Exam Week!

It’s that time of year again… EXAMS! Get ready, RDPC students and staff, for exam season starting on Friday, January 24th and running until Thursday, January 30th . Don’t forget to hand in last-minute assignments because no submissions of work will be accepted after Thursday, January 23rd . All classes will have exams/in-person assessments unless otherwise stated by your instructor. It might seem scary, especially if you are not prepared or haven’t ever been through an exam season before but teachers at RDPC will do their best to help you succeed.

How exams will work:

Just as a reminder, each day of exam week has an assigned “Block”. For example, if you have Chemistry 30S in Block A (first period), then you would show up to class at 8:45AM on Friday, January 24th to take your exam.

Let’s say you have Biology 40S in Block E (5 th period), you would also have to show up at 8:45AM on Thursday, January, 30th to write your bio exam.

VERY IMPORTANT: ALL EXAMS, REGARDLESS OF WHEN THEY HAPPEN IN THE DAY, START AT 8:45AM IN YOUR RESPECTIVE CLASSROOMS.

• Friday, January 24th @ 8:45 AM – All classes in A Block
• Monday, January 27th @ 8:45 AM – All classes in B Block
• Tuesday, January 28th @ 8:45 AM – All classes in C Block
• Wednesday, January 29th @ 8:45 AM – All classes in D Block
• Thursday, January 30th @ 8:45 AM – All classes in E Block

Grade 12 Provincial exams are also around the corner.

• APPLIED MATH: Tuesday, January 21st (check time with instructor)
• ESSENTIALS MATH: Wednesday, January 22nd (check time with instructor)
• PRECALCULUS MATH: Thursday, January 23rd (check time with instructor)
  

1) Set a timer to study.

If you have trouble getting yourself to sit down and study, you can set a timer for 30mins to 1hr to trick your brain into thinking that you aren’t going to be stuck at your desk for a long time.

2) Don’t memorize everything! Memorize the concepts!

If you’re studying a Math problem that deals with formulas or a science problem that makes you memorize the names of amino acids, then yes of course, cram everything into your brain. However, its better to build an understanding of the material you need to know, so it comes more naturally than just relying on your recollection skills. A concept is how something works, not just the formula or the facts. So, instead of memorizing the entire syllabus on kinetic energy, explain the science to yourself in a way that makes sense. Understanding something makes it easier to recall and think critically about, but regurgitating material that you do not understand is 100x harder.

3) Boil it down to the essentials for Exam Day

This ties into the previous point. I repeat, do not memorize the whole textbook. Write down the things that are most important first, such as formulas or major names you need to remember. Work by importance to prioritize your time and energy.

4) Cut out distractions.

This is going to sound harsh, but you don’t need music, and you don’t need to see who’s texting you. Put the phone away and worry about your future.