Finals Exams

I hated taking tests as a student. I would get terrible test anxiety and forget everything I knew. Sometimes new "knowledge" invaded my brain and I would end up doing all of my cross-products on an electromagnetism test wrong. Fine. At a certain point, I accepted it. I needed to do well on the homework and study - but I wasn't going to get an amazing test score. It isn't so bad when you accept it.

Now I know there is something worse - giving an exam to students. In a class of 40, I can identify/name about 30 of the students. Close to 15 have consistently come to my section. I told them on the first day of section - my goal was for them all to get an A on the exam.

I tried to find great activities for section. I posted notes and clarifications and alternative solutions. I wrote a practice exam for the final and wrote 15 pages of solutions - explaining the approach, as well as ways to get partial credit. I prepared a 2 hour review session where I focused on conceptual material, with 8 clicker questions and some other example problems.

And then I saw the final exam. It was hard. It was certainly fair, but it was not quite what I expected. I had hoped there would be more conceptual questions. I had thought certain topics would be covered that weren't there. I knew my students wouldn't all do well.

I like my students. They have worked hard to understand this very difficult material. They have asked great questions. They came to class, and section, and office hours - and in some cases, both sections. I want those students' investments in this class to pay off.

I know when I grade those exams tomorrow, that not all of my students will have done as well as they had hoped. Not all of my students (the dozen or so I am really cheering for) will get A's. I will feel victorious for the students who (I think) exceeded their expectations and got a better final exam score than midterm score. But I will feel sad for the students who did worse. I won't be disappointed in them - I know how hard they worked - but I will feel like the world is a little unfair.

One professor gave us suckers after a midterm. I think I understand now. Perhaps candy, hugs, and kittens are what is really deserved.