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Final Exam
Kelly has always been afraid of final exams. Now she's scared to death.
Something strange has been going on all week....something weird. It started with someone playing a few pranks on her at school. Trashing her locker. Stealing her purse. Then the pranks turned deadly.
Someone doesn't want Kelly to graduate. They've prepared a special final exam, just for her. And she'd better not have any wrong answers ... because her life depends on it.
Something strange has been going on all week....something weird. It started with someone playing a few pranks on her at school. Trashing her locker. Stealing her purse. Then the pranks turned deadly.
Someone doesn't want Kelly to graduate. They've prepared a special final exam, just for her. And she'd better not have any wrong answers ... because her life depends on it.
202 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1990
6 people are currently reading
1031 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
May 11, 2021
4.5 Fun Stars ⭐️
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
May 2, 2020
Point Horror? More like, Point-less Horror!
October 31, 2012
When it comes to 80's and 90's YA horror, I have read a lot of Fear Street--I daresay I've read most of Fear Street--but only a few in the subgenre that weren't from Stine. One of those few is Final Exam, which I believe I originally read sometime between 2004 and 2006. I recently picked up a copy at a semi-local thrift store, and so here I am reading it again in 2012.
Final Exam is in most ways incredibly similar to the less supernaturally-inclined installments of the Fear Street franchise, and as most of my familiarity with the 80's and 90's teen-horror scene is through that franchise, the best way for me to express my opinion of Final Exam is to compare it to what I've been reading lately.
Imagine Final Exam as a Fear Street plot placed in the hands of a writer other than Stine. It's really an interesting study at its core; the plot of Final Exam is incredibly similar to one of Stine's plots. All the same elements are there:
1) the Everygirl protagonist
2) the gorgeous and popular sister
3) the gorgeous but possibly dangerous love interest
4) the loyal but increasingly suspicious best friend
5) the abusive ex-boyfriend with anger management issues and stalker tendencies
6) the "sixth ranger"--i.e., that other guy
The Everygirl Protagonist
In Fear Street installments, the main characters are almost entirely interchangeable. They are as devoid of personality as Bella Swan, and their taste in men is just as terrible (but more on that later). Final Exam suffers similarly; Kelly's personality is just "normal girl". It's Kelly's passion that sets her apart from Stine protagonists.
While Stine tried every once in a while to make his protagonists unique from one another, he opted for the physical or circumstantial. They might be exceptionally beautiful yet still unpopular. Others might be sporty or (referred to as) smart. Many were "the new girl". One was blind.
Kelly is a mechanic. That shouldn't be as mind-blowing as it is, but Bates actually bothered to give his character a passion and a skill, something she enjoys and does besides boys. After reading about the same guy-obsessed vapid Girl Next Door over and over again in Stine's books, it's refreshing to see a girl who at least has something to define her, if only a tiny something.
The Gorgeous and Popular Sister
Susan is Kelly's younger sister. She's got looks and friends, and she's a cheerleader. She's also clearly hopelessly jealous and more than a little spiteful. There were definitely a few Susans in the Fear Street series, and when they appeared, they were likely to be the stalker/killers.
The Gorgeous But Possibly Dangerous Love Interest
Tad is the cheerleader-chasing rich boy who takes an unexpected interest in Kelly. He's also the top of his class and a sports stars of the school, driven to succeed and exceptionally pressured by his father.
Tads are exceedingly common in Fear Street, especially as love interests. The town of Shadyside can be assumed to be brimming with rich guys dating poor girls, driven male valedictorians, and mash-ups of the two.
Lucky for Tad, however, he escaped the fate of many of them: being an abusive bastard and/or raving lunatic.
This character is quite often the stalker/killer, especially if the protagonist doesn't suspect him. (If she does, it's probably the rival love interest.)
The Loyal But Increasingly Suspicious Friend
Every Everygirl starts out with a best friend. An Everyfriend, if you will. (Or, if you're of the more obnoxious sort, an Everybestie.) At the beginning of the story, these two girls will invariably have been friends for years and seem as loyal to one another as can be.
This will almost invariably unravel over the course of the story, causing our Everygirl to suspect, if only vaguely, that the Everyfriend might be the stalker/killer. And if the Everygirl never suspects... well, in that case, the Everyfriend probably did it because UNEXPECTEDPLOTTWISTLIKEWHOA.
Kelly and Talia opt for the "vague suspicion" route.
The Abusive Ex-Boyfriend
This guy. Fuck this guy. This is the ex-boyfriend who threatens, stalks, and abuses the Everygirl until she can't take it anymore--if she's lucky.
If she's not lucky, this guy is ten times worse. He'll be instead the Abusive Current Boyfriend and will make the protagonist's life a living hell, all while she explains to the reader how his jealous and threats of violence make her feel special.
This is the character that makes me hate R.L. Stine books.
Danny is Final Exam's incarnation of this character, and thankfully he turns out better than most.
