17 hours to go

17 hours to go until my numerical methods midterm, and it's not looking great. I've studied all day today, but I can't say it's been especially productive. I can answer basic questions, but this guy isn't going to ask any. The sample questions were just insane. Generally you can expect students to understand a huge amount of material on a surface level, or a smaller amount deeply. This guy wants it all.

He's sort of a freak. He gives a 75-minute lecture, deriving formulas at high speed on the board nonstop the entire time. And completely from memory; he hasn't used the first note yet. It's hard to believe that somebody who knows the material that well can relate to people seeing it for the first time, and in fact he can't. I have to choose during lecture whether to write down what he's saying or try to understand it, because it happens too fast to do both. Usually I start out writing and get behind. So about two-thirds of the way through the class I stop writing and try to understand. But by then it's too late.

One thing I have going for me is that I'm usually reasonably clutch when it comes to math and physics tests. I don't think it's going to help in this case, though, because the derivations are just too long and complicated. If I have to think too much, there won't be time.

My only comfort is that the rest of the class feels the same way. We were discussing it as a group Tuesday before class started. I said "Oh, I know I'm going to fail. I just hope I don't get a zero." Everyone said they felt the same way.

I'm trying to decide how much to sleep tonight. I can try to get a full night's sleep, but that wastes a lot of time. Also, I've had enough caffeine that I may not be able to. There's nothing worse than deciding you need sleep more than studying, only to find yourself lying awake, staring at the ceiling all night. I guesss I need to see how it goes between now and about midnight.