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The 2013 Tripos Exam Chat Thread! (Cambridge students only!!!)

Reply 280

Sockpirate

15

Thought I'd move my response to this post into the exam stress thread so as to avoid scaring pre-freshers :mmm:

Original post by Tortious

If anything, a hard paper benefits everyone since you're all marked up to take the difficulty into account - it's much more difficult to "ace" an easy paper! :p:

Not in some subjects. In materials they don't scale marks, unless they're horrendously skewed... raw marks = percentage, as each exam is out of 100. Meant that last year 50% of the year got a first, because a couple of the papers were pretty easy. Considering everyone's found over half of our papers so far awful, it's going to be interesting seeing what the results from our year look like...

Reply 281

Mrs Cullen

10

Original post by Tortious

If you're not the only one, I'm sure people will complain and they'll have to do something. At worst, since they should know more than the content of the syllabus, I'd expect them to be able to mark your papers based on what you guys learned from the syllabus, even though that's outside the "scope" of the exam.

That's awful though. :sad:

Thanks. I think other people were partially affected, but not quite as much as me. There's only 6 of us taking the paper, and I'd chosen to focus on different topics to everyone else. Sod's law that it was my topics that didn't come up.

Original post by Smaug123

Have you told your DoS? I'd make sure someone knows about it, just in case it needs to become a thing.

Yeah, I emailed my DoS and tutor yesterday. I think I'm going to put a complaint in, especially since I've found out that one student (supervised by the examiner) had been told the number of topics in the exam was being reduced, whereas those of us supervised by someone else hadn't be warned.

Reply 282

ratio

2

Feeling all kinds of screwed for my exam tomorrow. The amount of things I still need to learn is staggering.

Reply 283

Onee-chan

1

Woah this thread moved on quickly! :eek:

Original post by ratio

Feeling all kinds of screwed for my exam tomorrow. The amount of things I still need to learn is staggering.

Good luck for tomorrow! :biggrin:

Gah it's all stressful times. I'm getting increasingly annoying at someone (I.e.: my neighbour) who (apparently) doesn't revise and seems to do spectacularly well. I mean that's fine. But he feels the need to come to my room like every hour just to tell me that he's not working for the exam he has tomorrow. :rolleyes:

Reply 284

Craghyrax

OP

17

Original post by Onee-chan

Gah it's all stressful times. I'm getting increasingly annoying at someone (I.e.: my neighbour) who (apparently) doesn't revise and seems to do spectacularly well. I mean that's fine. But he feels the need to come to my room like every hour just to tell me that he's not working for the exam he has tomorrow. :rolleyes:

Eugh, I hate those people.

Reply 285

camaieu

14

Too hot and sunny to work :frown:

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Reply 286

Sockpirate

15

Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! However not too pleased with how exams went overall. Everyone agreed that they were all horrible exams, but they don't scale the materials exams, so it doesn't really make a difference as to how difficult they were... I need a 2:1 to stay for 4th year - anyone know what the procedure is in the case of narrowly missing the grade you need to stay? :erm:

Reply 287

Craghyrax

OP

17

Original post by Sockpirate

Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! However not too pleased with how exams went overall. Everyone agreed that they were all horrible exams, but they don't scale the materials exams, so it doesn't really make a difference as to how difficult they were... I need a 2:1 to stay for 4th year - anyone know what the procedure is in the case of narrowly missing the grade you need to stay? :erm:

Sure it depends on the department, but I appealed to the course director and got my DoS and dissertation supervisor to back me up. I had an actual misrepresentative/bad luck disaster with one exam, though.

Reply 288

Rob da Mop

15

Ugh... Finished my last pathology paper today but still have my BBS minor to do. I haven't really touched it all term so I should be revising like mad, but I just can't work up the enthusiasm... And then it's so sunny and my friends have all finished :frown:

Reply 289

Topaz_eyes

12

Original post by Sockpirate

Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! However not too pleased with how exams went overall. Everyone agreed that they were all horrible exams, but they don't scale the materials exams, so it doesn't really make a difference as to how difficult they were... I need a 2:1 to stay for 4th year - anyone know what the procedure is in the case of narrowly missing the grade you need to stay? :erm:

Well done! I enjoyed your facebook status a lot :tongue:

I've been questioning my DoS about this for a while - there is an appeals process, but I think your DoS does it on your behalf. If the exams were that bad, they'll be more lenient - they need some people to stay for Part III. Also, I'm sure you did better than you thought :smile:

