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Finals Exams - Your experiences/strategies?


Kill_Thomas9

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Well I'm current a freshmen at my highschool, which means I havn't ever taken any 'actual' finals. (Junior High finals were a joke.) So what are your past experiences with final exams? What advise would you give anybody to help them do better on the exams?

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Our high school gives final exam exemptions based on certain criteria. You can't have more than three absences in the said class and three tardies count as one absence, you can't have been suspended, and you have to maintain a passing average for the semester. Aside from that, it's the teacher's choice. I got exemptions from most of my teachers but my calculus teacher doesn't give exemptions. So I have to take one final next week but I can go home during the rest. It's going to one hard final. Simply hell.

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Here, clicḫ̩̉̉s are your best options. Drink lots of water, and/or bring water (and some chocolate) to your exam, if allowed. Sleep well the nights before exams. Don't revise the same day or the day before you have the exam, or else you might get doubts about what you've learnt. If you get really nervous during the exam, take deep breaths, and if you're allowed to, ask for permission to leave the room.

 

 

 

All of those come from my own experience; they have really helped during exams.

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I've never found finals really difficult, at least no more so than any other test given during the year. Most finals are cumulative, which means they cover material from the whole year. That means you've probably already been tested on the same subjects before. Most teachers have a hard enough time as it is coming up with test questions, and making new ones for the same subject is hard, so they are usually recycled questions. Given the fact that you've taken a test on these subjects before, you've probably got a pretty good grip on them (or not), and will likely do well on the final with minimal review. I would study just as much as you think you need, but don't over do it.

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I've really only had one difficult final, and that was because my grade depended on it.

 

 

 

 

 

Usually I just treated them like any other test. The only one in recent memory I remember studying is for my intro to graphics test, just because I needed a 93% to pass. (I passed).

 

 

 

 

 

Even then though I just kind of studyed a lot and did fine.

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If you normally study you should probably just go ahead and study normally. I never study, so I didn't for finals and was fine. The exemption was my geometry class final, which I failed horribly. Couldn't remember any of the proofs.

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I don't know if your exams are similar to the exams we have in the Netherlands. What I did was making the exams from previous years. Every year they always ask the same types of questions e.g. every chemistry exam has at least one question about redox and pH. By making exams you learn about the way the questions are asked and what information they want from you.

 

 

 

Basicly I never did homework or paid much attention for years, and by making some exams a few weeks before my final exams took place, I scored about 80 average for my exams (Dutch, English, physics, chemistry, maths and biology).

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Get enough sleep. Don't cram info either, find other ways to learn it - talk about it, explain it to people who don't know, make up crap jokes to do with it, relate the material to something you know inside out. Most exams are just about remembering facts (except for some English exams) and if you can find a way that works best for you to remember it, do that. I didn't ever revise by reading, just by chatting to friends about it and watching TV programs on it, and I passed everything I cared about! (failed Food Tech, may I add that the teacher was an absolute cretin and couldn't teach to save her life, RE because of another cretinous teacher, and French, both a combo of hating the subject and not understanding why I was forced to do it for 5 years and still not able to speak a word, and another cretinous teacher.)

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Take past papers as if they were practice exams, so that the 'real thing' doesn't feel so unusual to you.

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Make sure to organize your exams into 'easy' 'medium' and 'hard', based on what you know about the teacher and the difficulty of the subject. Then study accordingly :P .

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In my experience, as long as you have a decent memory and pay attention a bit, exams are a breeze. In my experience, since exams cover material from the entire year, there's not as many "thinking" questions, mostly rote memory. The questions are usually easier than normal unit tests throughout the year. I study for about 2 hours a week before the exams, and that it. Get a good sleep the day before.

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I'm a junior in high school so I've taken plenty of finals. My strategy is don't study, make a note sheet if you're allowed, and just wing it when I get in there. My grades don't look so hot this semester but I managed an A- on my French final and another A- on the skill demonstration part of my Photoshop final.

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I had them a few weeks ago, and my advice is mainly to know yourself. Study for the classes you really know you need to the most. not necessarily the classes with the worst grades, i didn't study for my worst grade class, math, and i got an 100/100 on it. I do well in spanish, but i studied the most in it. They can be intimidating, but bring a snack and a drink in and if allowed a mp3 player. If you finish early literally take a nap or rest, it can help if you have another exam that day.

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Here's a few things I've learned after 9 years of exams:

 

 

 

1. When you study, take breaks. You can only focus effectively for so long.

 

2. Practice what you've learned. Knowing a formula or technique won't do you much good if you aren't familiar with using it.

 

3. Use prior tests/exams. Most teachers let you keep a copy of prior tests and as was stated earlier, very often you will see recycled questions. Make sure you remember what you knew, and focus on those items you got wrong.

 

4. I personally enjoyed studing with a group when possible. When with other people, you might pick up good techniques for remembering things you didn't already know. It's also good to quiz eachother as this gives you practice actually answering the questions themselves.

 

5. Know your teachers. Some teachers love true/false. Some teachers love short essays. If you know the format of the test and what the teacher will be looking for, you will be more likely to give them what they want.

 

6. When you get there, have confidence in yourself. Second guessing and doubting yourself is a big no-no. If you go back and change things you are more than likely going to break a right answer, than fix a wrong one.

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Well, I don't do so well at anything when I spend too much time studying (may seem odd). I just try to relax, get a good amount of sleep, continue my regular exercise routines and chores, and try to eat properly before the exams.

