Preparing for Finals (and other tests)

 

Succeeding on finals is a significant part of success in college. The outcome of finals, as you know, can notably enhance or diminish what you have been able to accomplish for the rest of the semester. So they are worth preparing for. They are worth doing well on.  Also See TAKING THE FINAL (and Other Tests) on this web site.

Preparation is particularly necessary for big exams where many people suffer some level of "test anxiety." Some test anxiety is good; it pumps the level of adrenalin so we are in a peak performance state. Some is counter productive, especially if it leads to some level of terrified paralysis. The latter comes primarily from two sources; a lack of adequate preparation and from a history of non-success at exams. Where the problem has psychological roots, there is available help in the University Health Center Counseling and Psychological Services program (west end of the second floor)--a program paid for by your fees and where you have a right to receive 3 prepaid sessions. We have the following basic advice on preparing for and taking finals:

I. As early as possible develop reasonable understanding of what you are facing. It is amazing how well you can prepare if you have a clear sense of what is to be done.

A. Use your calendar (or get one) to organize yourself.

1. In it, note all the significant deadlines for work due until the end of the semester, including any exams, papers and lab reports. If it does not seem that you can do all that is required, prioritize. Note what is essential, what needs immediate attention, and what can be delayed or ignored without significant loss. Do not spend much time being shocked or dismayed over how much there is to be done; that just lessens the available time. Get at it and do the best you can. Do not look back.
2. Once a week reexamine this list; some items may be added some deleted by a teacher. Reassess priorities; they may change as you are successful (or not) in completing tasks on schedule.
3. Identify one hour and two hour blocks of time each day which are available for studying and schedule them in your planner or calendar!

B. Be sure you have full and accurate information about the final.

1. Know when and where it is to take place. This can be found in your class syllabus or in the current (not next semester's) tabloid newsprint schedule of classes. Note that these may be given in a different room than your normal class. Ask to be sure.
2. Be very clear about what the final is to cover (is it over everything you have studied? some significant subset of that material? what have you studied since the last exam?)
3. Be very clear about how the final is to be constructed; preparation for essay tests differs from that for short answer or blank-fillers.
4. If it is possible to see earlier exams in the course, look at them--not to study the answers to those questions (they are unlikely to recur) but to get a sense of the nature of the questions, where they are drawn from (lectures, texts) and the weighting of the exam. Note typical questions. Practice on previous exams, note the sort of errors you make and then guard against them. Look for and become familiar with "tricky questions."
5. Encourage your teacher to talk of the exam. Watch in lecture and review exercises where he/she puts emphasis. (See material on Lectures in Section C.)
6. What equipment, if any, is permitted in the room? Calculators? Open books? Notes? Formula lists? Ask your professor to address this.
7. How is the exam graded; e.g. does one get partial credit? Do only right answers count (in which case a guess cannot hurt), or do wrong answers bring penalties?

C. A final is often the summary exercise for a course. Earlier course assignments (papers, labs, reports, exams) can serve as practice exercises. Look back at them and know the materials and the processes they required.  

II. Solid success at anything requires consistency of effort, and this requires the development of habits.

A. If you have not done so before, now is the time to establish an unvarying routine. It takes will power and motivation but it pays off. It has been said that two hours per day spent at your peak learning time will make you an expert in your field in ten years. Two such hours a day for a month will make you a solid contender in any test.

B. The biggest block to major accomplishment is the sense of "it's too much, I can't do this!" That sense gets in the way of accomplishing anything; indeed it encourages excuses and self deception (The teacher hates me. I never could do [English]. This is boring. I don't have time. Etc.). If, however, you say " I will do my best, step by step ", you will set the stage for accomplishment.

