Final Exam Success Tips

Finals Week is here. Think of a final exam as if it is a performance and exam preparation is like the rehearsal or a scrimmage. Learners need to be chasing authentic practice. We tend to grasp material better if we actively live the event. Actively living the material means connecting with the content in personal ways. Things will be confusing, demanding, and challenging, and we can fall into the trap of throwing in the towel when we don't get something right away. Excellence is achieved through being ok with knowing we have room to improve. We can all improve as we prep for finals. As you know, we typically cannot retake an exam multiple times, BUT prior to the exam we can schedule time to “rehearse” the types of questions that could be present to prime our minds. In learning, most people overemphasize cramming in a bunch of facts and under-emphasize the practice of demonstrating their knowledge through applying it. We would never go on stage having only memorized the words of the script, we would have practiced our performance multiple times, working out the rough spots, focusing on the difficult parts and striving for fluency, fluidity, and excellence...To use your time more effectively, deepen your learning through authentic practice of the tasks you will be expected to perform on your final evaluation.