Final Exams? Don't Be Tempted to Cram!

The words "final exam" inspire panic in quite a few students and trigger massive last-minute studying binges.  However, studying for classes is something a wise student does regularly throughout the semester or quarter.  He or she knows that true learning takes place over an extended period of time, built in little chunks at a time on a strong foundation of knowledge.  What's that you're saying?  You're not that kind of student?  Well, you can be.  It just takes a bit of planning and a strong commitment to your education and yourself.  You should give it a try next time around.  Here's how.

Start your plan for success at the very beginning of classes.  One of the first things you should do when starting a new semester or quarter is to gather the syllabi for all your classes together along with your planner.  Begin by highlighting exam dates and important deadlines for each of your classes, and then enter that information for all classes into your planner.  This will give you an accurate view of the "big picture" and help you plan ahead to have plenty of time to prepare for important tests and projects.

For each exam you have in your classes, make a study plan.  For instance, if you are taking a 16 week course and have a cumulative midterm in week 8, you might want to start adding some extra study time for that class in about week 6.  Consider the length and point value of each exam and/or project when planning preparation time.  A 20 point multiple choice quiz over two text chapters should take less study time than a 200 point final exam over the entire course.

Good class preparation and follow up is half the battle.  If you keep up with assigned readings, take good notes during lecture, and review your notes and text on a regular basis, you are building that strong foundation of knowledge upon which your test preparation efforts will firmly rest.  Reading and reviewing your notes and the text are best done in small, manageable chunks that allow your brain to fully integrate the information well before the day of that important test.

Do some concentrated studying the night before.   Even if you are well-prepared, there's something about really cracking down for a couple hours the night before a final exam that boosts your confidence.  Don't overdo it though, and be sure to get a good night's sleep.

BUT -- if you find yourself in a tough spot and you need to cram, do it strategically.

• Concentrate on one class at a time if at all possible.
• Remove all distractions of any kind from your environment so you can focus.
• Use the study aids contained in your textbook (summaries, highlighted terms, definitions, and so on) and skim chapters for highlights and main ideas.
• Make sure you have all the supplies you need for studying on hand.
• Do not pull an all-nighter; your brain will not operate at its best without sleep!
• Plan not to put yourself in this stressful cramming situation ever again.

Want more final exam tips?  Check out The Day of the Final Exam for extra advice.

What's the Best Way to Study?

Here is some wise advice from several psychologists on this age-old question of students everywhere courtesy of the Wall Street Journal.

How to Study Long and Hard and Still Fail…or How to Get the Most Out of Studying

Here is a wonderful set of videos from cognitive psychologist Stephen L. Chew, PhD of Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. I highly recommend watching all five videos. I found them to be instructive, entertaining, and good food for thought going into a new school year.

Are your beliefs about learning holding you back from making the most of your classes? Check it out in Beliefs That Make You Fail.

What goes into the process of learning? Dr. Chew discusses the levels of processing theory and how it can boost your study power in What Students Should Understand About How People Learn.

How can the levels of processing theory be used by students? Cognitive Principles for Optimizing Learning breaks the levels of processing theory into four components for developing study strategies.

How do the levels of processing work in the real world of the classroom? Dr. Chew uses common study situations as examples in Putting the Principles for Optimizing Learning into Practice.

It's likely to happen to most students sometime in their college career. You failed an exam. I Blew the Exam, Now What? offers solid advice about what to do and what not to do in the face of this unfortunate event.

Many thanks to Dr. Chew for his research and passion to help students succeed.

So You’re Failing A Class

It happens sometimes. Regardless of what the reasons might be, you’re failing a class. Hopefully, you have become aware of this relatively early in the semester when there are still many things you can do to remedy the situation. Even if you have found out around midterms, you still probably have a fighting chance. But if it’s the last few weeks of the semester, there may be little you can do.

This is why it is so important to keep track of your grade in the class throughout the entire semester. If you know there is a specific grade you need to earn in a class for financial aid, scholarship, or transfer purposes, you need to focus on behaviors geared toward earning that grade from the very beginning of the class.

Here are some steps to take if you are failing a class.

• Talk to the instructor and ask for a breakdown of your grades. He or she may have helpful suggestions on what you need to do to improve your grade and probably can advise you as to whether you have any realistic chances of passing the class. Remember, the later you check into the problem, the less likely it is that it can be fixed.

• Take a look at the work you’ve done so far in the class and figure out where the weaknesses are. Do you procrastinate on out-of-class assignments? Are you losing points on reading quizzes? Do you panic when a major test is coming up? Are you unsure of how to write a paper? Find out what is tripping up your grade, talk to your instructor, and see if there is tutoring available to boost your confidence in the trouble areas.

• Look closely and honestly at your approach to the class. Are you truly putting quality time and energy toward learning the material and earning the grade you want?

• Multiple learning resources are readily available for most classes. Are you reading the textbook? If your textbook has free online supplements for students (most of them do), are you using them? Are you taking good lecture notes? If the class uses an online learning management system such as Blackboard, are you logging in and checking for updates frequently?

• Talk with more successful students in the class. Find out what their approaches to studying for the class are and see if their suggestions will work for you. You might want to see if there are any active study groups or if there is interest in forming one.

• See whether you are still able to drop the class without a penalty of some kind on your transcript. It would be a good idea to talk with your academic advisor before you do so.

• If none of the above is possible, you may simply have to retake the class. Consult with your academic advisor. Being aware of what went wrong the first time you took a class can be a powerful tool to use in successful completion of the class the second time around.