1. Look at what you have to learn and break it into manageable chunks of work. List those chunks for each class. For example, "read and review chapters 13, 14, and 15." Then begin to work away at the checking off your list, step by step. You cannot study for a whole semester at a sitting but you can recap significant portions. So do it, a piece each day. (Review the material in your Notebook on Time Management to help with prioritizing).
2. Begin this process NOW.
3. There is a need to manipulate material into your long-term memory. Begin each study session with a mini review, because this will consolidate what you studied yesterday and because it will provide anchoring connections between what you have studied and what you are about to study. This will help you develop a sense of the "big picture" and how this component fits into it.
4. Engage actively in what you study. Ask yourself how material in a given paragraph relates to other materials you are studying. What kind of question could be drawn from this paragraph or set of class notes? What in this paragraph do I not understand? Write down anything you do not understand. In recitation, in class review, or in group study sessions raise these questions. This process keeps you from banging your head needlessly, avoids blocking, helps cement the answer in your memory, and makes a good impression on the instructor.
5. Condense, summarize, reduce material onto file cards or single sheets (one topic per sheet); where possible reduce them again to key ideas. Develop mnemonic devices (Men Very Early Made Jars Stand upright Nearly Perfectly=Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, etc.) Doing so will help you memorize and remember important information.
6. Develop memory enhancers: flash cards allow you to study anywhere and in brief doses. Making concept maps that graphically show relationships gives you a complementary way to know the material as well as an effective review device. Recite material orally, talk about it with others, tell the story of the material you are studying. Auditory memory (hearing) helps.
7. Take practice tests where available. Be sure you understand where you went wrong in each error. You may discover patterns of error where correcting them will greatly enhance your learning.
8. Create or join in study groups. Work on quizzes, study questions, text review questions, your own questions, etc. These can meet both the academic and social needs, PROVIDED they keep to task. Abandon groups that do not do so.
9. Unless there is a disaster, do not plan on cramming; you forget most of what you cram before you get to the test; and soon after 90% is gone.
10. If you must cram; follow the same rules as for long term study, PLAN the cram session. Be ruthless about identifying essential material and stick to that. (I.E., read introductions and summaries, not whole chapters or exts.) Use as many different ways of absorbing material as you can, repeated oral recitation, pictures, writing, etc. Ditch guilt and do what you can now. Take brief but regular breaks, deep breathe, stretch, etc, so you sustain freshness. Don't eat heavy sleep-inducing foods, have fresh fruit and healthy sandwiches available. If you begin to panic or have other distractions, remember: accomplishment diminishes anxiety. So keep working on task.
11. If you have a regime of study in place, the last few days before the exam will truly be review, i.e. looking again at material you have known so you can revive and contextualize it. The day before the exam, review tough issues or large patterns for an hour or two and then relax. Cramming at this point is not going to add much and the stress will deplete your energy fruitlessly.
12. Rest before the exam. This is critical! Review your summary notes last thing before bed so you give your subconscious time to work on them before going to the test. Perhaps supplement with a breezy run-through on awakening.
13. When you complete a significant task, reward yourself. Time for a walk, a snack, etc. Put off such gratification until the task is done. This will motivate.

PREPARING FOR PARTICULAR KINDS OF TESTS

A. Essay tests require you to articulate (connect and order) a sizable chunk of material. In preparation for the exam, draw a concept map of the material. Be sure you stop occasionally and identify how the material you are dealing with fits into the larger context of the course. Doing so will help essay writing.

B. Identify possible questions and draft outlines of key elements necessary to answer them. Examine other essays on the subject and determine what the qualitative distinctions are.

C. Identify the behavior required in the writing task such as "compare and contrast" which mean discuss similarities and  differences; "identify" which means name or describe; "evaluate" which asks you to pass judgement based on evidence;  "analyze" which means describe the elements; "trace the development" which means explain the sequence of events; "conclude" which means provide an explanation or interpretation of the data; "synthesize" which asks you to describe commonalities among the elements.

Objective tests

A. Questions on these tests lend themselves to definitions, identifications and compact ideas. When studying definitions, look at each element and see what would happen if it were left out. Doing this will prepare you to spot deceptive answers that are only partially correct. Identify selection criteria for possible questions.

B. Write a glossary (a list of definitions of key concepts) for yourself. Or where appropriate, develop a time line or chronology of events studied.

C. Note succinct applications of each concept or term or historical moment.

D. For math and science tests requiring calculations, be sure to review all formulas and where they are appropriately used.

NOTE: Always ask your teaching assistant or professor for guidance on how to prepare. AND have Mom, Dad, or some significant other send a favorite cookie care package, so you can treat yourself when you have accomplished a "chunk" or go for a quick run or other aerobic activity to get you ready for the next chunk you need to master during your finals preparation.

--Written and/or compiled by James A. McShane