Most semesters Test #1 has the highest grades. Typically the scores on Test #2 will drop a few points, and the scores on Test #3 will drop several more points. Then usually the final exam scores come back up a good bit. All this varies, and this pattern certainly is not the case for all students in the class. One thing everyone should keep in mind is that each test grade provides only 13% of your overall final grade. So whether you're happy or unhappy with your first test grade, there's a long way to go in the semester and plenty of opportunity to go up or down. So the moral of the story is this ...
- If you like your test grade, keep up the good work. Don't rest on your laurels. There's still a long way to go.
- If you don't like your test grade, you have plenty of time to get on track and improve your performance. Do an honest analysis of why things didn't go better on the test, and try to figure out what you need to do to give yourself a better chance of success.
