It's that time of year again, the last few weeks college. You have been on time to every class session and have managed to add a few points to your normal course average. Just a few more weeks to go and you will be on your way to a well needed vacation, which you have carefully spent the last couple months planning. There is only one thing that stands in the way, final exams. Just as every student before you and every student that will come after you, final examinations can be very frustrating and stressful. Proper testing preparation combined with skilled testing strategies can help anyone overcome those examination nightmares.
Being well prepared for the big examination day starts long before the final examination is ever conducted. Beginning with the first day of class, preparation and planning for the final examination should be initiated. According to Hay (1996) keeping up to date with all lessons taught in class, such as assigned readings, class projects, and class lectures, will provide a better understanding and will help students to remember class materials when examination day arrives. In every class the instructor provide hints or special emphasis on certain topics throughout the lessons. As a student, these numerous clues are critical in preparation for the upcoming examination. These clues can also help to focus energy on certain topics that will reappear in the final examination. In order to have the best chance on exams, students must have some kind of idea on the type of exam they are going to be tested on. Having access to exams that maybe very similar, can give students a sense of the structure of the examination that they will take (Hay, 1996). Students can use these similar exams to practice, which is vital ...
... middle of paper ...
... should be outlined for the exams that will follow. Being well prepared and having a strong determination can help to overcome those barriers that come with examinations. Proven testing strategies that can be mastered with a little practice and guidance will provide results that lead to success.
Works Cited
Hay, I. (1996). Preparing for an exam. Geography in Higher Education, 96(1), 137. Retrieved from http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/03098265.asp
Shelley, O. (2005). Improving Your Study Skills: Study Smart, Study Less. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/apus/docDetail.action?docID=10305416
Joe, L. (1996). Index study system. Study Guides and Strategies. Retrieved January 7, 2012, from http://www.studygs.net/tsttak1.htm
Salend, S. (2011). Addressing Test Anxiety. Teaching exceptional children, 44(2), 58-68. Retrieved from http://www.cec.sped.org
Pearson Higher Education. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. http://www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/hip/us/hip_us_pearsonhighered/sam plechapter/0136027245.pdf
In “More Testing, More Learning,” Patrick O’Malley presents his argument in the essay of why taking major exams at the end of a student’s course harms them more than it does the student any good. O’Malley states that, “Although the last*minute anxiety about midterm and final exams is only too familiar to most college students, many professors may not realize how such major, infrequent, high-stakes exams work against the best interests of the student psychologically and cognitively.” (483) With taking midterms and final exams O’Malley claims that it puts too much stress and too much importance one the one or two days of these major tests than in the students entire term. His argument is that with less tests given to the student takes away from
David Damrosch and Kevin J. H. Dettmar. Vol. 1c. New York: Pearson Education, 2010. 2544-2548. Print.
One of my studying techniques is to have one of my family members verbally assess me on the topic of examination based on information in my textbook for the given subject. This compares to what I have just learned because I sometimes alter the location of study during these sessions, such as one time in the dining room and one time in another room of the house. However, I would always stay on one subject for a long time, which may not have been a very good idea. Another studying technique that I used to have was studying the night before or the morning of the exam because I thought (with the influence of a girl from my fifth grade class) that the information would be easy to retain since it was so recently reviewed. This compares to the article since all of the material comes back to me, but is mostly forgotten long after I take the examination.
As a college student, is the idea of your final grade being based off of just a midterm and final very stressful? O 'Malley argues in his essay "More Testing, More Learning" that professors should give out more quizzes and assignments to reduce the stress and procrastination students face before midterms and finals. Although this might be helpful for a high school setting, it would not be completely efficient at a college level. This is because frequent testing takes up a significant amount of students and professors time, are added stress throughout the year, will not fix a students procrastination, and having high stake tests prepares students for their future. Some of O 'Malley 's ideas seem reasonable and would help students while others are an inconvenience for the professor and students.
The main ideas presented in “Why Geography Matters…More Than Ever!” revolve around what exactly geography is, and the implications of the subject. Geography is the study of the physical world and human actions, it also covers the affects of human actions. Geography influences a plethora of topics and geographers do research on numerous subjects. “Geographers do research on glaciations and coastlines, on desert dunes and limestone caves, on weather and climate, even on plants and animals”(7). The author stresses how underrated geography is the present times, and how the introduction of social studies have doomed the subject of geography for future generations. In a section detailing the teaching of geography
Gibbs, G (1988) Learning by Doing, A guide to teaching and learning methods. Cheltenham: The Geography Discipline Network. (GDN).
