Final exams are one of the most important part of a class. Skills from throughout the semester are tested, and have a very big influence on your grade.
Impact on students
Students are found preparing for these exams weeks in advance. Depending on the course, the final can be very stressful students that have to take them. Not only are the being tested on things that were taught in the beginning of the semester, the exam is worth a chunk of their grade. Most students, especially ones who had poor test scores throughout the semester, perform poorly on these exams.
According to Psycholgical Science, there are many different ways teachers will give out final exams. Most of them agree that they give these final exams to make sure students don’t forget the material. However, one teacher admitted to making the only test throughout the semster a final exam. This, will not help students achieve whatsoever.
The common goal of these exams is to test students on their knowledge. However, the smartest student in the class could fail the final exam, even after picking everything up successfully. One disadvantage students have while taking these exams is having to remember absolutely everything a teacher has taught, because they never know what will be on their test. One better alternative, instead of a final exam, would be to have two cumulative tests after each marking period, and then averaging out the score for a final exam grade. The material would be fresher in students minds, and it would help them succeed more.
Tips to succeed
Passing your finals is a hard thing to do, but there are always ways you can prepare yourself for them.
- The first tip starts when the class first begins: pay attention! If someone does not pay attention throughout the school year, they will be even more stressed when finals come along because the workload they’re bringing upon themselves. Learning a whole semester’s worth of material in one or two nights, not the brightest idea.
- Second tip: don’t skip the final reviews. Many students will blow these reviews off because they feel like it will not benefit them. However, they are most certainly wrong. Having help from a teacher, tutor, etc., will help you grasp concepts you may have looked over throughout the semester.
- Third tip: pace yourself and stick to a study schedule. No one wants to have to cram everything in on the night before the final exam, so that’s why you need to portion out your time wisely to study. Many students get caught up in other activities to realize that prioritizing study time is very important, especially for final exams.
- Fourth tip: get a good nights sleep. Instead of staying up all night, drinking red bull and studying, make sure to get a nice rest. If a student is not well-rested, chances are, they will perform poorly on their final exams. Everyone needs to sleep, especially during finals time!
- Fifth tip: stay focused! During your exam, make sure you are focused on what’s in front of you. Most finals have a time limit on them, and if you don’t complete your exam during that time, then there’s nothing else you can do. Staying focused on the test in front of you will help you complete your exam carefully and in time.
