Don't Work Hard for Nothing: Physics II Exam Reflection

[Winzer]

Ok so I just had a Physics II exam and didn't do the good, but the class average was a 50%.
I studied really hard for it. Then this other person who doesn't study asks me for help on stuff and doesn't even really care gets an outstanding grade. I feel like I just wasted all that time for that studying, I feel like crap

 

[Astronuc]

Do better on the next test, and don't worry about other folks. Just focus on yourself and doing your best.

Work on understanding what was missed on the recent test, and try to learn the material.

Don't give up.

 

[JasonRox]

Don't worry about anyone else. Sometimes people seem like they don't do much, but really they do a lot sometimes.

I know this bright kid and I thought he didn't work hard for his grades and once I got to know him personally, he told me he spents hours on a lot of stuff. Still a bright kid though!

 

[Huckleberry]

My advice would be to take this person up on their offer long before the next test. If this person asked for your help I would guess they deem you capable. Either that or it was a sly way to get a date. Regardless, this could be beneficial to you as well. You might even make a new friend.

 

[Moonbear]

If you studied a lot and still didn't do well, then it's time to make an appointment to talk to the professor and find out where you have missed some major concepts or if there is a more effective way to study. Your study skills may need a little refining now that you're getting into material that you can't easily grasp or remember without as much studying.

 

[turbo]

One thing that helped my test scores back in college was to make notes in my textbook during lectures. Often the prof would offer an alternative way of looking at a concept, beyond what was in the text, so that helped my understanding of new concepts. Then, when I studied for tests, I would review the notes along with the text. Often, stuff that the prof emphasized in the lectures was the basis for the tests.

If the lecture hall is large and the prof can't take questions from the class, seek him/her out after or find a teaching assistant, etc, to help clarify anything you didn't understand during the lecture. Sciences are generally taught in such a way that the subject matter builds on concepts taught in previous lectures, so if you misunderstand some basics early on, your comprehension of concepts that build on those basics will suffer. Don't wait until just before a test to bone up on difficult concepts - you've got to pin them down as they are presented, so you can build on them. Sorry if I come as preachy about this, but it worked for me. Good luck.

Another hint: the better you understand key concepts, the more confident (and happy) you will be, and you'll stop worrying about test scores.

 

[Kurdt]

Quite often themathematics is the trouble behind such a small class average. Unfortunately many physics classes are conducted when the physics students do not have the best grasp of the mathematics behind the subject. I'm not saying that is what has happened here, but it is something to think about.