What you thought was going to be smooth sailing is now over as we head into fall midterms of 2015. The two week span of incisive snacking, cramming and wasting your social life away to the late hours of the night in the library. Midterms can be scary for anyone. They are especially terrifying for those who don’t have a clue on how to study, those who suffer from test anxiety or those who have already used up all of their allotted absences before week five. Even if you are among the lucky few who don’t fall into these categories, sometimes you may study the wrong thing, miss a vital piece of information in class or second guess yourself more than you should. Unfortunately, if you have done any one of these things, you probably aren’t going to be very happy when you get your test score.
It is easy to beat yourself up, going on about how you should have gone to class or spent more time in the library. The reality is that the grade is final. It is okay to be upset that it didn’t go well, but that doesn’t mean you should beat yourself down with something you can’t change. It is not the end of the world, but it should be a wake-up call. Your overall grade hasn’t been posted yet; there is still homework to be done and quizzes to take online. So here is what you need to do in order to deal with a bad test score.
Firstly, when you get your midterm back, you should set up a time with your professor or GTF and go over the test. You might have just missed a key element or don’t completely understand the material covered in class. While meeting with them won’t change your score, it will definitely help you be more prepared for the final. Believe me your professors don’t bite, they really do want you to succeed, so don’t be afraid to use their office time to do just that.
Secondly, do the little assignments. While they might not seem like they make much of an impact, one good forum post or an extra participation point can help bring up your overall grade and can cushion you for a bad test such as this one. The assignments are much easier than a test and most often they take less time than one. Also, it is amazing how much you can use those small assignments to help you study for your tests.
Lastly, take a good look over your midterm and figure out what was the most important content to that specific professor. Was the test mostly on the things covered in their slides? Was it in the homework, readings or discussions? If you figure out what a teacher primarily gears their test towards the most, you will be able to pay more attention to that type of thing either in class or at home, which will prepare you to do better on the final.
A low test score can hurt in a lot of ways, mainly your grade, but there are many people around campus that are in the same boat as you. Next time you have a major test grab a study friend. It really helps to be able to study aloud with another person. In the end as long as you truly tried your best, there isn’t much more you can do. And even though you might have gotten a B when you wanted an A, or a C when you wanted a B, the rest of the term still matters. The fight to pass your classes is far from over so don’t get discouraged. The more intense time is yet to come so make sure to buckle down and get the help you need. The key to dealing with a bad test score is to learn from your mistakes so that can you can improve and finish the term strong.