Original post by Rob da Mop

Ugh... Finished my last pathology paper today but still have my BBS minor to do. I haven't really touched it all term so I should be revising like mad, but I just can't work up the enthusiasm... And then it's so sunny and my friends have all finished :frown:

Me too... I feel like I'm done but I'm not! Just one more to go, and today's exams went surprisingly okay/well! You could try reading outside? Just tell your friends to go away for a few days :tongue:

Reply 290

Zoedotdot

18

Original post by Tortious

Current reaction following my Equity exam: "I'm gonna make it...I'm gonna make it! :awesome:

"

Now to see if it ends like this:

Not to alarm you, but that's metaphorically how my exams ended last year :p:

Although I found that I didn't really care that the last exam was a total trainwreck because it was all over.

Hope yours doesn't end up like that! :smile:

Reply 291

Sockpirate

15

Original post by Topaz_eyes

Well done! I enjoyed your facebook status a lot :tongue:

I've been questioning my DoS about this for a while - there is an appeals process, but I think your DoS does it on your behalf. If the exams were that bad, they'll be more lenient - they need some people to stay for Part III. Also, I'm sure you did better than you thought :smile:

Ha, thanks :biggrin:

yeah, I've emailed my DoS. Oh well, just got to wait and see how things turn out...
Good luck for today! Almost free!

Reply 292

Onee-chan

1

*Warning: rant, please ignore*

Gah MIMS is so hard!!! I can never figure out what the essay wants, it seems really obvious to say like only include relevant detail. But for broad ones, apparently certain topics are given priority over others (even though they are all arguably equally relevant). For specifics, other things that are arguably relevant are apparently not. To top it up, the lecture notes this year have basically powerpoint printoffs. FML.

/Rant over.

Reply 293

Rob da Mop

15

Original post by Topaz_eyes

Me too... I feel like I'm done but I'm not! Just one more to go, and today's exams went surprisingly okay/well! You could try reading outside? Just tell your friends to go away for a few days :tongue:

Yeah, my social life for this weekend is going to be a rowing outing and chapel :rolleyes:

Reply 294

Smaug123

15

It feels a bit out of place to rant about a Part IA exam, but the first maths paper was horrendous - the usual applied questions weren't there, and all the questions were a bit harder than usual :frown:

at least they made up for it with the second paper!
Also, why does Strawberry Fair have to happen loudly this weekend right outside my college? :frown:

Reply 295

ratio

2

Original post by Onee-chan

*Warning: rant, please ignore*

Gah MIMS is so hard!!! I can never figure out what the essay wants, it seems really obvious to say like only include relevant detail. But for broad ones, apparently certain topics are given priority over others (even though they are all arguably equally relevant). For specifics, other things that are arguably relevant are apparently not. To top it up, the lecture notes this year have basically powerpoint printoffs. FML.

/Rant over.

That word evokes fear in every medic I know. Good luck, you are not alone!

Original post by Smaug123

It feels a bit out of place to rant about a Part IA exam, but the first maths paper was horrendous - the usual applied questions weren't there, and all the questions were a bit harder than usual :frown:

at least they made up for it with the second paper!
Also, why does Strawberry Fair have to happen loudly this weekend right outside my college? :frown:

Rough first exams seem to be the trend this year. Sat my second one today and it was nicer than the first.

Nap time. :yawn:

Reply 296

wibletg

3

Original post by ratio

Rough first exams seem to be the trend this year. Sat my second one today and it was nicer than the first.

Nap time. :yawn:

Damnit - I wanted a reasonable first paper :tongue:

Reply 297

around

13

Original post by Craghyrax

What sort of exams are these? I'm struggling to imagine a scenario in which I'd ever be induced to sit an exam unless something rode on it...

Part III maths when I'm not doing a PhD (immediately) next year.

Reply 298

Nichrome

18

Original post by Sockpirate

Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! However not too pleased with how exams went overall. Everyone agreed that they were all horrible exams, but they don't scale the materials exams, so it doesn't really make a difference as to how difficult they were... I need a 2:1 to stay for 4th year - anyone know what the procedure is in the case of narrowly missing the grade you need to stay? :erm:

I'd say you don't need to worry. I know loads of people who progressed to part III natsci subjects with 2.2s. And some even with thirds. I'm sure you'll have gotten at least 2.1 anyway!

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Reply 299

camaieu

14

Original post by ratio

Rough first exams seem to be the trend this year. Sat my second one today and it was nicer than the first.