The Other Guy
Insert who or whatever you need here. No personality needed! Have a vacant boyfriend spot? Need an "outsider" friend? Slip him (and it's always a him) right in here, and he'll fit perfectly. He only needs to show up for a few lines, and he can even be the surprise killer if you want--as long as you mention him in the beginning!
Final Exam's Other Guy is Jeffrey, Talia the Everyfriend's boyfriend. He shows up for a chapter or two towards the end.
And that's just the characters. The plots are also exceptionally formulaic. The books open with teenagers doing normal teenage things; stressing about school, friends, and romance as they struggle with jobs, parents, and sometimes even the law.
And then shit starts to get real.
Well, sort of. There's nothing particularly "real"--that is, true to life--about the way the characters react most of the time. Villains lose their minds at the drop of a dime, teens stumble into (and back out of--alive!) multiple attempts on their lives, and no one--not the teens, the parents, or the teachers--bothers to call the police.
There's a distinct disconnect between these books and reality; the teens here are living in a silly, overly-dramatized version of the '80s and early '90s that lets them live ridiculously dangerous and exciting lives while facing none of the consequences. Grades don't suffer from the mental stress. Attacks and threats aren't reported. Parents, teachers, and police don't notice exceptionally obvious problems. Mental illness is an explanation for villainy and is rarely treated. Multiple life-threatening events never impact the victim's psyche. Animals exist only so they can die in grotesque threats (and dead animals shoved into school lockers are never noticed by staff). The list goes on and on.
And yet I can't pretend it doesn't work. These over-dramatic elements serve their purpose; they hold the attention of young teens, and they make for a fast-paced and easy read. There's a reason that so many of these were churned out by Stine, Cooney, Pike, and others--they sold. In spite of the formulaic plots, the cliche characters, and every other flaw inherent to the genre, even I have to admit... Final Exam and its brethren are more than a little addicting.
Final Exam is in most ways incredibly similar to the less supernaturally-inclined installments of the Fear Street franchise, and as most of my familiarity with the 80's and 90's teen-horror scene is through that franchise, the best way for me to express my opinion of Final Exam is to compare it to what I've been reading lately.
Imagine Final Exam as a Fear Street plot placed in the hands of a writer other than Stine. It's really an interesting study at its core; the plot of Final Exam is incredibly similar to one of Stine's plots. All the same elements are there:
1) the Everygirl protagonist
2) the gorgeous and popular sister
3) the gorgeous but possibly dangerous love interest
4) the loyal but increasingly suspicious best friend
5) the abusive ex-boyfriend with anger management issues and stalker tendencies
6) the "sixth ranger"--i.e., that other guy
The Everygirl Protagonist
In Fear Street installments, the main characters are almost entirely interchangeable. They are as devoid of personality as Bella Swan, and their taste in men is just as terrible (but more on that later). Final Exam suffers similarly; Kelly's personality is just "normal girl". It's Kelly's passion that sets her apart from Stine protagonists.
While Stine tried every once in a while to make his protagonists unique from one another, he opted for the physical or circumstantial. They might be exceptionally beautiful yet still unpopular. Others might be sporty or (referred to as) smart. Many were "the new girl". One was blind.
Kelly is a mechanic. That shouldn't be as mind-blowing as it is, but Bates actually bothered to give his character a passion and a skill, something she enjoys and does besides boys. After reading about the same guy-obsessed vapid Girl Next Door over and over again in Stine's books, it's refreshing to see a girl who at least has something to define her, if only a tiny something.
The Gorgeous and Popular Sister
Susan is Kelly's younger sister. She's got looks and friends, and she's a cheerleader. She's also clearly hopelessly jealous and more than a little spiteful. There were definitely a few Susans in the Fear Street series, and when they appeared, they were likely to be the stalker/killers.
The Gorgeous But Possibly Dangerous Love Interest
Tad is the cheerleader-chasing rich boy who takes an unexpected interest in Kelly. He's also the top of his class and a sports stars of the school, driven to succeed and exceptionally pressured by his father.
Tads are exceedingly common in Fear Street, especially as love interests. The town of Shadyside can be assumed to be brimming with rich guys dating poor girls, driven male valedictorians, and mash-ups of the two.
Lucky for Tad, however, he escaped the fate of many of them: being an abusive bastard and/or raving lunatic.
This character is quite often the stalker/killer, especially if the protagonist doesn't suspect him. (If she does, it's probably the rival love interest.)
The Loyal But Increasingly Suspicious Friend
Every Everygirl starts out with a best friend. An Everyfriend, if you will. (Or, if you're of the more obnoxious sort, an Everybestie.) At the beginning of the story, these two girls will invariably have been friends for years and seem as loyal to one another as can be.
This will almost invariably unravel over the course of the story, causing our Everygirl to suspect, if only vaguely, that the Everyfriend might be the stalker/killer. And if the Everygirl never suspects... well, in that case, the Everyfriend probably did it because UNEXPECTEDPLOTTWISTLIKEWHOA.
Kelly and Talia opt for the "vague suspicion" route.
The Abusive Ex-Boyfriend
This guy. Fuck this guy. This is the ex-boyfriend who threatens, stalks, and abuses the Everygirl until she can't take it anymore--if she's lucky.
