Test Frustration

foreverhope · Mar 3, 2004

I've been around the block more than a few times, both as a student and as a teacher. The important thing is to figure out WHY you are making bad grades and then choose your intervention based on that understanding.
For example, do you have trouble applying information to situations? Some students are great at memorizing facts, but go totally blank when they are asked to use those facts to solve a problem. If that is the case, working harder (or longer) in an attempt to memorize more facts will not help you: you would need to study problem-solving strategies in order to improve your grades.
Do you have trouble deciding which aspect of the course material is the most important? Do you waste time studying a lot of things that aren't on the test and find things on the test that you didn't study? If that is the case, you need to improve your communication with the instructor early in the class to get a better sense of the course objects and the priorities of the instructor.
Do you have trouble understanding the meaning of some of the course material? That's another possible problem. If that is the case, you might benefit by forming a discussion/study group that would meet regularly to review the content, clarify anything that is not clear, discuss it's significance, and discuss how it fits in with the rest of the program content.
etc. etc. etc. You need a good diagnosis of your problem before you can solve it.
Do grades matter? Yes and No. Most people (even very successful ones) get a few bad grades. Those who ultimately succeed in life learn from those "mistakes," and move on. So, don't let a couple of poor grades get you too upset. However, you do need to learn from those mistakes and work on improving your performance. People who are content with always getting low grades are not aiming high enough. Eventually, those "low aspirations" can catch up to them. Some employers view the PATTERN of academic performance as being indicative of a person's abililty to learn and willingness to work hard to perform at a high level of achievement. Being content with mediocre is not a good reputation to develop. But it is usually the repeated pattern of behavior that counts, not one or two bad grades.
Good luck,
llg

Yes I do seem to have more trouble this semester figuring out what I should study or spend more time on. For this last test I chose to focus on respiratory for the majority of the time and then missed quite a few periop. questions. I thought I understood it better than I did. Thats a mistake I will try not to make again!!

Sheri257 · Mar 3, 2004

Meanwhile, you are now going on my "ignore" list. I have better things to do than to tilt at windmills.

You know, Chris. I ignored your conscending remarks and simply tried to explain my position. I only asked that you try to understand my frustration.

If this is your response, then I am more than happy to be on your ignore list.

I won't miss your condescending remarks. Not to mention bringing up months old threads that are not only irrelevant, but were mostly settled through PM.

I guess you didn't actually read the grades thread either. As I posted at the time, the study in question is now being redone since the methodology was flawed. The authors now say their original "grades don't matter" conclusion is wrong.