It is probably pretty safe to assume that many of us are scrambling to study for our exams as school ends and the exam week quickly begins. For some of us, classes end on Thursday or Friday, and we have an exam (or two) shortly afterward on Sunday or Monday. This sort of final exam scheduling is very hard on many students, who have very little time to go over all of the material that is presented in the last week of classes, as well as all of the information that came in the weeks before.
Rather than initiating finals almost immediately after classes end, we should be allowed to have, at least, a few more days to study - instead of one day to cram - for finals. This would not only alleviate student anxiety and stress, but would also provide a truer representation of what we have actually learned over the semester on a final paper or exam.
With new material being presented three or four days before the final exam, many college students are understandably stressed out come finals time - we are often forced to take exams without adequate preparation for them. Since these final exams have such a major impact on our grades, we hardly have enough time to sufficiently prepare ourselves. The fact that we're not only processing new information, but also reviewing old information in such a short period of time makes it almost impossible not to cram. As a side effect of the late hours spent in front of a textbook, notebook, or computer, students face horrendous amounts of stress and anxiety come exam time.
High levels of stress and anxiety are only detrimental to the entire test-taking process. A study from Purdue University in 2002 actually shows a distinct correlation between high anxiety and lower test scores among college students. Although this may seem to be common sense, it still provides a valid point as to why a longer study period might allow many students to perform better on their finals.
In most cases, exam scores count for a sizable portion of our final grade, and we should be able to prepare for them with more than a few days. More often than not, a final exam separates an 'A' from an 'AB' in each class, and in the case of cumulative finals, shouldn't we be allowed to prepare more thoroughly than we would for a midterm?
Instead, many students are forced into cramming an entire semester of information for multiple exams in just a few nights. Then we are expected to perform well on these tests. Yet this sort of exam schedule sets many students up for failure, since cramming is often times a very ineffective mode of studying. A 2000 study by Ohio University points to time management as the greatest tool in reducing college stress, and thus improving exam scores. Most students typically do not have enough time to be able to use in studying their course material effectively, and end up wasting what little time they have by cramming. Giving students more time to prepare for finals would allow students to study and go through material more thoroughly.
Obviously, the one study day that we have now is too short of a buffer between the end of classes and the beginning of finals week. Rather than one 'study day,' we should have a 'study week.'
An entire week to prepare for our exams would, of course, be ideal. However, and unfortunately, many students would still procrastinate until a few days before their exams and cram nonetheless. Other people would likely oppose the idea of a 'study week' because they would rather be able to start winter break earlier. So perhaps only a few days more would work just as well. Having finals week begin on Tuesday, or even Monday, (rather than Sunday - at least give us the entire weekend to prepare) would be a sufficient amount of time for students to be more prepared and organized when they do need to take their finals.
Increasing the study period for students by at least a day or two is crucial. Students will be better able to prepare for exams, which often play a major role in determining our final grades in courses, our GPA and our post-undergraduate future. Also, a longer study period can promote student learning and lead to better information retention. Although the university currently should not be held responsible for whether students are prepared or not for their finals, it really should make an attempt at creating a slightly less stressful collegiate atmosphere.
Ryan Dashek is a junior majoring in biology. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
