The Day of the Final Exam

No, it's not the title of an obscure horror movie, although it may seem so to some students. Here is a checklist to make the day of your final exam go more smoothly. Of course, repeat as needed depending on how many classes you're taking. :-)

First of all, be well-prepared from a study standpoint. If you really know your stuff, final exam day jitters are much less troublesome.

Come with a battle plan for the type of exam you will be taking. Different types of exams require different approaches.

Multiple choice exam? Answer all the questions you know first, mark the ones you don't know, and go back and answer those after everything else is done. If you truly don't know the answer, take a wild guess. Multiple choice exams give you the best chance of guessing and getting it right. Make sure that you answer all multiple choice questions. If you don't answer it, you have 0% chance of getting it right. If you make a guess on a four-choice question, at least you have a 25% chance of getting it right.

Short answer exam? Brief and precise answers in full sentences are the key. If you don't know the answer, make a brief and precise guess. Endless streams of BS in response to short answer questions just tend to dig the hole deeper and lessen your chances of getting any points for your attempt.

Essay exam? Some essay tests consist of responding at length to one question; others have multiple questions. When you're really lucky, the instructor will provide multiple essay questions and have you pick your favorites to answer. It is helpful to have some blank scratch paper on hand when answering essay questions, but make sure you have your instructor's approval first.

Obviously answers to essay questions will need to be developed more fully than short answer questions, but you can use the short answer approach to build the structure of your essay. Read the question carefully, use your scratch paper or the margin of your test to jot down your short answer response to each part of the question, and then develop explanatory material to flesh out the short answer responses. Using examples to illustrate that you understand the concepts is an excellent idea.

Just as with short answer questions, trying to BS your way through an essay question is usually not very productive. Believe it or not, your instructors were once college students themselves and they recognize that edge of desperation in answers that go on and on and on but never quite say anything. Concentrate on providing the best possible answers to the questions you know best.

A mix of question types? Look at the exam carefully before you start to see how the points are allocated among the questions. Generally, do the multiple choice questions as quickly yet carefully as you can, take on the short answer questions next, and save the bulk of your time and energy for the essay questions.

Bring everything you will need. Don't pump up your adrenaline unnecessarily on exam day by forgetting essentials and having to rush out to get them at the last minute or hoping that someone else has an extra. You might even want to pack a special exam bag with supplies, just as if you were going on a trip.

Writing and erasing utensils and supplies such as pens, pencils, erasers, white out tape, and paper. Make sure you have multiple pens in case one runs out of ink. Multiple pencils are good so you can help out other classmates in need. Separate erasers really help make clean erasures on scantrons, and white out tape is the tidiest way to cover up errors in pen. If you are supplying your own paper for the exam, bring at least twice as much as you think you will need.

Scantrons. Oh boy. These are, in my experience, the biggest source of sitting down for the exam frenzy. Your instructor and/or syllabus will indicate what form you need well ahead of time. Make sure you have the right one in front of you on final exam day. If you are unsure which form is needed, ask, preferably before the day of the final exam.

Do not assume that you can use whatever scantron form you happen to have on hand -- the scoring machines do not work that way at all. I have had students complete the exam on the inappropriate scantron and try to hand it in. I make them acquire the correct scantron and redo all of their answers onto it.

If you don't have the scantron, don't ask your instructor if you can just write your answers on the test form. Ask if a classmate has an extra you could have, or take yourself to the campus bookstore to buy one. Keep in mind that if you are taking a night class, the campus bookstore may not be open if you need a last minute scantron. Be ready well ahead of time, and buying a couple extras to possibly share with less-organized classmates is a kind thing to do.

Follow directions about how to fill out the scantrons carefully. Bubble the spaces in completely and erase very thoroughly, not only on your answers but for things like your name, student ID, test code, etc. Automated scoring systems are extremely sensitive and errors can occur if you don't mark the scantron appropriately.

Comfort items like water, gum, mints, pain relievers, and antacids. Depending on your instructor, you may not be able to have these on your desk while you take the exam, but I wouldn't say no to any of my students, especially to the pain relievers, antacids and water. :-) If you are allowed to chew gum, please do so politely.

Come early and get comfortable. Rushing in late or at the last minute just loads unnecessary stress onto yourself. Make sure your chair and writing surface aren't squeaky or wobbly. Sit where you have a good view of the clock so you can keep track of time. Put away all of your electronics and make sure they are off. You would be surprised how loud and disruptive a device on vibrate can be in a quiet testing environment. I've seen whole classrooms of intensely concentrating students jump in annoyance when it happens. Engage in some relaxation techniques. Although you may be keyed up enough about the exam to fidget, twitch, joggle your legs under the table, etc., all those activities do feed more adrenaline into your system and make you more nervous. Relax - close your eyes - take deep breaths. Do a last minute scan over your notes and think positive thoughts. Even if other students around you are proclaiming gloom and doom, keep your energy focused quietly on the task to come.

Extra Credit - Do It. You'll Be Glad You Did.

As I sit here grading papers close to the end of my college's semester, I'm noticing how few students have turned in the extra credit I offered to them shortly after the wake-up call of midterms. (It's about 7% at present, for those of you who like stats.)

Here are a few musings about extra credit for you to ponder.

Extra credit is a gift! Extra credit opportunities are relatively rare at the college level - take advantage of them.

Never, ever pass up extra credit points. Even if you are sailing along acing the class, wouldn't you rather have a cushion of points in case life happens and messes up your performance for the rest of the class? What if you have a migraine when you take the final exam? What if a traffic jam causes you to turn in that important research paper late and your instructor deducts 10%? What if you simply forget that a quiz was moved to a different date and didn't prepare? Extra credit points can help shield against these nasty contingencies.

Extra credit points, however, are unlikely to save your seriously sinking grade ship. In most cases, extra credit points are only a modest percentage of the total points offered in a class. If you've finished the rest of the class work with 62% (a D), an extra credit assignment worth 5% of the total class points will bring you up to 67%, but that's still a D.

If you're absolutely sure the extra credit won't help you, you may not want to bother doing it. How many students are absolutely sure where their grade stands right now? Hmmm, I thought so. :-)

On the other hand, consider this. If you've finished with 69% and do the 5% extra credit, you can breathe a sigh of relief for a solid C at 74%. This works across all grade dividing lines.

If you attend an institution where pluses and minuses are shown in final grades, extra credit can give you that nice boost upward, regardless of where your grade stands.

Extra credit is offered on an equal opportunity basis. In college, there is not going to be any specific special extra credit offered only for you to pull yourself out of the hole you're in for whatever reason. This will not happen regardless of how many sad emails you send or desperate voicemails you leave. If you've had a serious reason to miss points, you should be dealing with that at the time that it is occurring.

Don't procrastinate on doing extra credit. Turn it in early or on time. It's not good to procrastinate on anything you do for college, but it can be a really bad idea for extra credit assignments.

For example, I provide information on extra credit to my students at the time I return their midterms (week 9 of a 16 week semester). The due date is the last class we have before the final, so there's over a 6 week window of opportunity to get it done.

Plenty of time, right?

Nonetheless, I can guarantee that on the due day, there will be several frazzled people coming late to class with partially completed extra credit because they were a few doors down in the computer lab trying to knock it out just before coming to class.

I can also guarantee that after the due date, I will receive numerous pleas to turn in extra credit late because of this, that, and the other thing. Some students may even try to work my sympathy on the day of the final.

To all latecomers, the answer is no. Due dates for everything should be taken seriously, but asking for extra time on something assigned over six weeks ago is pushing it.