I cannot believe my first semester at NUS is coming to an end! We have about three more weeks of classes, then a reading week, followed by finals (my last final is on the 1st of December). We had midterms about three or four weeks ago, but a majority of my classes have a continuous amount of assignments and papers due throughout the semester.
My only official midterm I had was in Pre-Modern Japanese History. The professor gave us one hour to write three and a half pages answering a discussion topic. However, we were allowed to use three readings and nothing else. I have to admit that it was quite terrifying- I had never had an exam in Singapore, and the last exam I had that had a similar structure was in high school. To prepare for the test, the only thing I could do was read the articles and try to find a common theme. When the test started, I didn't even bother creating an outline or anything of that sort. I just began writing and hoped for the best. Luckily, it worked out in my favor.
I had been worried about my grades because the grading system at NUS is based on a bell curve, meaning that your grade is dependent on how everyone else in the class does. Thus, usually in a class of about forty students, only four would get the highly sought after A+.
Since finals are rapidly approaching, I've actually had to start studying now. Pretty much all of my classes have final exams that are worth 50% or more of my final grade and are ALL cumulative. None of my classes have official textbooks, so I'm forced to go back and re-read all of those scholarly papers that consist of my readings for each class. I plan on outlining each of the articles and reviewing my notes in order to prepare for the exam. My personal challenge is figuring out how I'm going to retain all of this information for the exam; I plan on reading and re-reading my notes, as well as studying with other students from my classes.
Exams here are very different than at GW. First off, most exams take place in an exam hall; the exam setting is very similar to an AP or SAT test type setting. You have to place your belongings off to the side of the room so that you can't access it, and there are people that constantly watch over the exam hall during the duration of the test. Second, the exams are graded on a bell curve system, so there is a lot of competition amongst the students. I haven't seen too many people studying in groups outside of the context of group projects. I know back at GW, I used to study in groups all the time, and felt as if I retained/learned information a lot quicker that way. Nonetheless, I think final exams at NUS will make for a unique experience.