Cumulative Exam Defined and How to Prepare

In high school and college, teachers and professors test their students’ knowledge of the material in a variety of ways. They may deliver pop quizzes, request research papers, or schedule an exam. While all tests may seem equal in students’ eyes, there is a difference in what these tests cover. Knowing the type of test your teacher or professor is giving is vital to doing well. One of the biggest exams for a particular course is a cumulative exam, and the best way to be successful on this type of exam is to start preparing on day one.

What is a Cumulative Exam?

A cumulative exam typically covers all the material learned throughout a semester or school year for a particular class. Other times, it may be called a final exam. These tests may be formatted by multiple-choice, short answer, or essay questions. Or the test could be a combination of all three.

Pros and Cons of a Cumulative Exam

Some students don’t mind cumulative tests, while others find them overwhelming and more high stakes than writing a research paper, for instance. Either way, there are pros and cons to taking a cumulative exam.

Pros

Though many students may find there are very few “pros” to taking any kind of test, there are benefits to having to prepare and take a cumulative exam. • It takes advantage of the “spacing effect,” which can produce a huge amount of learning. If you’ve studied something once, and then must study it again, you’ll learn more. • Cumulative exams require learning by repetition. Repeating ideas that you learned throughout the entire semester will enable you to remember for the exam – and beyond. • Knowing there is a cumulative final exam at the end of the semester helps students as they take notes and study throughout the course. You’ll be more detailed with your notes and creative with remembering certain terms, themes, or concepts.

Cons

Just as there are pros to taking a cumulative exam, there are also cons. • Requiring students to recall information from the past 16 weeks is overwhelming to say the least. Further, there may be some semesters where you have multiple cumulative exams to prepare for! • An argument could be made that these cumulative exams are redundant, assessing students on material they have already been tested on beforehand if they’ve had midterms, etc. • Because of busy schedules and multiple cumulative exams, many students cram for these tests to simply recall the information – not retain it.

How to Study for a Cumulative Exam

Whether or not you are supportive of cumulative exams, you’ll likely encounter your fair share as a high school and college student. In that case, it’s important to be prepared. Developing a strategy for studying early in your academic career will enable you to become quite adept at navigating these types of tests throughout. Below are a few ways you can maximize your cumulative exam successes.

Take great notes, starting on Day 1.

Typically, your teacher or professor will give you a syllabus on the first day of class. Flip to the end to see if there’s a cumulative exam. If you don’t see one, don’t be afraid to ask the professor on the first day if there will be one at the end of the semester. If you will be expected to take a cumulative exam, start taking meticulous notes on day 1 of the course. Your notes will be your lifeline for studying for the final exam. The more detailed you are, the better you’ll perform.

Study throughout the semester.

When it comes to final exams, students think they need to cram the week beforehand. However, you shouldn’t limit your study for the cumulative exam to just the week before. Study throughout the entire semester. Use notecards to memorize key vocabulary, themes, or events. Spend some time each week going through these notecards. Even if it’s just 20 – 30 minutes each week, you’ll retain the information you’re learning, rather than just recalling it for the exam after a week spent cramming.

Switch up your study methods.

If your study sessions consist of re-reading your notes on your laptop in your room every time, it’s going to get boring – and you’re not going to learn anything. Use different study methods to better learn the material. Switch up your study environment – try the library or a coffee shop. Listen to music while you study. Take breaks and bring some healthy snacks. Finally, if you’re studying a historic period or a piece of literature, capitalize on any entertainment around this event or work of art. While you shouldn’t depend on television shows and movies to give you all the facts, they can help give you visual images to pair with the timeline of events. (This method shouldn’t be used in place of actual studying; it should just be used alongside your notes, research papers, and previous exam material.)

Use practice tests.

As a high school or college student, you’re in the golden age of studying. With the Internet, there are practice tests galore on a variety of subjects. A quick web search can help you find what you’re looking for. Utilize these resources to test yourself in your spare time. These practice exams can help you spot weaknesses. From there, you can hone your studying to a specific skill or area that you have trouble with. If you need further help, ask your professor, teaching assistant (TA), or fellow classmate for help. (This is where studying in advance is especially beneficial. You’ll know sooner, rather than later, which components of the material you have trouble with, giving you plenty of time to nail down the subject matter before the cumulative exam.)

Consider the cumulative exam your second chance.

Go into your cumulative exam with the mindset that this is a second chance, especially if you performed poorly on prior tests in the class. Just like with standardized testing, it’s proven that students perform better the second time around. Thinking of the exam as a second chance will create a more positive outlook going into your study sessions and the actual final. This outlook alone can help you increase your grade.