Could Really Use Some Guidance.. Not Sure Where I Go Wrong

[IAmAbsolute]

Hi, I am currently a first year student enrolled in Medical Sciences at UWO. The midterm season recently passed, and I am just so confused as to how I performed so poorly... I would really appreciate any advice.. 

 

For my applied math/biocalculus class,

 

I went to every class

I took excellent notes every class

I kept up with ALL of the homework, did every question, even made small summary sheets for each textbook section

I kept a notebook with all of the hard questions I had gotten wrong initially, and redid them at the end of each week

I went to the help centre when I did not understand a question, and made sure I understood it afterwards

I did all of the online assignments, and got 100% on all of them

 

When it came to the week before the test,

 

I redid all of the hard questions. Reread every chapter. Read over all of my notes and summaries. Did 2 practice exams from the two previous years and did well on them. 

 

YET, I got an 82% on the exam...

I know to some people this is a good mark, and I agree, but to study so diligently and keep up so well during the year and STILL not get the mark I feel I should have gotten .. its discouraging

 

What makes it worse is that my buddy, a guy who is generally really smart, got a 96% on the exam. He did not do ANY of the homework for the ENTIRE course, did not look at the textbook (which I might add is essential as it has questions that directly pertain to the topics we learn). He only read his notes. What is even worse is that he would miss class and then copy his own notes from MY class notes.. yet 96%. 

 

On top of this, the class average for the test was a 77%!! The entire class did well indicating it was a good exam. Yet, my grade was only slightly above this average ... yet I feel like I knew the material so well. I understood the material so well that I could teach other people it, including my friend who got 96%. And i know it was not a fluke for my friend, he consistently obtains grades similar to this. 

 

My question is, what am I doing wrong? I just have absolutely no clue.. and to see others do much better without nearly as much effort, and to see that the exam was considered "easy" compared to previous years .. I just don't get it. Any advice? 

[bob12345]

I'd recommend not reading the textbook at all. Just memorize the notes, as this is what most profs test on. Reading the textbook just fills your mind with useless information and decreases your mark.

[m_jacob_45]

Hi, I am currently a first year student enrolled in Medical Sciences at UWO. The midterm season recently passed, and I am just so confused as to how I performed so poorly... I would really appreciate any advice.. 

 

For my applied math/biocalculus class,

 

I went to every class

I took excellent notes every class

I kept up with ALL of the homework, did every question, even made small summary sheets for each textbook section

I kept a notebook with all of the hard questions I had gotten wrong initially, and redid them at the end of each week

I went to the help centre when I did not understand a question, and made sure I understood it afterwards

I did all of the online assignments, and got 100% on all of them

 

When it came to the week before the test,

 

I redid all of the hard questions. Reread every chapter. Read over all of my notes and summaries. Did 2 practice exams from the two previous years and did well on them. 

 

YET, I got an 82% on the exam...

 

I know to some people this is a good mark, and I agree, but to study so diligently and keep up so well during the year and STILL not get the mark I feel I should have gotten .. its discouraging

 

What makes it worse is that my buddy, a guy who is generally really smart, got a 96% on the exam. He did not do ANY of the homework for the ENTIRE course, did not look at the textbook (which I might add is essential as it has questions that directly pertain to the topics we learn). He only read his notes. What is even worse is that he would miss class and then copy his own notes from MY class notes.. yet 96%. 

 

On top of this, the class average for the test was a 77%!! The entire class did well indicating it was a good exam. Yet, my grade was only slightly above this average ... yet I feel like I knew the material so well. I understood the material so well that I could teach other people it, including my friend who got 96%. And i know it was not a fluke for my friend, he consistently obtains grades similar to this. 

 

My question is, what am I doing wrong? I just have absolutely no clue.. and to see others do much better without nearly as much effort, and to see that the exam was considered "easy" compared to previous years .. I just don't get it. Any advice? 

 

82 is legitimately a good mark for a first year class and will not set you back at all. My advice would be to look back at what you did to prepare and see if you were using your time best (i.e. did you do things that turned out not to help you on the exam?) Some profs barely use the textbook. If that is that case for this class, consider focusing on it less. Also, definitely ask to see your exam so that you know if there is a pattern/particular area that you lost your marks in. Overall, good job, and just try to refine how you spend your time. Keep in mind that most exams are designed so that it's easy to get 60, if you put in a good effort you can get 75, and if you study really hard you can get 80+. So the class average of 77 vs. your 82 may be reflecting that. Not all questions are created equal. Good luck! 

[zaxop]

You seem like you've been super responsible and proactive in terms of study habits, and you should give yourself credit for that- it takes some people well into their 3rd/4th year to develop study habits like that. And, to echo what others have said, an 82 is a really strong grade in any first-year course, let alone an applied math course. Still, it's definitely disappointing when your grade doesn't match your goals. Few questions for you to think about:

