anyone had to ace the Final Exam to make up for previous lackluster grades?

[lightthecandle]

I'm in the predicament of trying to get a B in my physics class for the semester. I only need at least a 75 to get a B in the class. I'm kind of having doubts of my abilities since I scored a 56 on the both exams I and II. Now, If i don't get at least a 75 on the final,I can kiss my B for the class goodbye.


do any of you guys have stories of having to ace the final, in order to do squeak by the final grade?

I guess I'm just lacking in motivation right now. I think I need a slap in the face.

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[silverlining1]

I had a similar situation - my first quarter of chemistry, I was quite a bit below the mean on the first test, and slightly below the mean on the second. I never found out what I got on the final, but I managed to get an A in the class.

YOU CAN DO IT! ROCK THAT FINAL!

 

[Bacchus]

You're definitely not the only one. I've come to the conclusion that pchem has owned me over and over. Sometimes its better to just give in 😉.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Yeah Ive had quite a few grades come down to the final. I dont find it hard to convince myself to study my butt off though, its the last week of school and knowing you have a month of vacation is great. So just study as hard as possible and whatever happens happens.

 

[jr doctor in sd]

Got 20 points below the curve on my last ochem test...and about 10 below the first test.

Im there feeling your pain...in the library as we speak about to crack open the book...if u put in 2 hrs/day at least till the final (same with me) then you'll rock it! 👍 hopefully

 

[TexasTriathlete]

In cell bio, I had to get over 100 on the final to get an A in the class, and luckily, there was an extra credit question on it. I owned it. Got everything right including the extra credit, and got my A.

If you will it, it is no dream.

 

[bioteach]

I did that way too many times. Especially early-on when I was still figuring out how much I needed to study for my science classes.

Its RARE. I'm a college bio prof and most of my C/D students are currently busy calculating what type of A they need to get to get a B in the class. It rarely happens. But...its not impossible. I've seen it and I've done it. Its possible for the slacker-types (or the unusually busy) that are capable of high grades, just don't typically put enough time into the first set of exams. However, not everyone can understand the material enough to ever get an A on a test.

You can do it. Just work really hard (and smart) to prepare for the final. Don't pull an all-nighter, just start studying every day up until test day.

 

[bigDee]

What do you mean its rare? What is rare?

 

[bioteach]

What do you mean its rare? What is rare?

Umm... getting a high grade on a final after consistently low ones. I thought I said that in my original post. As I mentioned, I am a college bio prof switching up careers and applying to med school this year. I have taught many many biology courses over the years and very rarely do I see a massive jump from pre-final exam scores to the final exam score. I think my sample size is decent as I typically have 200+ students a semester and have been teaching for several years. It is not impossible and students sometimes pull it off but most do not.

 

[tmac11]

You can definitely do it. I had to get at least an 88 on both my Ochem final and Physics final this past quarter to get A's in both classes, and it worked out. Knowing that some other pre-med is out there and already studying harder than me gave me enough motivation. Your best bet is to study a couple hours every day until the final. If you put in that work, you will be good come finals time. 👍

 

[bigDee]

I thought I said that in my original post. .

You did not say it in a complete sentence so you were not clear.

 

[bioteach]

You did not say it in a complete sentence so you were not clear.

Sorry about that.

 

[154465]

Intro bio was set up so that you had the fourth semester exam on the same day as the cumulative final, about 10 minutes apart. The final was optional and could be used to replace a previous exam. I could have missed 1/50 on both exams to get an A. I studied my ass off and pulled it off.

 

[Quix]

Organic "Voodoo Witchcraft" Chemistry I & II.

 

[onslaught61]

i ended up with the exact percentage I needed to get an A for gchem. several other classes i couldn't miss a single question to get an A on the final, but luck was on my side and i managed to pull it off. it's possible, just never stop trying until it's actually over.

 

[st3ady]

i am in the exact same situation as the original poster! Physics 1 is making me nuts, hopefully my high lab grade will guarantee the B, but I will go all out for my final!
Also, biology 1 is giving me a rough time, did well on the first exam, 88, but recently took the 2nd exam and think i bombed it 🙁 Also, my lab grades are not that great. Will have to crush the final in order to guarantee the B!
Good luck everyone !!!!

