As the school year comes to an end, end of year finals are approaching. Normally, finals would be on the same week the last day of school is on, but with construction happening at Delta High, students are expecting finals to be one week earlier. What do earlier exam dates mean for students and teachers?
With exams, most students prepare by studying their notes on the subject, while others don’t study at all. Studying before finals does have its benefits. According to UNIS Hanoi, studying for exams gives students a higher chance of success, better memorization skills, reduced stress levels, and better time management skills. Although it isn’t required to study up, it’s best to review past information in order to get a clear idea of what might be on the exam.
What are some good tips for studying? Great tips include: creating a study schedule of all the topics that need to be covered, summarizing notes, creating flashcards, taking or creating practice tests, and most importantly, staying organized.
“My plan was to use Quizlet, flashcards, and also watch short video essays. Having something playing in the background about what you’re studying, like a podcast or a video can help someone absorb the information more”, said DHS sophomore Shelby Pride.
Some teachers are helping students by creating review activities over past and recently learned material for their classes. For example, Delta High School History teacher Tonya MacKendrick made review assignments as well as activities for her APUSH classes so students can grasp the material.
Many students also take AP final exams. During May 6th-May 17th, exams for AP US History, AP Environmental Science, AP Physics, and other AP classes will take place. With AP exams, in order to pass, one must get a cumulative score of 3 on their exam. Anything below a three won’t affect a student’s GPA, but they will not receive college credit for the course.
Students taking AP exams during this time are expected to bring their supplies for their required exams, such as school issued chromebooks and arrive at their testing locations in time. The LDS Church across the street and the old band room at Delta Middle School are two locations where testing will take place. Students are expected to have their own transportation arriving to their testing sites and for morning students, to return back to Delta High.
Although all students need to take their final exams in order to pass their classes, teachers need to take the time to grade hundreds of tests.
English teacher Laurie Ranum’s Pre-AP classes have a presentation as their final, and she has an idea on how to grade students’ projects.
“I’ve read all the drafts of the song paragraphs so I already have in my mind kind of where students’ projects are in the draft stage. I also have the students turn it in before finals day so I at least can get a few days head start of getting some of it done”, said Ranum.
Finals are approaching quickly and the end of the school year is closer than ever. Prepare by studying, reviewing all material, and having a clear mindset before exams.
