Unable to Pass Class Final Need Advice

[word2yamutha]

So I survived paramedic school with A's and B's on all of my test, but I cant seem to past this final. My teacher gives us 3 chances and if we dont we have to take a refresher course. The test is 150 questions long and is very time consuming, takes about 4 to 5 hrs to complete(seems way too long for a test).

We have to score at least 70% in order to pass. The first time I took it I got a 69.5% and the highest grade in a class of 22 was a 78%. It sucks not getting it the first time, but then I took it again and got a 64%. So Im on my last chance and I want to make sure I pass, but there is so much material that we covered that I have a hard time retaining the information. If you have any advice please let me know.

 

[rescue1]

Can you talk to your instructor to see what questions you got wrong? That way you can focus on those areas you need improvement in, rather then just generally studying "everything", which is usually less effective.
Flash cards can be very helpful--making your own rather then finding them online can be more helpful, I find writing down definitions to be the best way to memorize them.

This mainly from the perspective of a college student, as I haven't taken my medic yet, but I imagine that studying is studying, whether it's calculus or paramedicine.

 

[word2yamutha]

Well the problem is is that she wont let us see what questions we got wrong. I asked her the first time if I could go over it to see what I missed but her answer was that "you should know this material by now."

 

[Veneficus]

The quality of any teacher who will not let you see what you got wrong is highly suspect in my book.

150 questions over 4-5 hours is no where near outrageous. Somehow when it was a written test of 150 questions over 4 hours us dinosaurs got through it.

have you tried test banks?

 

[word2yamutha]

I have tried test banks but I seem to do well on them. The teacher is absolute crap in my opinion Im surprised she has been a teacher for over 10 years and still has a job doing it. Just wished I passed the first time because I hate driving an hour and a half to take a 4 hr test.

 

[Veneficus]

I have tried test banks but I seem to do well on them. The teacher is absolute crap in my opinion Im surprised she has been a teacher for over 10 years and still has a job doing it. Just wished I passed the first time because I hate driving an hour and a half to take a 4 hr test.

maybe stay at a hotel closer, get a good night's rest and have some breakfast before.

 

[tssemt2010]

im in the exact same boat as you, except i failed my final with a 71%, i retake mine on the 4th

 

[Shishkabob]

I drove nearly 2 hours to work a 24 hour shift in a somewhat busy system. You can do a 150 question test




On one hand, I am suspect of a test that most of the class gets near or below passing on. On the other, you should know the material. Are the questions that radically different from how they've been worded the rest of the year?

 

[NomadicMedic]

Sounds shady to me. Are the questions essay or multiple choice? 4 hours for a 150 question test is ludicrous. If you've been doing well in the class, which I assume has been testing you all along... but are failing the final there is a serious disconnect somewhere.

We're missing something in this story.

 

[Handsome Robb]

No whining about a 150 question test. My final in 2 weeks is 6 packets each 100-200 questions in length. Fastest anyone has finished it was just under 6 hours, most students take 7-8 hrs.

Your teacher sounds shady, but she's right, you should know the info by now.

Your lucky you get 3 chances and a 70 is passing. We get 2 chances and an 80 is passing, below a 70 and you're dropped from the class...

Sorry but I don't have a whole lot of sympathy for you. People are passing the test so it's doable.

 

[silver]

Sorry, I rather have 150 questions than have finals with 4 questions.

I would say by the 2nd try you should have a general sense of what is on the test. Study that material specifically. Nothing on the exam is going to be a surprise. You should not have a "oh *expletive*" moment, because you didn't study something or because you were confused unsure of the answer on the 3rd try.

Learning test studying/taking strategy is key. Others have mentioned some strategies such as: staying in a hotel the night before. Also it sounds like time should not be an issue. In reality make sure your brain knows that when taking the exam. We, as humans, easily get distracted thinking "how much time do I have left?" and "am I going to slow?" during exams. This causes us to short change the amount of time we read and analyze questions/answers.

Just food for thought.

 

[bstone]

If all you say is correct, I am suspect that this test might be too difficult. This happened with my Intermediate school final exam. I never scored below a 90 on any of the tests leading up to the final, but the entire class failed the final (myself included). Our main instructor was out of town and it was the institute's then-director who was giving us the exam. He then took the test and also failed (he's a paramedic instructor, has a degree on the topic). If he failed the exam then he decided that it was indeed too difficult. He gave us all an extra 15 points and those who passed were good and those who didn't, well, didn't go on to take the NREMT exam.

As you can tell from my credentials, I passed (and then some) with the extra points. If your final is really this hard then you might ask for another instructor to take the final and see how they do. If they fail then it might in fact be too difficult.