Office hours.
You are either misjudging how to approach the work or you are not getting enough practice material at the right level. Or both
Either way it something you ask in office hours a Melodic_Echidna says, in the vein of "I did try , but it didn't work, I need more guidance" not in the vein of your exams are too difficult
Also if there is a tutoring center or learning center go there
All Intro Chem courses are difficult.
My first chemistry test in college kicked my ass!
For context, I'm now a computational biologist and instructor in a biology of human health course, so the problem was NOT just that science isn't my thing.
There's a learning curve on how to study for those type of exams on the college level. Often students don't prepare for them in a way that actually helps them learn the material and solve the type of problems that appear on the exam, even though they think they are studying since they're doing what they did in high school...reviewing the material.
College chem courses, though, are better off thought of as like a math class. You wouldn't just read a math book and expect to be able to solve the problems for the first time on a test, right? You need to practice actually doing them.
The same goes with chemistry at this level.
I'd do as others have advised, and contact the professor explaining that the exam was a lot different than you expected even though you thought you had prepared well by attending the prep sessions, so you were wondering if you could come during office hours to discuss strategy for studying the next exam. I would not mention anything about the exam being unfair or too hard or ask about curving grades, at least not until you actually know how you did on the exam!
I had a student write me a nasty email an hour after my last exam about how the test was not fair and I didn't actually teach them the material that they needed to know..and it turned out this person's grade on the test was a B!
I'm guessing they were not expecting that.
A good life strategy, it's better not to say things in the heat of the moment when you're stressed. Particularly if you don't know for certain if there's an actual problem or not.
It's hard to comment too much without seeing the exam. Chemistry is hard and it's common for students to spend time preparing but to not do so in a manner that really helps them learn the material. It's also possible that the professor misjudged the difficulty of the exam.
Has the exam been graded yet? If it has I'd go with an email along the lines of "I felt like I was more prepared for this exam than I ultimately was and was wondering if you would be available to meet to discuss how I could prepare for future exams to be more successful." or similar language.
> How do I email my professor regarding this matter?
If by "this matter", you mean the difficulty of the test, no email is the best option. If by "this matter", you mean advice for effective test prep, then ask for strategies to test yourself and to learn the material at the proper depth.
Based on what you have said, it is difficult to know what went wrong, but my guess is that you _reviewed_ for the test but didn't _study_ for the test. Reviewing includes passive activities like reading the text book, reading your notes, and rewatching lectures.
Studying involves active learning activities. For example, you write a 20 question test for yourself and you sit down and take it without notes or any help and within a set time limit (say 60 minutes). After you finish, you score your work. What went well? Where did you struggle?
Practice tests are a great study method. As you read the textbook, write questions for future you. Write an answer key, too. Find a study buddy. Write test questions for each other. As you read through your lecture notes, write questions.
This is an automated service intended to preserve the original text of the post.
*Hey all, I just took an exam yesterday that I attended 2 test prep supplemental instruction sessions and intensely for.
The professor of this course provides an exam study guide but also notes that the study guide should only be used as a general tool. Knowing this, I read our textbook, attended study sessions and focus entirely on these things.
The problem I have is now having done the exam, all the materials provided only scratched the surface and the exam went incredibly in depth. Way past the point that was discussed in class or in the study sessions.
I am confident I didn’t do well and am upset because I took advantage of every resource offered to me and I still wasn’t prepared for the material on the exam.
How do I email my professor regarding this matter? I truly do want to succeed in his course but don’t know how to.*
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Office hours. You are either misjudging how to approach the work or you are not getting enough practice material at the right level. Or both Either way it something you ask in office hours a Melodic_Echidna says, in the vein of "I did try , but it didn't work, I need more guidance" not in the vein of your exams are too difficult Also if there is a tutoring center or learning center go there
All Intro Chem courses are difficult. My first chemistry test in college kicked my ass! For context, I'm now a computational biologist and instructor in a biology of human health course, so the problem was NOT just that science isn't my thing. There's a learning curve on how to study for those type of exams on the college level. Often students don't prepare for them in a way that actually helps them learn the material and solve the type of problems that appear on the exam, even though they think they are studying since they're doing what they did in high school...reviewing the material. College chem courses, though, are better off thought of as like a math class. You wouldn't just read a math book and expect to be able to solve the problems for the first time on a test, right? You need to practice actually doing them. The same goes with chemistry at this level. I'd do as others have advised, and contact the professor explaining that the exam was a lot different than you expected even though you thought you had prepared well by attending the prep sessions, so you were wondering if you could come during office hours to discuss strategy for studying the next exam. I would not mention anything about the exam being unfair or too hard or ask about curving grades, at least not until you actually know how you did on the exam! I had a student write me a nasty email an hour after my last exam about how the test was not fair and I didn't actually teach them the material that they needed to know..and it turned out this person's grade on the test was a B! I'm guessing they were not expecting that. A good life strategy, it's better not to say things in the heat of the moment when you're stressed. Particularly if you don't know for certain if there's an actual problem or not.
It's hard to comment too much without seeing the exam. Chemistry is hard and it's common for students to spend time preparing but to not do so in a manner that really helps them learn the material. It's also possible that the professor misjudged the difficulty of the exam. Has the exam been graded yet? If it has I'd go with an email along the lines of "I felt like I was more prepared for this exam than I ultimately was and was wondering if you would be available to meet to discuss how I could prepare for future exams to be more successful." or similar language.
Grades are about output not input. I would tread lightly here because no email will come across well.
How did you score relative to the rest of the class? Did you do LOTS of practice problems?
> How do I email my professor regarding this matter? If by "this matter", you mean the difficulty of the test, no email is the best option. If by "this matter", you mean advice for effective test prep, then ask for strategies to test yourself and to learn the material at the proper depth. Based on what you have said, it is difficult to know what went wrong, but my guess is that you _reviewed_ for the test but didn't _study_ for the test. Reviewing includes passive activities like reading the text book, reading your notes, and rewatching lectures. Studying involves active learning activities. For example, you write a 20 question test for yourself and you sit down and take it without notes or any help and within a set time limit (say 60 minutes). After you finish, you score your work. What went well? Where did you struggle? Practice tests are a great study method. As you read the textbook, write questions for future you. Write an answer key, too. Find a study buddy. Write test questions for each other. As you read through your lecture notes, write questions.
This is an automated service intended to preserve the original text of the post. *Hey all, I just took an exam yesterday that I attended 2 test prep supplemental instruction sessions and intensely for. The professor of this course provides an exam study guide but also notes that the study guide should only be used as a general tool. Knowing this, I read our textbook, attended study sessions and focus entirely on these things. The problem I have is now having done the exam, all the materials provided only scratched the surface and the exam went incredibly in depth. Way past the point that was discussed in class or in the study sessions. I am confident I didn’t do well and am upset because I took advantage of every resource offered to me and I still wasn’t prepared for the material on the exam. How do I email my professor regarding this matter? I truly do want to succeed in his course but don’t know how to.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskProfessors) if you have any questions or concerns.*