I am so sick of professors pulling a fast one--he tells us what to study for, points in our notes the major terms, and key points we should focus on..
take the exam and hardly any of the material makes it on the actual test except for a definiton/term here and there. :angryfire:angryfire
I studied for 3 weeks, memorized terms, definitions, the listed major characteristics of functions this was THREE chapters of materials...and it did not make the exam.
He even did a review and highlighted EVERYTHING that we should focus on, he even emailed us a practice test and the practice test was not a fair representation of the actual exam today. We had like 60 questions in the practice tests and i studied them and only like THREE OR FOUR questions made the actual test, and the rest of the material were just trick questions and miscellaneous crap
It was completely different and I don't even think I did all that great. I am looking at a very low C in this class if this professor continues this pattern.
I am so ****** right now with professors who do this. I am tired of it. I don't know what to do.
Try answering the short answer questions at the end of the assigned chapters in your textbook. In my a&p courses we always had exam objectives but it wasn't enough just to memorize them. You had to know the big picture - how the systems worked and you had to know aspects of the system in detail. So instead of just reading you have to think critically about what you read and apply it to questions. I sometimes played around with extracurricular materials and websites but because of my schedule I rarely had time for that so I stuck with the official reading materials.
Honestly I don't know what to tell you, that hasn't already been said. You have a long road ahead of you and if you don't figure out for yourself how to study, you are going to have problems. I think you have been given some very useful advice. YOU have the power. People have pulled off A's with horrible teachers so don't feel sorry for yourself. I got an A in A &P I and it was because I was actively trying to understand everything that my teacher attempted to explain clearly.
If you haven't already done so, read the assigned material. Don't take notes, just read it. And when it starts to come together and actually make sense, go back and note the important points and how they all relate to eachother.
Wow....that thread just put a whole new spin on things. I might be having troubles w/the test/teacher, but I pre-read, do the questions, etc. all BEFORE lecture. During lecture, I'm not lost or sitting there like I've seen others w/the 'deer in the headlights' look. Even if I may not understand something in preparation for the next class, I make sure I mark it and when he goes over that portion, I pay extra attention, and if I still don't get it I ask. I've never been one to sit back and not say anything.
I was feeling :chair::imbar:sniff: earlier after reading your post about asking the prof what's on the test and being prepared for class/tests. I'd like to think that I have pretty good study habits and habits that I've learned on here prior to me returning to school that I've been implementing now. Habits that I believe (pray) will help me once in the nursing program. I probably put in 12+hrs a week (we only meet on Sat's for 4hrs) on Chemistry alone. Just so I have an understanding of what's going on. Even if the ladies in my class had not asked 'what was on the test', I would still have reviewed the same things pert. to the material he'd gone over in class, hw, etc. IF prof's/teachers decide to do a review, study guide, whatever, I do make use of that additional material. No way did I think it would be all-inclusive or verbatim. I DID expect SOMETHING from the 2 chapters we did to be on there. Nope. Nada. So, my apologies for being overly-sensitive...and if you weren't referring to me at all, I really feel like an ass!
All righty. If the study guides aren't working for you, no harm in not using them :). Pretend they don't exist and focus on the material you covered in class and in your reading. Are you in A&P? Classes like that often benefit from study groups. What you don't know, usually somebody else does. A lot of the time, someone will toss out the one piece of information that illuminates what you're not understanding--and sometimes you'll get to be that person :).
BUT, only study with people who come prepared to work; you want to cover as much material as you can with your limited time. Don't try to divvy up the work with each person only covering one area. The more you know coming in, the more you'll know going out.
Take a deep breath and relax. I used to hit the gym before class because it worked down my level of anxiety before class started. A protein and glucose snack and a big bottle of water for hydration and I was set.
I bet the author of this thread got an A. That's how these threads seem to go :bugeyes:
I wish I did get an A. I got an incredibly low score like I expected:cry: I am hoping that if I do better on the next exams I can still get an A or B.
At least now I know what to look forward to on his next exams. He is not asking for memorization but whether or not you understand the concept and can apply it. I'm not gonna give up.
:bugeyes:
sunray12
637 Posts
Try answering the short answer questions at the end of the assigned chapters in your textbook. In my a&p courses we always had exam objectives but it wasn't enough just to memorize them. You had to know the big picture - how the systems worked and you had to know aspects of the system in detail. So instead of just reading you have to think critically about what you read and apply it to questions. I sometimes played around with extracurricular materials and websites but because of my schedule I rarely had time for that so I stuck with the official reading materials.