It is time to turn the tables and test the teachers on the challenge of college. Throughout high school, students are told all about how difficult college is and what to expect. Not yet having experienced it, the students typically prepare for the worst. They teach themselves how to study based on the standards of their high school. They write papers, do homework, and participate in class in the attempt to meet the expectations of their teachers. They base their picture of college off their teachers’ standards and what their peers say. While many high school students have developed accurate expectations regarding the difficulties of college, the study skills acquired in high school may not be enough to ensure success at the collegiate level.
Personally, I am an advocate for cramming the day before the test, but not right before bed. Instead, I study first, do a little bit of homework, study some more, finish my homework, and then study once again. If I study a little bit each night, by the fourth or fifth night I will begin to feel as if I have over-studied and then begin mixing up each piece of information. In this essay, I have compared and contrasted both methods and it should be much easier for each student to choose a way that works best for them. Both methods can be effective, it just depends on the students’ personality in general.
June first--the last exam is today. There has been one exam every day since Monday, which seems as if it was an eternity ago. Every class at school requires homework, quizzes, tests, and finally, a final exam. We take exams to prove ourselves--to prove we have advanced our education during the past nine months. In one and a half to two and a half hours, nine months of homework, quizzes and tests must be summed up. How are the nine months summed up? Usually by a series of written questions that were probably compiled from the homework, quizzes, and tests we have already completed. There are better ways of proving knowledge.
The article titled 'Teaching Responsibility'; deals with the issue of student preparedness after high school. The article brings up the recent case of Jonathan Govias who is suing his private high school stating that the school did not prepare him for university. The article goes on to give two examples, one in Virginia and one in Ontario of how these types of problems are being dealt with. The editor agrees s that the school system should be held more responsible for its graduates, but makes it clear that lawyers only complicate matters. I believe that Jonathan Govias' case should be heard in a court of law due to the fact that schools have a certain responsibility and if it is not met then something needs to be done about it. I am in total disagreement with the Ontario's school plan to get rid of this problem and am a total fan of the Virginia pilot project, because unlike the Ontario plan they are actually looking to help the students and not their own pockets.
Examinations, as we know it, have emerged to be the main facet of modern education in the ever-changing landscape of academia. In an education infrastructure that is as unpredictable as the clouds, it is somewhat ironic that the system of examinations as a means of judging a student’s ability has prevailed through the years. Every person, in their quest for knowledge, would inevitably encounter numerous modes of examinations throughout the course of their academic journey. As much importance has been attached to it in virtually every academic institutions across the globe, the voices of those who lobby for its eradication are seldom heard, let alone be considered seriously. There are various reasons for policymakers to initiate a rethink of the much-vaunted examination system. I am of the opinion that the time has come for us to abolish this system, a system which has come under fire from multiple sections of the community, particularly the students.
The syllabus is a commonly created and shared document in the education world (Parkes & Harris, 2010). For some high school, and most higher education courses, it is the first form of contact between an instructor and their students. The organization and content of the syllabus sets the tone of the course and stands as a resource throughout the semester or year. Continual analysis, reflection and refinement helps to maintain the syllabus as a dynamic educational resource for every student in that class (Slattery & Carlson, 2010). An effective syllabus provides, not only an introduction and overview into the course, but also outlines the academic standards and essential questions that are to be covered, shares the course schedule and
University Entrance Examinations, which is the exam that students must pass with higher score than norm in order to get accepted into universities and colleges, is most important exam to determine students’ future. Each year on July 4th to 10th, in Vietnam gets busier. Candidates and their parents will across country to the two biggest cities: Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for the most important exam. Some people think the Entrance Exam must be compulsory for people whom interested in education while others think the Entrance College should be cancel from education systems.
Tip# 3: Don’t Cram. Don’t make excuses. “There’s that party tonight,” or “I can leave that until tomorrow.” It will be all good and dandy until you have three tests on the same day and neglected to study for any of them. Take it from me, a high school senior, it is the scare of the semester and that day will come. You want to be prepared for it and the best way to be prepared is to not cram.