When your kids get to college they’ll no doubt notice a few changes from high school. For one thing, they won’t have to spend seven straight hours a day in class. Depending on how many credits they’re taking they may have several hours in class on a given day, but generally they’ll have breaks in between classes and they can likely schedule their actual class attendance to just two or three days per week. In addition, they may notice a bump in homework. It is estimated that every hour spent in class equates to three hours of homework (including class work, study time, research, essays, and so on). But what can your students expect on the exam front? How will their tests and finals at the college level compare to those they took in high school?
In general, students can expect that college exams are going to be more difficult in general, and there are a couple of reasons why. The main reason is that college exams tend to demand more thought than the average true/false or multiple choice type of test that high school students are accustomed to. No doubt there will be some amount of multiple choice just to get through the rote learning portion of the testing process, but most college exams also include sections for short answers (usually expected to be anywhere from one sentence to a paragraph in length) as well as essays (which may be up to a page in length).
Although the majority of high school students are familiar with the essay writing process, they may not be entirely prepared for the pressure of writing under a strict time limit. In some cases the final exam will be nothing but essay questions, or students will have to turn in a 5-10 page paper that they’ve been working on all semester. Either can come as a shock to the high school grad that is unprepared.
The other difference is a little more difficult to categorize. Professors at the college level not only expect students to portray a greater depth of knowledge, gathered from lectures (and labs, if applicable), reading, and supplemental materials, but they also want to see independent thought. This means that students can’t get away with simply regurgitating knowledge if they want any hope of getting a passing grade, much less an A. They must demonstrate their knowledge of the course materials in such a way that the professor sees that they understand what they have learned and that they can go beyond what has been taught in order to find some sort of insight, whether it relates to their own lives, to history, or life in general, for example.
Kids today tend to harbor an attitude of entitlement brought on by the instant gratification of a “click here and you shall receive” mentality. As a result, their experience in college may provide them with a rude awakening when they learn that they actually have to work for their grade. However, by preparing them for the changes that they’re bound to face when it comes to homework and especially testing, you can help to ensure that they head to campus with a strong work ethic so that they can buckle down and ace every exam.