Finals are over. Grades are posted.
Please make sure to check your grades and if you have any questions, please let me know. The overall performance was good this semester. Some of you guys have done and excellent job. Please keep up the good work.

Nothing compares to getting the most notorious exam back, labeled with a big “A+” brilliantly displayed on the top corner. How would you like to get that feeling after every test?
Study, if you need to, before the test. Don’t put it off until the last minute. If you hold off until the night before or, even worse, that morning, you’re less likely to retain all of the material because of stress. However, some students believe that the more recently that you memorize information, the easier it is to remember. If that is the case for you, the best time to study for your test might be the night before. Just maintain a relaxed and light mood, then you won’t feel stressed.
2Pay attention in class. Paying attention to the teacher will improve your understanding and you can ask clear questions you may have during the lesson.
3Do all practice questions: Some may be assigned or in the textbook or on the textbook website and the teacher may use them for his/her test.
4Prepare for pop quizzes. Read the material (even though you may not want to) for 15 minutes every night – just in case.
5Try to get work done in class. If you have any questions after you finished your work, you can ask the teacher there instead of getting to school early the next day.
6Take notes on the material. Focus on concepts, definitions, and formulas that you think will be on the test.
7Ask your teacher for help. Do this both before and during the exam. Ask before the exam what you should focus on while studying. Perhaps he or she will give you a study packet. Or, during the exam if you don’t understand a question in the test, ask your teacher to clarify.
8Take deep breaths while you’re taking the test. Stay calm and pace yourself. When you’re relaxed and when you sit up straight, you can remember things more easily. Also, your brain needs blood to think – occasional deep breaths will oxygenate your blood more completely.
9Change the test order if needed. You don’t have to do the test in the order it is written. Work easy problems first to build your confidence and calm yourself down. When coming back to the tough questions, you will know you have at least made a decent grade, and you know how long you have left.
10Have your test-taking materials ready. You’re already nervous, so the last thing you want to do is panic if you can’t find your pencil or pen. Keep extra ones handy in your backpack.
11Read the questions carefully. Read the questions at least twice, in case you missed something before. Underline the keywords in the question. Don’t rush. If possible, read the entire exam through before beginning to work. This will give you an idea of what is in store and will help you to manage your time better. It also prevents any nasty surprises with only a few minutes left.
12Go with your first answer. Your first answer is probably correct and if you go back and change your mind several times, you’re likely to make a mistake due to self doubt. The only time it is better to change your answer is if your almost 100% sure its the right answer and the one you chose before makes you think other wise. Go with your gut, since it is your first instinct. Just in case to make sure you got the right one, go over the question again.
13Review your answers thoroughly when you’re done. Make sure you answered all questions, never leave one blank. If it’s multiple choice, you’ll have a 25% chance of getting it right if you don’t leave it blank. Also, a final look through is a good time to catch any obvious mistakes you might have made and you might remember something more to add to a question as well.
14Use logic when you’re stuck on a multiple choice question. Usually 2 of the questions are obviously nos, so take those away. Now you should have to answers, so there’s a 50% chance of you getting it right. Now go over everything and find the best answer out of the 2. The key to mulitiple choice isn’t thinking “Which one is right?” but instead “Which of these are not right?” and using that down until you have one answer left.
15Make sure you bring your notes to class on test day so you can review before the test. Try to get there early so you can review a bit before class starts.
16Ask your teacher for help the day before the test at lunch. He/she can help you, and maybe give you a few hints.
17Bonus marks are usually very helpful. You can add some bonus info and you might get a better mark or more than the mark like 20/15. Give all the information that you know and can. The amount of information you put on your test, is all the teacher thinks you know, so you should put as much as you know. Don’t focus so much on the bonus question as much as the other questions because the other ones are more important.