 

 

 

I feel that anxiety is one of the worst things that can happen during such a stressful time, so that is generally what I avoid. I do study, but not nearly as much as most people. I find that short study sessiosn are much more effective than long sessions. Studying with friends and not alone if better for myself, but everyone is different. You could try some practive tests, etc.. I myself don't care to waste time with them, but they do help my friends. Eat eggs, fish, or strawberries before your exams, and definitely chew gum during the exam. It really helps. ::'

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If you have absolutly NO idea which multiple-choice answer is the correct one, pick C.

 

 

 

It's always C. 8-)

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You have to find the right ballance between studing and keeping cool. I've seen a lot of people study like hell, stress out, freak out, worry so much to the point that they struggle so much on their exam. When those people realize that their excessive studying is actually causing their demise, they relax, try to keep cool and end up not worrying so much. This leads to less reviewing and then they don't know enough about the exam to do well.

 

 

 

What you want is find the right balance between studying (being prepared) and keeping cool (not being stressed). Generally I find that if you followed along in class and know THE MOST EFFICIENT way to review, you'll do great. I say "the most efficient" because there are times when I have reviewed something to hell and then failed simply because I didn't know how to approach the question and all those hours spent reviewing were wasted. For example, reviewing math by merely going over formulas is hardly going to get you prepared for an exam. For math you need to do practice problems so that you can figure out how to approach different kinds of problems. Different subjects have different approaches. Chemistry highly relies on you understanding how the process works (like math) so if you can say "I get it! so that's how X is supposed to react" then that's good. Biology on the other hand is way more focused on memorization so just get a bunch of flash cards and drill those annoying scientific terms into your head. Physics is likely to be all about unites and calculations so it's similar to math but with a few extra twists. Any form of social studies or literature is bound to involve essays and frankly I'm not too good at those so I have no advice (except for economics, which is all about structure and using key words as well as diagrams to follow through a problem in a systematic way).

 

 

 

Also, while reviewing it's important to take breaks. That's the best strategy.

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Wow, you've all given awesome advice. I'll definitely be sure to use some of it. You've also helped ease some of my apprehension about the tests with all the teachers saying things like "This is a huge test. You can't blow it off. I've seen people going from an 94% to a 84% just by bombing the test."

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What I'd advise is to get some index cards, and make small, useful notes, like the names of important events(i.e. I used it in my visual art exam for notes on the 7 wonders of ancient world, 7 elements of art, etc.)

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I sat for my final exam (the HSC for NSW) back in September/October last year. The trick is actually to start early; you need to work consistently throughout the year to help cushion any problems with the exam. You need to work hard with assessments and spend time learning independently.

 

 

 

If you've been working throughout the year, the exams with be easy. With exams - get a good night's sleep. I had about 10 hours, each night. Not sure how long your exams are, but mine were 3 hours each. So don't drink too much, lol. With studying for exams, it depends on your subject. I took French for the HSC and to study for that, I listened to French music, watched French news and spoke French with my parents. For Maths and Maths Extension 1, I did past papers from 1998 onwards. For English Advanced, I wrote essays, re-read texts, and did past-papers.

 

 

 

Always do past exam papers. In NSW, Australia, past papers are available from the government's Board of Studies's website for students to download and practise. In making them accessible to students, they are encouraging students to do so.

 

 

 

Enjoy what you're doing. You should've chosen subjects you enjoy studying; that you enjoy learning more about.

 

 

 

With this, I scored a Universities Admission Index (UAI) of 97.00 out of 100; enough to get me a place into Commerce (International Studies) if I wanted to.

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First, DON'T cram the day before the exam. It will just stress you out and make you even more nervous than you already are. Three or four weeks should be a good time to start. Take an hour or two each day to just go over your notes a few times. Take a class each day. Depending on the amount of periods you have, you should have gone over them 10+ times.

 

 

 

Next, talk to your teachers about study guides. They might be more helpful then you thought. Study guides will help you focus your study, letting you focus less on stuff you know and more on what your not sure about, but DON'T skip stuff just because you know it. Once you hit the test, things might slip and you'll regret not focusing on certain topics more.

 

 

 

Third, talk to upper-classmen who have taken the exam before on pointers and tips. Sometimes a teacher might focus on a certain topic more than others, but don't take their word as gold. Usually teachers will have the same exam but mixed up a bit, or they might have thought it was time to re-do it, so be wary of the advice.

 

 

 

Now it's test day. Get a good nights sleep and eat a good breakfast. This will help fuel the brain and prevent the munchies or weariness making your brain wander. Use the restroom, and then relax. Bring some music or a book you like, preferably one you've read a few times so you don't have to really focus on it. Just read it and relax, the main point is to get your head out of the state of being nervous over the exam. You might not want to study because it will stress you out and tire your brain out. During the test, take a little break every now and then. Pushing your head to the limit will just make it harder to study on the last questions. If you don't know a question leave it and come back. Don't leave any question unanswered unless you have a teacher who penalizes for wrong questions. In a usual mulitple choice test, you have a 1/4 chance of getting a guessed answer right. Even an idiot can tell you 1/4 is better than none.

 

 

 

Once you finish the exam and move onto the next, forget about it. Don't go back to check answers, don't worry about your grade on it. Get your head onto the next exam and just relax. What's done is done. No matter what you do know you've locked your grade in and now all you can do is do the next exam.

 

 

 

That's how I've gotten through high school exams, I hope it helps you get through exams too.

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