The exams are in full swing at the university. Immediately after the New Year holidays, the busy period for students and professors began. Tests and exams go one after another. Those who take, and those who listen to, share secrets how to successfully pass exams, how to prepare for exams, comment why normal sleep is important, and recall unusual stories that happened to them.
Evgenia Kolesnichenko, a student at the Institute of Physics, told us about an unusual situation that happened to her before an exam. ‘I was leaving for Nizhny Novgorod on vacation, and when I was returning back, my flight was delayed. When we finally landed in Saratov, I was driving straight from the airport to the exam. Considering that I had not slept for almost two days on my way, it was difficult for me to concentrate. Therefore, it was the hardest exam for me. I can advise students to prepare during the semester and not to learn everything on the last night.’
Julia Barayeva, a student of the Faculty of Psychology, gave her recommendations on preparing for the exams. ‘Due to the exams, you can test not only knowledge, but also stress resistance. To make it easier for yourself to prepare for them, you can discuss topics of interest with your groupmates. When you speak with the examinator, you should not use the memorised text, but speak in your own words. For example, I go to lectures and try to remember what the professor says, taking notes in diaries.’
For Artur Babayev, a student of the Institute of Philology and Journalism, the main thing in the exam time is not an assessment, but the absence of failed examinations. ‘There were no easy or difficult subjects. I have been preparing for all exams for the same long time. There are both excellent and satisfactory grades in my student record book. For me, the grades do not matter much: the very fact that I have passed all my exams is important. I start preparing for exams already during the winter holidays. I think that for a good result, you need to learn to think and not memorise the answers to the questions.’
The Chair of the Department of Dynamic Modelling and Biomedical Engineering, the Institute of Physics, Anatolii Karavayev said about the level of training of students. ‘This year, the students are very motivated. I get real pleasure interacting with them during tests and exams. They are responsible for the studies, are interested in the material. This also happens during the semester. In my student life, the main difficulties in the exams were psychological ones. Students must prepare and be confident in their knowledge and abilities.’
Associate Professor of the Department of English Language and its Teaching Methods, the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Language Teaching Methods, Julia Mukhina talked about what the exam time means for her. ‘The exams are a kind of discovery time. I administer exams on the introduction to linguistics and the practice of oral and written speech for 3rd-year students. It is important to create favourable conditions for further education, lay the foundation for universal skills, link the content of the subject with reality, and give the opportunity to fall in love with it. The exam is one of the points of a great educational journey. It gives us the necessary experience, joy, and, perhaps, a drop of sadness, educates us and tempers us.’
According to the Chair of the Department of Meteorology and Climatology Maksim Chervyakov, the exam period at the Faculty of Geography is held as usual. ‘There are very few subjects left that students need to take. We notice that many students are worried, especially freshmen. I always try to support them before exams and suggest how to prepare for it best. I think, this time, there will be interesting answers and fascinating communication. Undergraduates feel the most confident – it is clear that they go to the exam with confidence. To be honest, many of them have a great advantage studying during the semester, as they do tasks and actively show themselves at seminars.’
The importance of a good sleep during the exam period was noted by the Deputy Director for Academic Affairs of the Institute of Physics Asel Adilova. ‘The most important thing is not to be afraid and be confident to come to exams, consultations, and ask questions there. If a student has attended classes, this is the key to success. It is very important to sleep before the exam, because it is impossible to learn all the information in one night. The point-rating system is good because during the semester you can score points and already have an assessment at the end of the semester at the exam without points got at the exam,’ she said.
By the way, many professors and students managed to give advice on how to pass the most difficult subject at a particular faculty or institute, in the Give Your Record Book podcast. The 2nd-year students-journalists learned from Professor of the Department of Russian and World Literatures Vadim Mikhailin, Associate Professor of the Department of National History and Historiography Anton Luchnikovs, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Economic Theory and National Economy Kirill Fenin, Associate Professor of the Department English Language and its Teaching Methods Mikhail Zolotaryov, Associate Professor of the Department of Solid Body Physics Alexander Postelga, and others, how to prepare for their exams. You can listen to the podcast in the SSU group on VKontakte here.
Good luck at the exams!
