On the Uselessness of Essay Midterms

So, I have a midterm on Monday. Worth 33% of my grade. The damn thing is going to be a freakin' essay question. I hate those.

Admittedly, I haven't actually done an exam exactly like that before. But I hate them anyway! :P
I have done similar exams, though. In my history class last spring, I had a couple short answer essay exams. But there were several of those, and they were not worth as much of my final grade.
I just don't like working under pressure during an exam, especially one like this one, where the professor expects us to use so much material from the readings. I admit, an exam like this is probably a good test of our knowledge; I just don't like how it is such a big chunk of the grade.
I would like it better if, instead of midterms, there were four or five small quizzes throughout the quarter. Admittedly though, those would be harder to grade for a class of 200 students. And if the professor has more than one 200-student class, that would be a lot of extra work for him and the TAs.
So, I guess the essay midterm is a necessary evil for now. That doesn't make it any more fun, though.
At least the class the midterm is in - History of Christianity - is not an essential one for my degree. That is a small comfort, at least.
Hmm. Maybe I should look at this midterm as a challenge, instead of an obstacle. As something to be overcome, instead of something blocking my progress. So now, the question becomes, can I meet this challenge on Monday?
Yes.
Will I succeed in this challenge on Monday?
Yes.