I bombed my first Physics exam...

[gladlyfocused]

...and I feel like crying 🙁. I seriously studied for this exam like the whole weekend, I have papers and papers full of examples and explanations to myself and once I hit that exam I just blanked. It didn't help that my scientific calculator quit on me right before class and I had to use a little basic calculator. I told the professor and he said to just write the equations out but it blew me off A LOT. Plus there are 10 questions, each worth 10 points; so in other words, mess up one question, you miss a whole letter grade!

I feel so extremely horrible because I cannot afford to get less than an A in this class, my future depends on it! Sorry, I just needed to let this out to someone who probably understands why this is so important. Thanks for reading...if you have any tips or advice regarding Physics, PLEASE let me know...

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[TriagePreMed]

Don't make this bigger than it is. It's just one of several exams in the class, and even if you don't make the A, it doesn't mean you're finished. I also felt extreme pressure doing most of my post-bacc because I had a low undergrad. Guess what? I got Bs in Chemistry. Ideal? No. Death sentence? Not by any means.

 

[DaPug]

Did you get your grade on it yet? Are you certain you bombed it? You're probably being hard on yourself and/or pessimistic. Look on the bright side...you know what to expect from upcoming exams and you'll make sure to check your calculator's batteries form now on! It's only the first exam, don't be so hard on yourself.

 

[Xtraordinary]

Don't worry so much yet. Wait until you get your grade and talk to your professor. Some classes curve exams so you could be lucky. Also, you should carry a new pair of batteries in your backpack just in case this happens again. In fact, it happened to me too and my calculus exam didn't go very well.

Also getting a B won't hurt if you've been getting all/most As so far. (from other medical students and pre-med advisors)

 

[Woland]

Just piping in with one more "life does not end with a poor exam grade in physics". Depending on your state, there may be a requirement that an exam grade does not exceed certain percentage of your class grade.

At any rate, you need to learn lessons on what went wrong. Because you will have exams much more important than physics midterm. To me it seems like you got unnerved by a malfucntioning calculator and then had a moment of black panic looking at the exam material.

I have to admit that I loath physics. With ever burning passion. Hated it since 7th grade when I was first introduced to the subject. I would freeze up and then spend more time being angry at (insert a random outlet for my anger) than actually thinking about the test. I carried my resentment of physics into MCAT and appropriately panicked during the 3rd or 4th passage, effectively sentensing myself to a pure guess work on the last passage. Over the years, the best solution for me was blanking out the mind for a good 10 seconds: no worries, no thoughts, no emotions. It time to learn it and be able to use it in most circumstances, but it is well worth to allow yourself to panic, then blank out and continue like nothing happened.

So, go to your school tutoring center, talk to them about learning techniques and ways that are best for you to cope with stress of examinations. It will be easier to deal with this stress as you gain more knowledge and confidence, although the difficulty and importance of exams will increase with potential of unforeseen stress (I know of people forced out of the room during MCAT with timer running, because some high-school SAT taker on the next machine was suspected of cheating). To repeat the bottom line: try to find help in learning how to learn and take exams (seems like you go the studying part down).

 

[HipChick]

I bombed my first exam... ended up with one of the highest grades in the class/on the final because I rocked the rest of the exams and labs.

talk to your prof, rework problems, go on youtube and look up examples and clarification. MIT also has a great site with help.

BREATH!!!

 

[gladlyfocused]

Thanks guys, I really needed that. I was in panic mode during the original message 🙂 Although I haven't seen my grade yet, believe me that I failed it. I'm going to get back on track with Physics but with a vengeance. I'm going to make regular trips to the tutor and the professor for help and checking online like some of you have suggested.

Thanks again!

 

[LifeTake2]

Thanks guys, I really needed that. I was in panic mode during the original message 🙂 Although I haven't seen my grade yet, believe me that I failed it. I'm going to get back on track with Physics but with a vengeance. I'm going to make regular trips to the tutor and the professor for help and checking online like some of you have suggested.

Thanks again!

Sounds like a good plan.

I can assure you this won't stop you, I was the not-so-proud recipient of a 32 on an O-Chem II exam and still got into medical school. Just don't make a habit of it and you will be fine.

 

[kayak30]

Don't worry, at least you know what to look for on your next exams (the first one is always painful). Talk to your professor and see if he/she could recommend any additional problems that are similar to what might be on the exam. I'm embarrassed to admit that I ended up with a C in Physics 1 and a B in Physics 2...these classes were just not my strongest but I've been correcting these grades with other classes. Don't stress too much, sometimes anxiety makes it worse. Oh, and I liked Physics 2 so much more, and it seems many people do as well. Study hard, and good luck

 

[Beandog]

...I ended up with a C in Physics 1 and a B in Physics 2...these classes were just not my strongest but I've been correcting these grades with other classes.

Oh, and I liked Physics 2 so much more, and it seems many people do as well. Study hard, and good luck

OP, I bombed my 1st exam in PHY101 also - and hadn't taken enough algebra in high school. Ended up pulling a C+ in 101 and a B in 102. I concur, physics 2 was just more understandable. I studied and studied harder for that C+ and B than any other 2 courses. It's not your strength - that's fine. Rock Ochem and Bio. You'll be alright

 

[Moose A Moose]

I remember when I first started undergrad I didn't do too hot on my first exam or two. I pretty much had to re-teach myself how to study from what I was doing I high school, and then it was all ice from there out. You sound like you're in a similar boat at the moment; you can't prep for the natural science exams in college via cram session over the weekend. You have to stay on top of that steed and review your notes at least every other night for an hour or two. It makes things a hell of a lot more manageable when exam time comes around. Good luck, grasshopper.