Hi guys…I probably shouldn’t be posting this here but idk I just feel really bad right now…
I studied for this one anatomy test for two days straight and reviewed this morning. I felt well prepared. But when I took the test, half of what was on it wasn’t anything I had studied. I made sure to review labs and extra assignments, but this was definitely not what I learned.
I panicked and I know I didn’t do well. After the test I felt like crying–tests are worth like 80% of our grade:( to make matters worse, when I got to AP lang he handed back our essays and I saw a giant REDO on the top–that means I’m rewriting the whole thing over break since it sucked so much :(
I’m sorry for venting…this morning has been rough.
Any tips on how to approach the next week? Right now I’m just feeling bad for myself which I know doesn’t help anyone. Again, sorry if this shouldn’t even be posted, but I know this community is very considerate and intelligent and was hoping someone could help me out. Thanks
Take a day off of worrying to feel better. Eat some ice cream, watch some TV, pet a dog, read a book, whatever – just do something that will improve your mood and recharge your batteries for a renewed attack on your schoolwork.
You don’t even know what you got on the anatomy test yet – stay positive! Maybe it wasn’t as bad as you thought. Besides, it’s one test, and when you get it back you can figure out where all of this extra material came from and you’ll know what to study next time.
Something else I do when I’m feeling overwhelmed is to break tasks down into chunks. I have three main assignments to do over Thanksgiving break, so I made a to-do list and did the one that would take the least time first. Now I’m working on the second-most-time-consuming assignment. I do the same thing when I’m studying. I have 8 sections to study? So Friday I’ll rewrite all my notes into a study guide, Saturday I’ll do 3 sections of reading and practice problems, Sunday another 3, Monday the last 2, Tuesday I’ll do the practice exam…et cetera. Maybe you can write two paragraphs of your essay a day, or something manageable like that.
Just calm down and take a deep breath. One test isn’t going to ruin the rest of your life. In fact, next year, you’ll probably forget that this test existed. Just make sure you’re doing well on the other tests. You can’t change the past (believe me, if there was a method, I’d take it).
Also, for the paper, I suggest working on it all week. Forget about the test, it’s already over. Nothing you can do. Revise, revise, and revise. Did your teacher tell you where you messed up? Also, get in contact with friends who got a B or up on the paper (if no one did, well… just know that you’re not alone).
@AMan26 the issue with my essay is kind of odd…my AP lang teacher thought it would be a good idea to have us write one essay last month (called an assertion journal) and grade us based on the AP Lang scale. On the first essay I got a 9, which I was super happy about–but then after he handed them back, he said in order to get 100% on the next essay we would have to match or exceed our previous score.
I got my second essay back; it was an 8.
The problem is that I don’t really know what more I could’ve done…he said to look a little deeper at this guy’s quote but I’m still confused.
(I think part of the reason I’m upset with myself is that the kid sitting next to me got a 2 on his first essay and raised it to a 3 so he got a 100% and doesn’t have to rewrite it…)
Thank you (both!) for your suggestions though!! I plan on going to my AP lang teacher at lunch to ask what I can improve and breaking everything into small, manageable parts. 