I am currently taking a subject which has numerous small tests almost every week worth 5% each . The final exam is worth 50%. II have scored 3/5 for the previous 2 tests but 0/5 for the last one. What should i do? Will i fail this subject?
The most depressing thing was I actually knew some of the answers but had mental block during the exam due to time constraint
I would go talk to your professor about what they think. It would seem like you are not learning the material…also 3/5 seems okay but that is really a 60% which is failing.
If you knew the answers, you woudl really know the answers.
Here are some general tips on doing well:
GO TO CLASS, BUY THE BOOK, READ THE CHAPTERS, AND DO THE HOMEWORK!
Go to Professor’s office hours and Ask this question: “I know this is a really difficult class-- what are some of the common mistakes students make and how can I avoid them?”
If you have problems with the homework, go to Prof’s office hours. If they have any “help sessions” or “study sessions” or “recitations” or any thing extra, go to them.
Form a study group with other kids in your dorm/class.
Don’t do the minimum…for STEM classes do extra problems. You can buy books that just have problems for calculus or physics or whatever. Watch videos on line about the topic you are studying.
Go to the writing center if you need help with papers/math center for math problems (if they have them)
If things still are not going well, get a tutor.
Read this book: How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less by Cal Newport. It helps you with things like time management and how to figure out what to write about for a paper, etc.
If you feel you need to withdraw from a class, talk to your advisor as to which one might be the best …you may do better when you have less classes to focus on. But some classes may be pre-reqs and will mess your sequence of classes up.
For your tests, can you evaluate what went wrong? Did you never read that topic? Did you not do the homework for it? Do you kind of remember it but forgot what to do? Then next time change the way you study…there may be a study skill center at your college.
How much time outside of class do you spend studying/doing homework? It is generally expected that for each hour in class, you spend 2-3 outside doing homework. Treat this like a full time job.
At first, don’t spend too much time other things rather than school work. (sports, partying, rushing fraternities/sororities, video gaming etc etc)
If you run into any social/health/family troubles (you are sick, your parents are sick, someone died, broke up with boy/girlfriend, suddenly depressed/anxiety etcetc) then immediately go to the counseling center and talk to them. Talk to the dean of students about coordinating your classes…e.g. sometimes you can take a medical withdrawal. Or you could withdraw from a particular class to free up tim for the others.Sometimes you can take an incomplete if you are doing well and mostly finished the semester and suddenly get pneumonia/in a car accident (happened to me)…you can heal and take the final first thing the next semester. But talk to your adviser about that too.
At the beginning of the semester, read the syllabus for each class. It tells you what you will be doing and when tests/HW/papers are due. Put all of that in your calendar. The professor may remind you of things, but it is all there for you to see so take initiative and look at it.
Make sure you understand how to use your online class system…Login to it, read what there is for your classes, know how to upload assignments (if that is what the prof wants).
If you get an assignment…make sure to read the instructions and do all the tasks on the assignment. Look at the rubric and make sure you have covered everything.
If you are not sure what to do, go EARLY to the professors office hours…not the day before the assignment is due.
You might think that this is all completely obvious, but I have read many stories on this and other websites where people did not do the above and then are asking for help on academic appeal letters.
I have anxiety and low self esteem issues and the poor results this semester have exacerbated my condition. I had performed well during previous semesters and it is absolutely devastating to witness the decline in performance this semester. I am afraid this will affect my performance in future tests. Furthermore,I am currently living away from home so the absence of social support, loneliness and poor results are taking a toll on me.
Nevertheless, I will be following the tips you have written especailly points 9 and 12. I knew the answers but somehow I wasn’t able to concentate during the test due to anxiety.
If your anxiety is bad enough where you should get medical attention, then talk to your Dean of Students about possibly getting a medical withdrawal and what would need to happen for this to happen.
If you have too much anxiety to make an appointment, get a friend to help you or someone you trust…or have someone walk you to the Counseling center on campus.
I agree with the above. How bad is the anxiety? Are you having trouble performing well in all of your classes, not just this one? Is this affecting your health? Your sleep? Your social life? Your abilities to work or keep up with extracurricular commitments? If the answers to these questions are mostly “Yes,” then you would benefit from talking to the Dean of Students and getting concrete accommodations such as extensions on assignments, extra time on exams, etc.
If it isn’t quite that bad but is still troubling you, you may not need the accommodations. Or maybe you only need accommodations for this one class. But either way, it would benefit you to visit the Counseling Center. You can get tips on managing your anxiety and combating negative thoughts, as well as address the causes of the anxiety.
I agree with the above. If you feel that anxiety is taking over and beyond your control then you need to go immediately to the counseling center to be evaluated and treated. This is not an issue that can be overcome without help. It is VERY common for mental heath issues, such as out of control anxiety, to surface during the college years. You will not get accomdations until you have been evaluated and determine to have a medical issue that requires accomdations.
Regardless, you can recover. You still have seven quizes to pull up your average. It is not the end of the world but you are in serious trouble unless you can start getting higher grades. Unless the quizes are curved, 3/5 is failing.