 

[intuition]

same here!!

good luck everyone! I've done the same before, and pulled off an A 🙂

 

[futuredrcrawfor]

I am entering my last 2 organic test (organic 2)(one general and a final only a week apart!) and I am sitting with an 89.5 in the class. So I need A's on those test.. however, the prof said he has curved before but "won't guarantee a curve"

hopefully I can pull it off- I am done with all my other classes- well I gotta show up for one with an attendance policy... and those are A's so all my attention is now focused on acing Organic Chemistry 2!!!

 

[shevie]

I dont think youll ever find a more extreme example than me...

I dont know if this can give you "hope" or anything - but...

Orgo I :

(note lab was 20% of grade, recitation "homework" problems 5%)

44% (UNCURVED) on first exam, 69% on second (at least i PASSED), 79 on third....I worked my a$$ off and ended up with a 101 on the final and earned a B in the class.

so it can be done!! GOOD LUCK whatever you choose to do! 🙂

 

[GunitBalla187]

orgo...

i remember in orgo 1 when i got a 98 and 100 on the first 2 tests, and actually missed the 3rd because i woke up late and got a 96 on the final

ended up just getting an A

Statistically, of course it is possible
Theoretically, it is improbable unless you drastically change your study habits over the course of a couple of weeks.

 

[sunsfan]

Sure, you can do it. It's not yet too late.
After 61% in one exam I needed higher than 95% (i think) in the Finals to get an A. Impossible, right?
I never saw my test result but the teacher's assistant told me I got 100%. I didn't believe it until I saw the A on my transcript.
You can still turn it around! You got 3 weeks before your finals, right?
Start studying now. Best of luck!
Oh, you'll be soooo happy when the grade comes.... 👍

 

[45408]

Yeah, in organic 2, we had a really tough final, so our professor said he'd give us the grade we had on the final if it was higher than our grade up to that point (but not more than a letter grade). I had a B- going into the final, and got the sixth highest score on the final to get an A-.

 

[chebella7604]

I'm in the same boat with biochem. I got a 48, 68, and 76 on the first three tests. I have to ace the last one if I want my B... but I am on an upswing as far as test grade trend goes...

 

[Bacchus]

i ended up with the exact percentage I needed to get an A for gchem. several other classes i couldn't miss a single question to get an A on the final, but luck was on my side and i managed to pull it off. it's possible, just never stop trying until it's actually over.

Agreed. I was doing "horribly" in calc II with an 88 and 80 on exams. I cranked out a 102 on the third exam with a 98 on the final. 92.5, A. However, the reverse happened in Calc III. I got just enough points to get said 92.5. Even a 1/4 point less and I would have been destroyed.

 

[SpartanBlueJay2]

This situation pretty much describes what I had to do in almost every single one of my classes during first semester freshman year. Going into finals, I had a C in physics, a D in chem, and a C in calc. With a lot of hard work, I aced all 3 finals and ended up with an A in physics, a B in chem, and an A in calc.

 

[Jacks Mannequin]

story of my life.

 

[darkelven29]

for my general bio I got 78% and 84% for first two midterms.... which would put me in the B range, then on my final I got a 94%. Since it weighed 50% of the total grade while the midterms were each 20% and 10% homework, I got an A in the class at the end.

 

[Samus Aran]

i had to get a 98% on my calc final to get an a in the class and miraculously i was able to pull it off.

edit: in freshman chemistry i had to get an a on the final to get a b in the class. that didn't happen, so i ended up w/a c+. but hey, i still got into med school!

 

[Quix]

Jebus bless the ACS exam.

 

[aaj117]

i am in the same position in biochem right now; she doesn't curve the class, so it's pretty easy to figure out what i'll need on my last in-class exam (next tuesday) and my final exam to make up for the last two exams. And essentially i need an A- on one and an A on the other to get a B+. As long as i get over a B i'll be happy. Silly interviewing season along with working full time has given me very little time to study and made me miss some classes. Plus, my professor is terrible and writes lousy exams that don't really test our understandign of the material. that is going to be my only challenge, as i understand all of the material and should be able to do well on this last exam, but can't predict which useless information of the five chapters she expects us to memorize word for word she'll test.

 

[osumc2014]

Been there, done that, I pretty much failed all of my physics series midterms. When it seemed impossible to get an A in the class, I aced my final three times to get As in physics. My only motivation was not wanting to get anything less than an A in a basic sciences class. Good luck and tell us how you do!