Does anyone ace a test and then near flunk, and then ace?

[yaoming]

I am wondering if anyone experiences fluctuations like I do. On one test, i would get well above average (class average is almost always around 85 / 100), on another test, i would get average, and on another test, i would near fail. i study just as much, if not more on those that i feel iffy on, and that just happens. does that happen to anyone and do you have an explanation? what can i do to make sure to stay consistently on average or higher?

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[Iron Horse]

Lots of potential reasons for this. May be as simple as your aptitude for material varies from subject to subject. You'll learn to gauge yourself better over time, but in the meanwhile if you struggle, get help or just put more time in for those areas that you find more challenging.

 

[Finally M3]

For about a span of 3 exams during 1st year, I swore that my performance on exams was inversely proportional to the amount of time studying! I busted my ass for my cardio exam and was 1 SD below the mean....and didn't do crap for nephrology...and almost honored!

 

[yaoming]

so M3, do you have any advice?

 

[notstudying]

Originally posted by Finally M3
For about a span of 3 exams during 1st year, I swore that my performance on exams was inversely proportional to the amount of time studying! I busted my ass for my cardio exam and was 1 SD below the mean....and didn't do crap for nephrology...and almost honored!

I had the same experience-even between exams during the same course! There were a few that I knew were going to be bad (biochem, for example), but others that I was perplexed by.

Ahhh, advice. Not sure what to say, except that I'm glad we are a P/F school. Try to learn from the tests-do you do well on certain types of material, for instance? And just study hard for them all. Then relax, knowing you have done your best, and that you are at least average in the class, if not above it.

 

[Fletch_F_Fletch]

I totally agree that exam scores are inversely proportional to studying time put in.... in my Biochem I scored about 10 pts higher on our supposedly "hard" exam over lipids and mitochondria that I studied half-assed for versus the "easier" exams that I actually put in effort for. I'm passing the class easily regardless, but not honoring.

Other classes? Studied hard for Immunology, ended up with 81 in the class (slightly above average). Didn't do a damn thing for CTO bio (didn't go to one class and looked over skeleton syllabus like once) and got 88 in class (around 1 SD above average).

Still, I'm not going to give in... I think it's been a fluke so far.... I don't think it's going to work next semester with Anatomy and Physio.

 

[Hero]

in undergrad i focused on kicking ass and the results come out to what yaoming's experiencing now.

now, i'm just focusing on learning the material as well as I can.

i think when you study too hard you forget to study smart. when u focus on learning the material instead of doing well on the exam, you study smart. my school's subjects are very integrated so 'studying smart' has been a good method for me.

it's hard to describe how i do it. i'm not even sure. i usually just read over the lecture notes and barley if at all touch the books. when i read the notes, i try to think what the professor is trying to get across and really understand the important points. usually the professor can't test you on all the little details so i study the main points.

 

[runnerup]

Originally posted by Finally M3
For about a span of 3 exams during 1st year, I swore that my performance on exams was inversely proportional to the amount of time studying! I busted my ass for my cardio exam and was 1 SD below the mean....and didn't do crap for nephrology...and almost honored!

a good reason why that might happen would be simply because people study more for the cardio!!

 

[Finally M3]

Hehe...advice? Sorry, I never DID figure out how to do well consistently on exams...although I seem to retain a lot because I'm fairly good when being pimped during rotations...

I guess Hero's advice is prolly best...just try to learn as best as you can.