Done if not Almost Done Exams!

For some of us, this week will be a wrap. For others, there is still the last lap!

This week, I’d like to talk about debriefing. We have talked about the exam you feel you may have messed up on: https://www.stevevogel.net/exam-week-survival-part-3-keeping-up-the-pace/

Whether you have aced an exam or not done as well as you would have liked, there are three key steps that will improve your long-term academic outcome.

First, right after the exam, look up the answers, where possible. Congratulate yourself for where you did well, and note and repeat to yourself the correct answer. When you start beating yourself up for what you missed, take a breath and stop it.

Next, take advantage of class or school resources. We’ve already mentioned checking the scoring or grading and the posting of your mark. Sometimes, mistakes happen! If you got a 54, and it is posted as a 94, I will leave it to you what to do about that. If you got a 94 and it is posted as a 54, I don’t have to tell you what to do. The subtler points are where you have a combined mark made up of several items–make sure all of your work got credited, even make sure you handed everything in, make sure the averaging and weighting math is correct.

Finally, if you have a chance to go over your paper with the instructor, do so. Ask for an appointment virtually or otherwise. Two things here: you will know for another time what strategies work and you will gain practice in self-advocacy.

NOW, when that is all done–you can party hearty. (But be safe.)

As always please feel free to contact me at [email protected]