• How have your marks been in other classes? Maybe there's something about calculus that just isn't jiving with you. However, if this is indicative of a more general pattern throughout your courses, you may want to look into revamping your studying and test prep strategies. In any event, it may be worth debriefing this with someone who's knowledgeable about this sort of thing: https://www.uwo.ca/sdc/learning/peer_assisted_learning/index.html
• Following from that, do you get really anxious/stressed before tests? That can be a significant detriment to performance, but there are lots of simple strategies to help mitigate test anxiety.
• Where/what are your actual errors? The great thing about math-based courses is that it's possible to go through the problems step by step and figure out exactly where your errors in judgement are, which can help you understand the logic behind those mistakes and prevent you from making similar ones in the future. Ask your TA/prof to go through your test with you to help see where those mistakes are.
• We all have off days sometimes! There are lots of factors that might have affected your performance on this exam and it's totally possible this was just a fluke. Again, look over your exam to understand what those mistakes were and why they happened. It might have been something as dumb as dropping a negative sign or misplacing a decimal. If you've been getting 100% on all the online assignments, I'm willing to bet there aren't huge gaps in your understanding of the material.
• Do you think you'd be as upset about your grade if your friend hadn't done as well as he had? I know it's frustrating and disillusioning, especially because he used your notes to help him get that grade. My advice is to put some metaphorical horse blinders on yourself and focus on doing as well as you can, and try not to get caught up in comparing yourself to your peers- comparing your "behind the scenes" to everyone else's highlight reel, etc. Take it from someone in 4th year- in general, the first years who breeze through tests/exams on raw ability (and/or luck) have a much tougher time in upper years, while the people who have been cultivating good study habits and time management skills are in a much better position when the material becomes more demanding. I know that doesn't make this particular experience any less frustrating/disappointing- just something to think about.

It sounds like you put a hell of a lot of effort into studying for this test, and it sucks that it didn't pay off the way you hoped it would. But in response to your original question, it's entirely possible you haven't done anything "wrong" per se...until you look over the exam it's hard to know what advice to give. Try to remember that undergrad is a marathon, not a sprint, and that while an 82 is disappointing, it's still an objectively good grade that won't set you back. Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have any questions!

[Meridian]

It is a math exam.  It is not subjectively marked like an English paper.   It should be straight forward to review the exam and identify where you lost marks.  Categorize them ---  careless calculation errors, mis-interpret the question, trick question, did not understand a concept. ran out of time,

 

Once you categorize your errors,  you may be able to see a trend to adjust.  It may be as much about test management than learning the material.   Maybe you should have got a good nights sleep before the exam instead of studying til 4AM.

 

Take a breath - you have a long way to go. An 82 on a single midterm is a fine mark.  Don't burn out in first year.

[IAmAbsolute]

You seem like you've been super responsible and proactive in terms of study habits, and you should give yourself credit for that- it takes some people well into their 3rd/4th year to develop study habits like that. And, to echo what others have said, an 82 is a really strong grade in any first-year course, let alone an applied math course. Still, it's definitely disappointing when your grade doesn't match your goals. Few questions for you to think about:

• How have your marks been in other classes? Maybe there's something about calculus that just isn't jiving with you. However, if this is indicative of a more general pattern throughout your courses, you may want to look into revamping your studying and test prep strategies. In any event, it may be worth debriefing this with someone who's knowledgeable about this sort of thing: https://www.uwo.ca/sdc/learning/peer_assisted_learning/index.html
• Following from that, do you get really anxious/stressed before tests? That can be a significant detriment to performance, but there are lots of simple strategies to help mitigate test anxiety.
• Where/what are your actual errors? The great thing about math-based courses is that it's possible to go through the problems step by step and figure out exactly where your errors in judgement are, which can help you understand the logic behind those mistakes and prevent you from making similar ones in the future. Ask your TA/prof to go through your test with you to help see where those mistakes are.
• We all have off days sometimes! There are lots of factors that might have affected your performance on this exam and it's totally possible this was just a fluke. Again, look over your exam to understand what those mistakes were and why they happened. It might have been something as dumb as dropping a negative sign or misplacing a decimal. If you've been getting 100% on all the online assignments, I'm willing to bet there aren't huge gaps in your understanding of the material.
• Do you think you'd be as upset about your grade if your friend hadn't done as well as he had? I know it's frustrating and disillusioning, especially because he used your notes to help him get that grade. My advice is to put some metaphorical horse blinders on yourself and focus on doing as well as you can, and try not to get caught up in comparing yourself to your peers- comparing your "behind the scenes" to everyone else's highlight reel, etc. Take it from someone in 4th year- in general, the first years who breeze through tests/exams on raw ability (and/or luck) have a much tougher time in upper years, while the people who have been cultivating good study habits and time management skills are in a much better position when the material becomes more demanding. I know that doesn't make this particular experience any less frustrating/disappointing- just something to think about.

It sounds like you put a hell of a lot of effort into studying for this test, and it sucks that it didn't pay off the way you hoped it would. But in response to your original question, it's entirely possible you haven't done anything "wrong" per se...until you look over the exam it's hard to know what advice to give. Try to remember that undergrad is a marathon, not a sprint, and that while an 82 is disappointing, it's still an objectively good grade that won't set you back. Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have any questions!

Thank you so much, this is probably the best advice I've heard all year - I feel like everything you've said applies to me. I definitely can see a pattern in my calculus-based class marks such as physics and applied math.. I generally tend to do better in courses such as bio, chem, psych, etc which is why I likely will not take any core math/physics courses in 2nd year. And I have scheduled to view my exam with a TA so I can see where my problems lie, even if they are flukes. Also, I do understand that this might have been an off day.. I could have gotten a bit more sleep considering it was a morning exam. Your last point is also REALLY encouraging, as I know some content in first year courses is similar to that of high school courses which allows some students to do well with raw ability/luck. Once again, thanks so much for the advice.. I had no idea how knowledgeable users on this forum are as this was my first post. I really appreciate the advice.

[Done]

Get a tutor to raise your marks. Understand the lectures, I mean really know the topics inside out.