Practice exams are one of your most valuable resources. It can give you a reality check on what you think you know and what you really know. It is also the most accurate simulation of what the exam will be like short of taking the class twice. There is a reason why mult-million dollar companies have sprung up purely based on preparing students for exams (e.g., Kaplan, Princeton Review, etc.).
Because finding accurate practice exams can be difficult, we’ve provided simulated/mock exams. These exams have been designed to be similar to those administered during their specific semester and year. We have also included some suggestions for preparing for your exams.
Suggestions
Know areas you are weak in and get help early. For help, ask the professor, TA (if available), and facilitators. Get tutoring. Two widely used free tutoring services at UH are the UH American Chemical Society and LSS Tutoring. Attend review sessions, especially if your professor hosts them. Since he or she designs the exams, you may find the information or the review questions to be very similar to questions that show up on the exam. You may also learn more specifics about the exam or areas and concepts you did not know you are weak in.
Do as many practice/mock exams you as can find. If your professor provides mock/practice exams, do those first. Then, review the exams and identify areas/concepts you are weak in (even if you got the question right). Find resources to understand these areas/concepts (notes, videos, textbook, etc). Find additional practice problems to assess your understanding in these areas/concepts (homework, redo the exam problem(s), etc.). If you cannot find any additional practice/mock exams. Review/redo the exams you have.
