With exam week looming, The Vision’s Editorial Board would like to offer advice for juniors going through MSMS exams for the first time and seniors who aren’t excited to face the prospect again.
The first thing you should do is make a log of how you performed on each section of each class — which tests/quizzes you performed the poorest on, which you performed the best on, etc. Spend more time studying the things you did not master the first go around; time is of the essence. Make sure you’re eating balanced meals and try to sleep at least six hours a night. Recognizing the cramming you’re doing at ungodly hours is not productive and will not be retained is important. It might be beneficial just to let your body rest.
While exams are daunting for many students who have lived a life of exemption, they’re not the end of the world. If you do bomb an exam, they are not worth the same weight as the work you have put in for the rest of the year. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself that you cannot function. Exams are only 20% of your semester average, so take a deep breath.
If you want to calculate the grade you need on an exam to make a certain grade in the class, the formula is (Desired grade in class – (Current semester average x 0.80)) / 0.20 = Exam grade needed!
Every exam is different, so here is some advice specific to each of the main subjects!
English
Exams for literature classes require a lot of memorization; you need to know the facts about what you’ve studied and the content itself. That can be a daunting prospect to study, so the best strategy may be to break it down into multiple parts. The content in literature classes almost always relates to itself through literary movements, so understanding those movements can help you learn what you need to know efficiently. Knowing a whole category of texts were written in the same place or period can help you memorize those basic facts in bulk.
History
While it may be tempting for Tales students to attempt to remember every fact for each essay prompt, you will forget everything if you cram the night before the big day. Instead of focusing on specific facts, work on memorizing broader concepts of various time periods. YouTube can be a great resource for this. Helpful accounts include Heimler’s History and Crash Course with Hank Green. Take a deep breath and count on your ability to use common sense on these exams. It might be helpful to ask around for a Quizlet for extra security. One last thing: All Tales students should memorize the Reconstruction Amendments!
Math and Physics
For both math and physics exams, it’s tempting to study just by memorizing formulas. However, it is just as important to know how and why those formulas work. It may take extra time, but gaining a better understanding of the content will save your grade. It also helps prevent those dreadful moments when you first look at a test and realize you have no idea what to do.
Chemistry and Biology
It is not difficult to feel anxious about a chemistry exam. Make sure that while you study formulas, you do not neglect important, comprehensive ideas. Make sure you are mastering concepts like stoichiometry — chances are a great portion of your exam will be rooted in it. Because of time constraints, chemistry is one of the most important exams to get plenty of sleep the night before. Slow reaction time will give you fewer minutes to check over your work. Take a similar approach to biology, but focus more on trying to learn instead of memorize. The worst feeling is getting to an exam and blanking on a concept you know you saw before, and biology is almost entirely conceptual.
No matter what, exams are going to be tough, but remember: Once you’re done, you won’t have to go through them for a whole semester!
Good luck from The Vision!
