have you ever studied and studied for an exam but...

[sendwich]

not have gotten the grade you wanted? yeah, this is true for "some" classes. but i'm a physiology major (really wanting to go into medicine) but i'm not getting the grades i would like. during the test, i think i'm doing pretty well, but i'm hitting numbers like 60-75 (out of 100). i dont' know whats wrong.. maybe the way i'm studying (but i've checked these out and they dont seem to be the problem). this is a recurring problem i've noticed in my college career.

being a doctor has always been my dream but if i can't prove my mastery of material (like physiology), should i be considering other careers?

does anyone know what i'm talking about??? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />

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[lola]

It has been my experience that many people who have this problem often focus on what they know when they are studying. I had friends who would study and study but wouldn't do all that well on exams, because they forgot to ask themselves "what don't I know?" I always focused on what I didn't know, and it helped me a great deal, because those tricky concepts were what appeared on tests most often. Question things, and make sure you fully understand them rather than just memorizing them (unless, of course, it's 2 hours before the exam). Oh yeah, and if your exams are essay/short answer, never put down anything you don't know is correct. I've found that it was always better to write less that is 100% correct than to write a lot but have a glaring error in what you said. Hope this helps...

 

[wgu]

Continuous questioning is great advice, and that will apply for many careers. Here's some other tips: Make sure you're getting some sleep especially before the exam. Make sure you are gradually studying (my opinion, others argue in favor of time pressure) This will require good discipline. A couple of days before the exam (depending on how big) totally get engrossed w/ the material. Keep doing problem sets after problem sets, join study groups, draw concept maps, flashcards, etc. When taking the exam, your attitude should be aggressive yet controlled. Remind yourself that you're on an important journey and this stupid exam is the way- destroy it! Oh yeah one more note, have patience. If you don't have a good foundation in the material (say you take Orgo2 when you did horrible Orgo1) nothing is guaranteed until you master the basics.

 

[AnMD2B]

I had the same problem w/ test taking skills and the teacher noticed this. She recommeded the book called test taking skills (or something like that) anyway, the tests will NEVER get any easier. Good Luck

 

[oldman]

aren't 60s and 75s good? doesn't it depend on the class average?

most of my classes the people scored around 50% on the tests. that's why classes are curved! those profs. like to crush us like bugs with their impossible tests.

•••quote:•••Originally posted by gh:
•not have gotten the grade you wanted? yeah, this is true for "some" classes. but i'm a physiology major (really wanting to go into medicine) but i'm not getting the grades i would like. during the test, i think i'm doing pretty well, but i'm hitting numbers like 60-75 (out of 100). i dont' know whats wrong.. maybe the way i'm studying (but i've checked these out and they dont seem to be the problem). this is a recurring problem i've noticed in my college career.

being a doctor has always been my dream but if i can't prove my mastery of material (like physiology), should i be considering other careers?

does anyone know what i'm talking about??? •••••

 

[STi555]

I know what you mean. Last quarter I studied organic everyday. I studied in groups and on my own and I didn't do that great (B+, not terrible but not great). This quarter I rarely study and I have a borderline A/A-. My conclusiong is studying = bad. <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" />
Also this class is not curved. The teacher has this silly line of reasoning that for the grades to "mean something" they have to be the same from year to year, but this is kind of dumb because he changes somethings about the class every year so one year it might be easier to get certain percent than other years. The class is around 40 people so it is large enough to justify a curve.

 

[Cambrian]

yeah i know what you are talking about. For me it's the MCAT. No matter how much I study, I will never be able to pull a 40+

 

[Sonya]

performance in exams is often very unrelated to your ability to be a good physician. Yeah, i'm sure tons of people have overstudied and did awful. i've overstudied, known everything and did awful.

try to get good grades, but no, they don't reflect what sort of a doctor you'll be.

I know, if you're typically a very good student, you sometimes avoid group studying (or at least I do), but sometimes it's good.

Sonya

 

[Cobragirl]

And trust me, it doesn't get any better once you're IN medical school! Even worse, you often retake classes that you absolutely ACED in undergrad (biochem, physiology, embryology, etc) and get B's or C's this time around! Talk about shattering your ego/confidence! Get used to the frustration though...once you get in, you'll be shocked at how many people study night & day (I fit in this group), and you'll be even MORE shocked by the people that don't study at all but continually make higher grades than you. I have friends in my class that literally don't go to class for weeks at a time and still do (much)better on the tests than me (guess that proves how much of med-school IS strict memorization... )

 

[ckent]

When it comes to studying physiology, I often find it useful to make sure that I am seeing the "big picture". Physiology is one of the "nicest" sciences to study because most of it makes sense, for every action there is a reaction. I like to visualize the stuff happening in my own body as I study it too. It may be useful to look over a basic level physiology book (could be a bio book from high school, or a review book for the MCAT). Make sure that you understand what you are reading, and not just memorizing a bunch of words and trying to spit them out when it comes time to take the test. Don't give up just because you have trouble with physiology either. Non-science majors actually have an easier time getting into med school then science majors. Good luck.