MAAP 2 STEM

At this time of year, many students are gearing up for final exams. For some, the performance on this exam will decide whether you get an A or B, whether you pass or fail, whether you graduate on time or need another semester. It can be stressful. 

We spoke last week about exam prep and the importance of starting early, using study guides (if any are provided), attending review sessions (if offered). Everything said there applies to finals also. However, there are a couple of extra points we would like to highlight as you end the school year.

Most students know their standing in a class and what score is needed on the final to earn a particular grade. Hopefully, you find yourself in a good position as you approach finals. What’s a good position? I’m glad you asked. A good position is one where you do not have to ace the final to achieve your goal. 

As an example, a few years ago, one of my students needed to score 60% on the final in order to earn an A for the class. That’s a great position to be in. Because the student had performed well on all other exams during the course of the semester, I had no doubt they would hit their target.

While grading their final, I noticed several questions were blank, which was odd because this particular student had never done that before. Then upon further inspection, I noticed the student had attempted questions that amounted to 60% of the total points. I guess they must have felt very confident that their submission was perfect. Unfortunately, it was not and their strategy backfired. As a result, they finished the class with a B. So, suggestion 1 is do your best. Aim high. Remember this quote, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” 

Suggestion 2 is to use your old exams and quizzes as study tools. To illustrate, select a problem from a previous exam. (If the instructor indicates concepts/problems that may appear on the final, be sure to give them priority.) Without your notes, write up a solution to that question while working under time constraints (10 – 12 minutes?). After you are finished, evaluate what was done. 

• Were you able to finish in the allotted time? If not, you will need to decide if more time is needed for that type of question or whether there is a way to streamline your approach.
• Is your solution correct? Compare yours to the key, if one was provided. Make sure your solution contains all the necessary pieces to receive full credit.
• How confident did you feel as you worked the problem? If you felt really confident, it may be an indication you can spend less time on this concept and spend more time on another one that you know to be more challenging.
• Do you need additional practice with this concept? If so, find similar problems via the text or other resources. 

After answering these questions, repeat this process with another problem until you have covered all previous assessments and material.

In conclusion, I offer these final recommendations:

• If you have multiple finals (same day perhaps), find the right study balance. Do not give one class so much attention that you neglect another one.
• Get some rest the night before. You can’t perform well if you’re tired.
• Arrive early. Take a moment to review your notes, but do not try to cram any more information into your brain. At this point, you are trying to relax as much as possible. 
• After receiving the exam, write your name and then skim through it. Identify the questions that will take more time. Save them for later and tackle the easier ones first.
• After finishing and if time permits, double check your work and try not to second guess yourself.

Take a deep breath. The school year is almost over. You’ve got this!!!

I hope something said here is helpful. Good luck with your finals.