flunking an exam you studied for--how to pick up pieces

[1edyfirel]

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hey guys--so I'm in orgo 1. We just had our midterm. I studied like crazy, worked a million problems--and got a 91/200. I haven't actually seen the exam; my TF just sent along our grades. Our class median was a 74% or so.

The thing is, I felt comfortable with the material. I felt capable. I got a B on our first exam (in line with class median), I do check my problem set answers with other students, but I do the work on my own each week (and always do well). I just don't get it. I made an appt with my TF to go over the exam and also contacted the prof to talk to him. I'm obviously not getting something . . . This is the most awful thing about it, you know--it just feels like it came out of nowhere, and literally I was shaking after I saw my score.

I guess I'm wondering if any of you have been in this position. I'm a nontrad in a post-bac premed program and people here hold their (grade)cards pretty close to their chest, so it doesn't feel easy for me to talk with others here about this. If this has happened to you, what did you do after? How did you pick up the pieces? I've done well on everything else in the class, so my grade is still salvageable--assuming this doesn't happen again. Would appreciate any and all words of wisdom. Thanks.

 

[bmarms]

you need to think about why this happened. i know for me my orgo problems had less to do with the material- sitting in my pjs in my room, working problems i was fine- and more to do with testing anxiety. if this might be the case for you, i'd suggest making an appointment with your school's counseling center. they'll tell you things you already know and probably tricks (deep breathing, etc.) that you also already know. but it's nice to acknolwedge the problem and create an active plan for dealing with it.

 

[ADeadLois]

You need to change your study method. It's easy to fall into the trap of using the same method that you previously and just increasing the amount of study time. This rarely works. Ask the TA or the prof about the best ways to go about learning the material.

 

[Thurinus]

hey guys--so I'm in orgo 1. We just had our midterm. I studied like crazy, worked a million problems--and got a 91/200. I haven't actually seen the exam; my TF just sent along our grades. Our class median was a 74% or so.

The thing is, I felt comfortable with the material. I felt capable. I got a B on our first exam (in line with class median), I do check my problem set answers with other students, but I do the work on my own each week (and always do well). I just don't get it. I made an appt with my TF to go over the exam and also contacted the prof to talk to him. I'm obviously not getting something . . . This is the most awful thing about it, you know--it just feels like it came out of nowhere, and literally I was shaking after I saw my score.

I guess I'm wondering if any of you have been in this position. I'm a nontrad in a post-bac premed program and people here hold their (grade)cards pretty close to their chest, so it doesn't feel easy for me to talk with others here about this. If this has happened to you, what did you do after? How did you pick up the pieces? I've done well on everything else in the class, so my grade is still salvageable--assuming this doesn't happen again. Would appreciate any and all words of wisdom. Thanks.

I know what that feels like. In similar experiences I have tried to use all my resources to do better on the next exam the most important of which was visiting my professor during office hours to review my exam. I believe that you've made an excellent choice in taking the initiative to contact someone for this sort of review. The thing is to not let this experience perturb you from studying just as hard for the next exam. The key, however, is to find a method of studying that suits you the most so the time you do spend studying is spent most effectively.

 

[Sir Buckethead]

Orgo can be tricky but it's manageable. A lot of people (myself included) originally have no idea how theyre going to survive the year but then put together a study program that works and it's smooth sailing. You just need to find that program.

I would suggest you concentrate on doing more problems but you already said that's how you studied. Whats up then? Was the test heavy on conceptual questions? Do you understand why you got the questions you did wrong? It's worrisome that this was the second test because you should have a good idea of how your prof tests after the first.

 

[foster033]

The same thing just happened to me, only it's slightly worse since I've already taken OChem before and should know better 😀

My prof is seriously insane, he gives no partial credit on anything, so if you mess up part a on a 30 point multistep/part question, but get the rest of it right for what you put down in part a, it doesn't matter. Everything is still wrong and you get 0 points. I personally think this ridiculous. Because of this most people's grades do not reflect their understanding of the material.

You are only responsible for material covered in lecture (he posts his notes online, but they are a mess). For the test I completely messed up on(I consider it failing but in his weird grading system it's somehow a C-), I made the mistake of reading the book and doing all the problems in the chapter. This time I sucked it up and went through his notes, even though it took me longer than just reading the book. I found out what was important to him, not what was stressed in the book.

Every professor has their own idiosyncrasies, find out what is unique to his class, what types of reactions he values, do you need to show deprotonization, a rearrangement step, etc. A lot of times it isn't necessarily about understanding the material as much as it is being able to reproduce it in a manner the professor likes, which is really quite sad.

Do you have access to old test or homework problems w/keys he has written? This has helped me a lot. Also I started making flashcards for the reactions, which for some reason I had never thought of before. I carry them around with me everywhere I go. If I have 30 seconds free I look at a flashcard...it has really helped a lot.

 

[chizledfrmstone]

Every professor has their own idiosyncrasies, find out what is unique to his class, what types of reactions he values, do you need to show deprotonization, a rearrangement step, etc. A lot of times it isn't necessarily about understanding the material as much as it is being able to reproduce it in a manner the professor likes, which is really quite sad.

Do you have access to old test or homework problems w/keys he has written? This has helped me a lot. Also I started making flashcards for the reactions, which for some reason I had never thought of before. I carry them around with me everywhere I go. If I have 30 seconds free I look at a flashcard...it has really helped a lot.

Took the words right out of my mouth!

 

[ruraldr]

I found reviewing with a study group to be helpful--often as we explained things to each other we would catch each other's errors. Sometimes working through problems can become mind-numbing, so it is nice to discuss big trends/concepts with a group.

We would usually get together once every other week or so to review and then usually discuss/review the practice test together.