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PREPARING FOR YOUR FINALS Brian Cafarella, Associate Professor, Academic Foundations-Mathematics
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This Workshop Motivation Preparation Test-taking tips.
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Why is this a stressful time? Juggling multiple exams at once. Still completing required course work. Juggling school and life. EXHAUSTION!!! WE WANT OUT OF HERE! Bottom line: we need to get motivated and organize!
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How Motivated are You? Valence- How much do I really want to achieve my goal? Rate yourself between 1 and 100. Expectancy- Do I truly believe that I can do the work needed to achieve my goal? Rate yourself between 1 and 100. Instrumentality- What is my perceived probability that doing the work needed will help me achieve my goal? Rate yourself between 1 and 100.
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Why do I freeze on exams? We are all familiar with feelings and the symptoms of anxiety. However, the brain reacts to anxiety as though you were in physical danger. Your body prepares to “fight” or “flight.” If your life was in danger, would you really care about remembering facts for a history test? This is why you draw a “blank” on a test even when you were prepared.
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START EARLY TO HELP PREPARE FOR FINALS About two to three weeks before finals develop a study schedule. Using a calendar, decide how much time (hours per each day) you are going to devote to each final. Obviously, you will devote the most time to your most difficult courses. However, don’t assume that there are courses that you don’t need to study for!
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TO PREPARE FOR YOUR FINALS Consider a study group or a study partner. Have other people quiz you using flash cards or whatnot. If your instructor gives you a “practice final” do all of the problems at least twice!!! “Zero in” on what you need to practice.
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Keep in mind…. If you find that you have simply too many finals and there is not enough time to prepare, you should rethink your schedule for next quarter. You may be either working too many hours or taking too many classes. Also, you should start thinking about your final at the beginning of the quarter. Do not assume that the grade on the final exam will “save you.” Remember, finals are a terrible time of the quarter.
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Why you need to practice all quarter and before the final….. When you practice or study a certain topic, the dendrites in your brain develop!!! Dendrites are specialized for receiving information and form synaptic contacts with the terminals of other nerve cells to allow nerve impulses to be transmitted. The more you practice that skill, the more your dendrites will develop. For example, accountants have well-developed dendrites when it comes to business sense, because that is what they have studied!!! If you haven’t studied or practiced, the dendrites in your brain are wilted and shriveled!!!
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Also!!!! One hour after class, your brain can only recall 60% of what you learned. After twenty-four hours, your brain can only recall 30% of what you learned. The greater the lapse in time, the percentage continues to decrease. This emphasizes the importance of reviewing class notes on a daily basis and spreading out homework practice. That is why you need to review past lessons throughout the quarter, not just at the end of the quarter.
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Before the test…. Be as well prepared as possible. Get a good night’s sleep the night before. Eat healthy throughout the day. A cup of coffee or some caffeine is fine but do not overdo it. Have a bottle of water for every cup of coffee or caffeinated pop. Take care of yourself! You can be no good to anyone if you deprive yourself of sleep or food!! Arrive for the test as early as possible. Don’t show up all stressed out and out of breath.
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Before the test… Do not “cram” or attempt to learn new material immediately before the test. Your brain cannot handle that. Listen to your favorite song over and over. Have confidence, if you’re prepared the info is not going anywhere!
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Some Tips for Test Time!!! Do not even read a single question! Perform the “Data drop off.” Before you read a single question- simply write down all of the information, formulas, facts that you are afraid that you will forget. You can write this info on the test or on a separate blank sheet of paper. Practice the “Data drop off” while studying.
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Sample of “Data Drop off” Area of a rectangle= L x w Order of operations use PEMDAS Adding/subtracting fractions- use a common denominator Dividing fractions- leave change flip Metric system- King Henry Died Drinking Chocolate Milk Kilo Hecto Deka Deci Centi Milli
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After the “Data Drop off” READ, READ, READ THE DIRECTIONS ON THE TEST!!!!!!! Quickly search for the questions that is most friendly and familiar. Do that question first! It will give you a burst of confidence! After that, do another question that you are familiar with, and another and another! This will give you more and more confidence!!!!!
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Stumped? Do not get “bogged down on single question. Place a “star” next to it and come back to it. Look for a similar problem. If it is a math or science question, retrace your steps to find out where you got lost. Never leave it blank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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More………. If it is a timed exam, be AWARE of the time. Don’t obsess over the clock; simply use it as a way to pace yourself. It is less stressful to be cognizant of the time throughout the exam than to find out you only have five minutes to do twenty questions!!!! If you know that it will be a timed exam, practice for that. Practice answering questions or solving problems in a timely fashion. For example, start by trying to answer ten questions in fifteen minutes.
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ESSAY/PAPER Try Free Writing Use this on an essay test or a paper
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When finished…. ALWAYS use the remaining time to quickly make sure you have answered every question. If it’s a math or science test you may want to recheck some of the more cumbersome problems. If it an essay test, proof read it a few times for errors.
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Just to Clarify…. It can be confusing to students when we say” Always go with your first instinct.” But then we say, “Check over your work.” That sounds contradictory. We want to emphasize that “Always go with your first instinct” refers to the mechanics of a question or an essay. “Check over your work” refers to spot checking for silly mistakes. In mathematics this could be simple arithmetic mistakes (3 + 2 = 6). In essay writing, it could be ensuring that the grammar is correct.
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After the test! Celebrate! Do something nice for yourself! Give yourself something to look forward to on test day!
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My info Brian Cafarella brian.cafarella@sinclair.edu Phone: 937- 512-2097
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