Supporting Sarnia-Lambton high school and college students in achieving academic success. For Lambton College students we deliver specialized exam preparation services for CPET, ICET, Pre-Health Math and Science exams to help them excel in their finals. For high school students we deliver specialized exam prep services for Calculus, Advanced Functions, Functions 11, University Chemistry 11 & 12, University Physics 11 & 12, University Biology 11 & 12, and many more courses. Contact us to learn how to enroll today!

Preparing for exams could be stressful especially in the final days of a semester. Searching through many tips on how to prepare for the upcoming exams, we came across an excellent article from the Simon Fraser University.  We especially like the strategy that targets how to avoid/deal with exam anxiety and will be sharing it here.

To minimize exam anxiety try to practice as if you are in the exam room. Here’s how to do that:

• Try to  create the same conditions of the exam-writing situation as much as possible
• Solve prior tests and quizzes then check the right answers, and make mental notes on where you made mistakes
• Find or make-up practice questions that are of the type that will be on the exam
• Put your books away (unless it is an open book exam)
• Work under similar time conditions while you complete the practice questions.
• You may even want to visit the examination room to get comfortable in the space.

Here are a few ways you can find or create practice questions:

• Answer chapter review questions in your textbook
• Turn the headings in your readings and class notes into questions
• Use questions from the textbook study guide or your class notes
• Participate in a study group and ask each other questions based on the material
• Make flashcards with a question on one side and the answer on the other, then quiz yourself
• Write outlines for any sample essay questions provided by the professor
• Make “Cornell notes”: Draw a line down your page about one-third of the way from the left edge; write questions in the left column of your page; write the answers to your questions directly across in the right column; cover up the answers and quiz yourself.

For the full article click here. We hope that you will find these strategies, and tips helpful. We wish you the best of luck with your exams!

In a typical school year, report cards come home every nine weeks or so. The purpose of report cards is to
communicate about a child’s progress across subject areas. Most report cards also include a Work Habits,
Social Skills, or similar section.

Some kids, especially those having difficulty in school, dread report card time. Here are some suggestions
for making report card time a little less scary and a little more productive.
• Become familiar with the grading system in your district and at your grade. Many schools
use a different report card for K-2 than they use for 3-5. Are letter grades used? A numerical
score from 1-3? Other letters such as O, G, S, N?
• Make sure you understand the different competencies on the report card. Many use vague
descriptors such as “Uses time constructively.” If something is not clear to you, ask your
child’s teacher.
• As you look at your child’s report card, RESIST THE IMPULSE to jump directly to an area
with a lower score. Find an area with a good grade or score and focus on that first. “You did
a great job in _____! You must be so proud of all your hard work.”
• Once you’ve focused on the positive, talk about areas in which your child’s grade was lower.
“Tell me how things have been going in science lately.” Start a safe, open dialogue with your
child about the difficulty he or she might be having with the subject matter.
• Together, develop strategies to help in subject areas that are difficult for your child. Is there
a textbook that needs to come home more frequently? Is there a website that can help with
math fact drills? If you’re not sure how to best help your child, call the teacher to set up a
conference.
• Last, let your child know that she is more than just a report card. Remind her of all the
things that make her special and important in your family. Too much of a focus on grades
can only increase the amount of stress your child feels.
Report cards should not contain any huge surprises about how your child is doing. Most teachers work to
talk with parents if a child is having particular difficulty, whether it’s through interims or informal phone
calls. If that is not the case with your child and his report card, call the teacher to talk about that. An
open, ongoing conversation is the best way to manage everyone’s expectations.
See also this post from our blog Sound It Out: I’d give this report card comment an N (for needs
improvement)

(Credits: This is a shared article from Reading Rockets, Colorín Colorado and LD OnLine)