because I’m too busy finishing projects, papers, other homework, and studying for other more important assessments. However, my general method is just to make myself a study guide for anything that I deem difficult enough, then I use the creation of that study guide as my studying. It’s fairly effective, if I do say so myself.

Q: Last question before you endure your studies, do you think you will procrastinate or use adequate time to study?

A:  Procrastinate? Psh, every day. Most of the time I procrastinate for hours before I even look at my homework. However, weeks like this are usually different. These are weeks where I really just put my nose to the grindstone and get stuff done. It basically melts my brain and kills all the fun in my life, but it gets the work done, and that’s all that really matters. To be honest, I wish I wasn’t even responding to this right now because I have more important work to be doing (laughing). So, I’m gonna go do that work and stop procrastinating.

Interviews conducted by Joe Meade