Across the U.S., this week or early next marks the end of the fall semester (institutions that follow a quarter system are probably out already until January). But the end of classes is not the end of coursework—final exams remain to be taken.
For many students, final exams are perilous. First year or freshmen students haven’t had them before, so they aren’t really sure what to expect. Some over-prepare (which isn’t a bad thing), but most first years students are likely to under-prepare. Seniors—those whose see their college careers coming to a close—can sometimes be a bit jaded about finals. Many have acquired the knack for knowing how much to study for these end of the line tests, but many lose steam and interest as they approach. And some students just give up the ghost before finals—whatever passion they once had for their work is all but spent. Don’t be one of them or let someone you know be one of them.
I reminded my first-year seminar students yesterday that finals matter and that doing well on them—as well as they possibly can—should be an important goal. On some campuses, finals are very high stakes learning assessments. By that I mean that the bulk of a course grade is based on two or so exams (the midterm and the final) and maybe a modest paper or two. This “all or nothing” sort of grading is apt to occur in introductory level courses, the very classes many first-year students fill. In smaller enrollment classes, especially at the advanced level, there may be more “grading instruments” in play, which means a final exam grade may represent a smaller contributor to the final course grade. It all depends.
So, here are my suggestions preparing wisely for the finality of finals—this advice is for all students, not just those in psychology:
Know where you stand with your grade before taking the final. You should know realistically what your current course grade is—if not, skip the mystery hour by asking your instructor or teaching assistant.
- Make certain all course work (papers or other assignments) is submitted for each course. Submitting late work is better than submitting no work (i.e., a grade of 59 or “F” on any assignment is still better than a grade of “0”–still an “F” but what an “F”—going into the calculation of the final course grade).
- Review past tests, exams, quizzes, and papers: What did you know? Where did you struggle? What do you need to relearn?
- Attend any review session(s) but only if you need the help. In my experience, the strongest students want review sessions (but they don’t need them) while those doing less well in a class typically skip the review. If you know where you stand grade-wise, you can decide if a review session is truly worth the time.
- Create a plan of attack for preparing for your exams—write out a schedule and stick to it. Plan breaks for meals and set aside some time for exercising, relaxing, and socializing. Routine can be your salvation.
- If you study with friends or in a study group, schedule a fixed amount of time to meet with them—an hour or so—much more than that is probably too much time or time that will be wasted. Make it clear that going over notes, problems, etc., has to be the first priority—when the time is up, then you can socialize for a bit. If you don’t schedule a fixed time, say, 60 or 90 minutes for group study, you risk squandering your time chatting and gossiping and 3 hours will be lost.
- Don’t cram for one final at a time. Mixing it up a bit will keep your mind fresh. Spread out study so that somewhat more time is spent on review for the earliest exam, less for the latest. Thus, more hours spent preparing a Monday exam over one that comes on Thursday makes sense. Adjust time as the week goes on.
- If you have been scheduled for more than two exams on one day, see if, say, the third one can be moved to another day (some campuses are flexible about this, others not—it never hurts to ask).
- Avoid “all-nighters”—they give you bragging rights but don’t usually enhance your GPA (grade point average) a whit. A good night’s sleep will help you when the exam rolls around much more than caffeine-induced fatigue.
- Extra credit at this point will not salvage a grade—better to study than to take part in lots of research projects for a few points tacked onto the final course grade.
- On an essay exam, read the question and the jot down a brief outline of your answer on the test, the exam booklet, wherever. Don’t just start writing until you have collected your thoughts. Don’t repeat the question in your essay—just cut to the chase and answer it. Once you finish the essay, review your answer, making certain to re-read the question to make sure you covered all the points you were asked to address.
- Never, ever leave anything blank on an exam. Do something—make an attempt. No professor can give anything but a zero (0) grade on a blank answer. Any points are better than no points. Guess. Be creative.
- Don’t race to be the first person done. If you have a three-hour exam period, use the time wisely and well. All of it if you must. Don’t be distracted by the person who leaves the test first—rarely is the first one done representative of anything but lack of preparation for the test.
- If your institution has a reading period, use it for studying, not partying or sleeping. You have the impending holiday for relaxation and bacchanals.
- Learn what worked for you this finals week, as well as what strategies didn’t work so well. Skip the latter at the end of the spring term but retain those practices that served you well.
Good luck!
