In order to achieve success on finals day, it’s important to create a tailored gameplan. Sure, you can call it a “to-do list” or a checklist, if you prefer. The whole idea is that you are able to line up what you need to do in order to know you’re equipped, versus saying, “yea mom, I studied a lot” and then dropping a full letter grade on your report card; that would be no bueno.
The first step is to evaluate your classes and where you stand. If you have a 95%, 85%, or a 75%, it is unlikely that a low or high score on your final will affect your performance on your report card and actually change your grade, unless you miraculously earn a 100% or you fail with 40%. BIG ASTERISK here, however, because each teacher weights his/her finals differently. And I am certainly not saying “don’t study for finals.”
Most high school finals however, account for 25% of the total grade. This means, that for most of us, we really do need to study effectively, which means creating a tailored gameplan that will yield the results you’re looking for. And that means being smart about what you will be studying.
Start by focusing on classes that will be impacted the most by your score on your final exam. If you have a 78%, well, then, you should work your ass off to get that B-, by getting above an 80% on the final. An improvement in your final score (compared to that of your overall class average) also goes a long way with the teacher.
So you know you’re studying for a class where this final can make or break you. Now, look at your crappiest test scores from this class. Make a list of them. Then begin making flashcards for bold words, chapter review questions, and topic sentence facts. For more details on this plan, and a complimentary tailored plan just for you, contact your Study Hut.
And no mom, you can’t make these cards for me.