ACING FINAL EXAMS: It’s Not Over ‘til It’s Ended! Adapted from a presentation created by Dr. Saundra Y. McGuire For students at LSU Used by Permission

Prof. Isiah Warner Fall 2005 Chemistry 2001 Class Average Adam Frederick M’Famara Stephanie Test 1 76 65 77 70 83 Test 2 52 67 46 55 Test 3 72 61 68 Final 78 107 88 90 Chemistry 2001 Date of Final Exam: December 14, 2005 Meeting with Adam: December 12, 2005 Meeting with Frederick and Stephanie: December 2, 2005 Meeting with M’Famara: December 8, 2005 The final was worth 100 points with a 10 bonus question.

Reflection Questions What’s the difference, if any, between studying for finals and learning the material that the final exam will cover? What learning strategies have worked for you so far? How many of your final grades will be determined by your final exam score?

Prerequisites for Success Mastery of all concepts (not rote memorization!) Realistic study schedule Effective use of resources (office hours, walk-in tutoring centers, academic success coaching, etc.) Managing anxiety

Reflection Question Have you ever experienced a situation in which fear (or nervousness) made you unable to do something you were actually capable of?

Presidential Swearing In Ceremony Did anxiety cause the chief justice to stumble over the oath of office? Presidential Swearing In Ceremony

So, What Can You Do for Finals? Spend enough time reviewing and mastering the material Aim for 100% mastery Use office hours for clarification Use the Study Cycle with intense study sessions Study information carefully to avoid careless mistakes

Answer the following questions:* In baseball, how many outs are there in an inning?  A rancher has 33 head of cattle standing in a field, when suddenly a bolt of lightning kills all but 9 of them. How many head of cattle are left standing? Some months have 31 days, and some months have 30 days. But how many have 28 days?  Two U.S. coins are worth a total of $0.30, and one of them is not a nickel. What are the coins? * http://www.quizrocket.com/dumb-test

Exam Preparation Stage I Before the Exam Use the Study Cycle Utilize intensive study sessions Organize the information

The Study Cycle Preview Attend Review Study Assess 4 Reflect 3 Review Preview before class – Skim the chapter, note headings and boldface words, review summaries and chapter objectives, and come up with questions you’d like the lecture to answer for you. Preview 4 Reflect Attend class – GO TO CLASS! Answer and ask questions and take meaningful notes. Attend Review after class – As soon after class as possible, read notes, fill in gaps and note any questions. Review Study – Repetition is the key. Ask questions such as ‘why’, ‘how’, and ‘what if’. Intense Study Sessions* - 3-5 short study sessions per day Weekend Review – Read notes and material from the week to make connections Study Assess your Learning – Periodically perform reality checks Am I using study methods that are effective? Do I understand the material enough to teach it to others? Assess *Intense Study Sessions 1 Set a Goal (1-2 min) Decide what you want to accomplish in your study session 2 Study with Focus (30-50 min) Interact with material- organize, concept map, summarize, process, re-read, fill-in notes, reflect, etc. 3 Reward Yourself (10-15 min) Take a break– call a friend, play a short game, get a snack 4 Review (5 min) Go over what you just studied Center for Academic Success B-31 Coates Hall ▪ 225.578.2872 ▪www.cas.lsu.edu

Weekend Review Example: Simply review and quiz yourself on information from your notes, text and other course material. Make note of anything that still does not quite make sense. (Be sure to follow up with the faculty or a tutor to work on this information.) Not only review notes from this last week, but also the week before that AND the week before that. 3:00 - 3:45 4:00 – 4:45 5:00-5:45 5:45-7:00 7:00 Review all of last week’s notes/materials from Chemistry Review all of last week’s notes/materials from Sociology Review all of last week’s notes/materials from Math Take a longer break Continue with other course work…

Get the Most Out of Lecture Arrive early Actively participate Review notes soon after class Rethink all examples covered in class

Exam Preparation Stage II 1 – 2 Weeks Before the Exam Go to Smart Moves for some great study strategies Determine the type and scope of the exam Construct practice exam with friends Aim for 100% mastery!!! Double check exam schedule Eat well, sleep well, and exercise Visualize success! Go to all prep sessions (SI, Instructor, etc.)

Survey the Task Gather Information from... instructor text lecture notes to answer the following questions: What will the test cover? Is it comprehensive or non-comprehensive? What kinds of questions will be used? How many questions (of each type)? Where/when will the test be given? Will I need any special test materials?

