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When it comes to taking final exams in college, are you in the wrong place?

Educational administration, whether at a small college or a major university, requires a lot of tactical efforts, not just educational efforts. Think about all those courses and who must determine their time slots and assign classroom space. Think of the first day of a semester when students are rushing to find out where their class meets. Imagine if you had a job where your office location changed several times a year!

But even with all that planning, so many colleges seem to select a different classroom for a final exam than the classroom in which the course was conducted. The problem--according to a good deal of psychological research--is that you do best when your exam is in the same room as the one you study in.  Think about this. Lots of students find a study space that they find just right, and it becomes "their" space. Students sit down in a classroom filled with empty chairs, and that chair you first selected ends up being the one you always go to.

So, a simple thing like changing rooms can have an affect on performance.  You'd think school administrators would place exam scheduling at the top of their list when it comes to logistics. Now, that's just one study 'tip.'  Can you think of others?




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