At the time of the midterms exams administered the week of January 25, students at Pelham Memorial High School had not taken a midterm since 2019. This may seem like an advantage, because no one has had to study or stress over taking these tests in recent years. What students may not realize is that this is actually a major disadvantage, leaving students drastically unprepared for future larger and harder exams that we may need to take in college, and towards the end of high school. Students needed to take the midterms in order to take a step towards our normal level of responsibility following the pandemic. 

Now that students are receiving their midterm grades back, it is fair to say that it was a success. Taking the midterms had benefits such as practicing test taking skills, and giving students opportunities to raise their grades. If a student did not do as well, the midterms only count for a 1/19 of our total grade. 

It is also an advantage that the regents were canceled, so students could adjust all of their focus to studying for the midterms. Students studied for long hours just to take the midterm for an hour and a half, so having the regents on top of that would have been stressful.

If students want to go to college, then they will need to have test-taking skills, but due to COVID regulations students have not been able to practice these skills. If students want a higher degree of education, then they will need to be able to take larger tests without a problem, but the longer it is put off the harder it will be to adjust. Test-taking skills are crucial for the future success of students, and midterms would be the time to practice.