‘Tis the season to be stressed. That’s exactly what the JC community was this year, but the stress was over the quickly approaching exams rather than Christmas preparations.
In the past, the midterm exams took place in the middle of January about two weeks after the holiday break. Typically this gave students class time after the break to review for their exams. It was relaxed and organized that way. This year, testing took place the last week before Christmas break instead.
The new plan proved to be ineffective as teachers seemed to forget about exams. Study guides were mostly vague and given out much later than expected. Many students complained that their classes started to review three days beforehand, which is not nearly enough time to study for a test based on four months of information. Three days of exam review this year cannot compare to nearly two weeks that was dedicated to review last year.
Students felt the need to cram in studying as a result of being underprepared. The Monday of exams used to be a day off for students, but this time around Monday was the first day of exams.
The fact that second quarter is still continuing played a part in the short term preparation for exams. Teachers kept giving students tests, quizzes, and assignments that made it impossible for them to focus solely on exams until the very last second. Any new information that was taught close to exam time was unnecessary since most of it was not even included in the actual midterm exams.
If the current schedule for exams continues next year, there could be some improvements. The second quarter should end at least one week before break to prevent last minute assignments that are due days prior to testing. That week should be used for all classes to strictly review. Exams can then start on Tuesday, to give students an extra day to study. In conclusion, the administration should switch the midterm exams back to January so that students and faculty can be better prepared.
Lauren Fabiszak is an In-Depth Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.