Schedule Enough Time Make a “Master To Do” list List specific details (chapters to read, study exercises, etc.) How much time do I need to study for each class? Create a study schedule How much time do I have before the exam? Where and what kinds of time-blocks do I have available? How will I distribute my study time? Create intermediate deadlines Schedule time for fun Schedule time for consolidation

Study Schedule - Task Oriented Monday Thursday French Ch. 6,7 *French Exam at 2 p.m.. Johnson article Math Assignment Math assignment Comm. articles Tuesday Friday French Ch. 8, 9 Comm. Ch. 10, 11 Lab assignment Make weekend study Comm. Ch. 9 schedule Wednesday Study Group Review/Self-test Saturday Math assignment Review/Self-test

Organize The Information Prepare charts or summary sheets Integrate notes with text information Make concept maps Predict test questions Memorize, create mnemonics Aim for 100% mastery!

Memorize Thoroughly Intend to remember Overlearn Preview/review frequently RECITE and WRITE! Learn in as many ways/modalities as possible Visually, kinesthetically, by association, organization (e.g. outline or map), study group… Focus attention – lose the cell phone dependency! Schedule time for assimilation Learn a variety of ways to trigger memory

Review Lecture notes and textbook notes Study Sheets and study group notes Self-tests Index Cards Old exams (retake them!) Textbook CD’s (with practice tests)

Tips for Science and Math Exams Develop a list of types of problems Develop problem solving protocols (steps for solving types of problems) Develop a practice test with randomly arranged problems Practice solving problems quickly

Exam Preparation Stage III Day of the Exam Calmly rehearse facts, formulas, ideas Perform deep breathing to relax Use positive self-talk Arrive at the exam room a few minutes early; not too early! Visualize success!

Exam Preparation Stage IV During the Exam Perform deep breathing to relax; use positive self-talk Write down formulas on exam before you begin Read the directions VERY carefully; listen for additional directions; ask for clarification Survey the exam and budget your time Share what you know! And you know it all!!! Expect memory blocks Visualize success!

Tips for Multiple Choice Tests Try to answer the question WITHOUT looking at the choices Look at one option at a time, and treat each answer as a true or false question Note that the longest choice is often correct Read all choices before settling on one Note answers with “all of the above” etc.

Tips for True False Tests Watch for words such as always, never. These are usually false – but not not always! Watch for words such as seldom and usually. These are often true – but not always! Use the rest of the test for information If in doubt, go with your intuition Don’t change an answer unless you’re absolutely sure you should!

Tips for Essay Tests Examine the question and organize your thoughts before you start to write Outline or map your response before you write Have a beginning, middle, and end If you run out of time, outline the remaining questions for partial credit Proofread your answers; make sure all are grammatically correct!

Exam Preparation Stage V After the Exam Plan Leave the area promptly; don’t talk about the test Let it go! Reward yourself for your hard work Resume preparation for next examination or celebrate that all your exams are over! If your final grade is lower than you expected, ask to see your final exam at beginning of the next term. There may have been a grading mistake.

Use Concept Mapping for Preparation and for Essay Exams Simply stated, concept mapping is a way to arrange and manipulate material in a visual manner to assist your organization, comprehension and retention of material. Concept mapping can be used to brainstorm about ideas and to systematize concepts you are trying to understand. Some students actually take notes in the form of concept maps, others use it to preview a chapter before reading. Try using it in many different ways.

Create a Chapter Map Title of Chapter Primary Headings Subheadings Have you ever started reading a chapter and found yourself on the same paragraph fifteen minutes later? One of the best ways to combat this problem is to preview the chapter by creating a chapter map. Here is one way to do this: 1. It is best to use a large piece of unlined paper (we recommend purchasing some butcher paper from an art or book store) but you can use any paper you have on hand. Print the Chapter Title at the top of the page, then draw a rectangle around the title. Next, look through the chapter and note the number of primary headings. You will write each of these headings in a row across, just below the title, then circle each of them. You will now skim through the chapter once more, this time looking at the number of subheadings. Print these in a row just below the primary headings. Depending on the organization of the chapter, you may continue to add sub-subheadings! This can all be done very quickly. There is no need to spend a lot of time writing details at this point. You may want to fill in details later when you read the chapter, but for now, just preview the chapter with a chapter map. You will find your brain will be ready to comprehend the material now that you have the “big picture”, or an overview of the chapter. Subheadings Secondary Subheadings Get help with mind-mapping at bubble.us

Persuasive Writing Thesis Viewpoint Viewpoint Details Details Maybe you use this type of a map to process compare and contrast an issue of debate or discussion either for a paper or class discussion. Reasons, Facts, Examples Reasons, Facts, Examples Conclusion

Compare and Contrast Concept #1 Concept #2 How are they similar? How are they different? If you are trying to prepare for an exam and are comparing and contrasting two concepts, this is an excellent exercise.

Mistakes to Avoid! Letting the time “sneak up” on you Basing your judgment of knowledge on your short term memory Letting others derail your study schedule Aiming for less than 100% mastery Failing to believe in yourself!!!

If you think you can, you’re right! If you think you can’t, We KNOW you can!

Your Link to academic success!!! The Academic Link Link learning commons Main floor Brown Library Virginiawestern.edu/learning/link 540-857-6442 Your Link to academic success!!!