There is nothing quite like the experience of your first exam cycle in college. You approach your first big exam in college nervously, but with some confidence that the skills you learned in high school will transfer to college exams. While they might for some, I can speak from experience that most of what I did in high school did little to prepare me for my first general chemistry exam and the release of grades afterwards. Your first exam cycle is inevitably going to be hard, and while you cannot control what content is on the exam, you can control the ways in which you study for the exam, take care of yourself, and deal with everything that comes after. As a third-year student in a STEM major, I have gone through countless exam cycles, and I want to share everything that helps me not only get through it but maintain a high GPA and some degree of sanity:
1) Please, please do not wait until the last second
I know you have heard this millions of times, but that is because it’s true. Especially in STEM classes where you need to review the material you are being taught at least every week if not more. If you understand everything from the week before, you can come into lectures prepared and be able to follow along instead of wasting a period being confused. Do your practice problems, take notes, make flashcards, rewatch lectures. Do what works best for you to not only contact the material again but digest it and understand it. If you don’t cram, you get more from the lectures, more time to study, and you won’t have to lose out on sleep the night before an exam.
2) Be kind to yourself (and even get yourself a little treat)
I am no stranger to negative self-talk, I do it ALL the time. However, criticizing yourself on exam day is going to do nothing but hurt your confidence and ultimately your performance. Give yourself some room to breathe and make mistakes – just make sure you are learning from those mistakes. Also, realize how far you have come and how much work you have put into this class. Then, on exam day you deserve to treat yourself. Get your favorite coffee or take-out for dinner.
3) Find things or people that make you happy and use them on exam day
The only stressful thing on the day of your exam, if you can help it, should be the exam itself. Try to make everything else you do throughout the day as easy and enjoyable as possible. Find a routine on exam day that calms your nerves and that you can fall into every exam cycle to make the day more predictable and easier to get through. Fill your day with the people who build you up and the things that make your stress go away. This could mean a long phone call to your mom, watching an episode of your favorite show, or even letting yourself scroll on TikTok for some time. Whatever studying time you lose doing simple things like this is not going to make or break your grade, but unnecessary stress and being all over the place might.
4) Do not tell people your grade
When grades are released, there is often a frenzy among friends and group chats with people comparing grades and answers. My advice: ignore it. Avoiding telling people my grades has saved me so much extra stress throughout the years. The exam is over by this point and there is nothing you or your peers can do to change your grade. Comparing yourself to others is only going to hurt your self-esteem or someone else’s. Use your grade as a benchmark to decide if you should change your study habits or keep them the same, not to decide if you are smarter than your friends. Sharing grades creates unnecessary competition in groups of people that should only be there for support and encouragement.
I hope these four tips can help you get through your next exam cycle. I have been following this advice for the last 2+ years and they have not failed me yet, so please try them out. Also, remember that one bad grade on your very first exam in college is not going to determine your career. If you did bad, that is okay. Look at what you have been doing leading up to the test and try to identify ways you can improve to help the next test go better. Bad grades do not determine your self-worth or your intelligence. You’re so smart and capable, and I wish you the best of luck and greatest success on your next exam!