Kevin Moye
The libraries are full, anxiety is tangible in most halls, and there is always a line at Port City Java or Starbucks. All of this can only mean one thing: exams are finally here. Ah yes, the season of first exams is finally upon us. These are the exams that can act as a predictor for our continued performance in class.
Often times the material covered in these exams is review from prerequisite classes. This is particularly true for courses in your major where the class depends on you already having a foundation of knowledge on old material.
First exams normally play the role of a support system for our overall grade in the course because of the review content. Professors will usually insert material that is easy enough for us to get back into the swing of taking tests, but difficult enough to still require copious amounts of studying.
For any freshmen who are now being inundated with their first exams, welcome. The most important piece of advice I can bestow upon you is to remember that you are no longer in high school. In high school, it was commonplace for the top students to coast by with minimal studying, if any. Attempting such a study method, or lack of one, will result in a prompt wake-up call via depressing grades.
First exams are the second-most important exams in a semester, only succeeded by the dreaded final exams. Your first exam is crucial because it sets the bar of expectation in the class for the rest of the semester.
If your first exam is unequivocally an “L,” then it’s time to take a lengthy look at your continued presence in the course. Withdrawing from a class may have negative connotations to it, but it could be the most logical option to salvage your GPA. Withdrawing does not have to be the only option, though.
For those taking intro courses, the tutorial center can become an invaluable resource. The tutorial center offers students the ability to receive on-the-spot help and one-on-one tutoring sessions with a student who received high marks in the respective course.
During test time, the library can become a sanctuary for learning. My go to spot, the book stacks of D.H. Hill, provides a quietness that is nearly impossible to replicate at other spots on campus. The library also provides study rooms that can be reserved in advance. These rooms are very beneficial when forming study groups to prepare for tests. Once you hit the breaking point while studying, you can always grab a scoop of Howling Cow at the Creamery to provide a brief moment of solace.
A criminally undervalued approach to understanding course content is attending office hours. The thought of being in an empty room, alone with your professor may seem daunting, but it is substantially less awkward than being handed another abysmal exam score. The professor will be able to provide you with an expert explanation of whatever you may want to discuss. You are given a better understanding of the material, and the professor finally gets to make use of their office hour time—everybody comes out a winner.
As a student well-versed in the art of handling “L”s, a personal tip of mine is to produce an autopsy report of what went wrong with this exam. Be brutally honest with yourself during the creation of this. Did you neglect to pay attention to the professor in class? Have you been getting a sufficient amount of sleep in the week? Were you at one too many parties as opposed to studying? Asking these questions and then finding the appropriate solutions to them will assist you tremendously in preventing future exam catastrophes.
In the event of your first exam—or semester-long exam total—tanking your grade in the class, there is a way to remedy the GPA situation: grade exclusions. Students get two possible grade exclusions in their tenure at NC State. A grade exclusion will nullify the grade received in a class, allowing you to retake the course or to satisfy your degree audit with an alternative course.
Now, if you absolutely finessed this first exam, then you are sitting in a relatively comfortable position. Presumably, those that perform exceedingly well on the first exam have developed an effective method of studying for their class. This studying tactic should aid you through the rest of the course, with some tweaks along the way.
Do not let the stellar performance on the test give you an over-inflated sense of self. As a wise hip-hop artist once said, “be humble.” Attend lectures, prodigiously study, complete homework and you should continue to have success in your course(s).
I wish you the best of luck in these first exam endeavors. Just keep hitting the books, Chegg or whatever else you use and exams will be over before you know it. Once you do receive the score for your exam(s), check to see if the bell tower tolls for thee; your GPA will thank you for it.