If she's not lucky, this guy is ten times worse. He'll be instead the Abusive Current Boyfriend and will make the protagonist's life a living hell, all while she explains to the reader how his jealous and threats of violence make her feel special.
This is the character that makes me hate R.L. Stine books.
Danny is Final Exam's incarnation of this character, and thankfully he turns out better than most.
The Other Guy
Insert who or whatever you need here. No personality needed! Have a vacant boyfriend spot? Need an "outsider" friend? Slip him (and it's always a him) right in here, and he'll fit perfectly. He only needs to show up for a few lines, and he can even be the surprise killer if you want--as long as you mention him in the beginning!
Final Exam's Other Guy is Jeffrey, Talia the Everyfriend's boyfriend. He shows up for a chapter or two towards the end.
And that's just the characters. The plots are also exceptionally formulaic. The books open with teenagers doing normal teenage things; stressing about school, friends, and romance as they struggle with jobs, parents, and sometimes even the law.
And then shit starts to get real.
Well, sort of. There's nothing particularly "real"--that is, true to life--about the way the characters react most of the time. Villains lose their minds at the drop of a dime, teens stumble into (and back out of--alive!) multiple attempts on their lives, and no one--not the teens, the parents, or the teachers--bothers to call the police.
There's a distinct disconnect between these books and reality; the teens here are living in a silly, overly-dramatized version of the '80s and early '90s that lets them live ridiculously dangerous and exciting lives while facing none of the consequences. Grades don't suffer from the mental stress. Attacks and threats aren't reported. Parents, teachers, and police don't notice exceptionally obvious problems. Mental illness is an explanation for villainy and is rarely treated. Multiple life-threatening events never impact the victim's psyche. Animals exist only so they can die in grotesque threats (and dead animals shoved into school lockers are never noticed by staff). The list goes on and on.
And yet I can't pretend it doesn't work. These over-dramatic elements serve their purpose; they hold the attention of young teens, and they make for a fast-paced and easy read. There's a reason that so many of these were churned out by Stine, Cooney, Pike, and others--they sold. In spite of the formulaic plots, the cliche characters, and every other flaw inherent to the genre, even I have to admit... Final Exam and its brethren are more than a little addicting.
January 5, 2017
Great little Point Horror book! I had no idea up until it was revealed at the very end on who the perp was. Its finals week for the Seniors and the main character is up to her ears in worries. She wants to do very well but someone wants her to fail. After a series of mishaps and what seem to be accidents her attention is finally captured. Is someone doing this on purpose, is someone trying to hurt her? I was intrigued. It may be a short book but sometimes those are some of the best reads!
May 19, 2021
This was ok. For an 80's/90's YA horror it glanced over a couple of genuine YA themes, but then in the next chapter our protagonist completely lost the maturity level she was meant to be aiming for and showed herself to be a dumbarse. Oh well, you can't win them all.
2.5 stars, but bumped up to 3 for not giving us the insta-love ending we would usually get.
2.5 stars, but bumped up to 3 for not giving us the insta-love ending we would usually get.
May 21, 2012
other than the book being pretty decent. Did any of you actually look at the cover?
Final Exam
if you fail you will die
The name of the school is
COLUMBINE HIGH
columbine 1999
Final Exam
if you fail you will die
The name of the school is
COLUMBINE HIGH
columbine 1999
October 24, 2022
Bad Guy steals a test and tries to frame the protag bc she…has his book
Eh this one isn’t really a thriller OR horror tbh
Eh this one isn’t really a thriller OR horror tbh
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2024
2024
2020
Kelly is great with cars, but people are a puzzle to her. She spends most of this book with an unknown assailant; someone keeps playing pranks on her and they are getting increasingly worse. She's uncertain just how far someone would go to get back at her. But for what? She can't figure out what she did to someone to make them so mad at her.
Very intriguing premises. I never did figure out who the perpetrator was, not until the very end when they revealed themselves. I loved watching the mystery unfold. Each time another incident happened, I was completely intrigued by who it could be. Plus, seeing from their side, with Kelly meeting with the principal (Kelly was fixing the principal's car, but to the assailant, it looked like they were meeting to try and catch the perpetrator).
2019
2015
2020
Kelly is great with cars, but people are a puzzle to her. She spends most of this book with an unknown assailant; someone keeps playing pranks on her and they are getting increasingly worse. She's uncertain just how far someone would go to get back at her. But for what? She can't figure out what she did to someone to make them so mad at her.
Very intriguing premises. I never did figure out who the perpetrator was, not until the very end when they revealed themselves. I loved watching the mystery unfold. Each time another incident happened, I was completely intrigued by who it could be. Plus, seeing from their side, with Kelly meeting with the principal (Kelly was fixing the principal's car, but to the assailant, it looked like they were meeting to try and catch the perpetrator).
2019
2015
May 14, 2022
First things first, I enjoyed Final Exam so much better than The Dead Game. Being an earlier book by Auline Bates, I was wondering if I would be disappointed but I was pleasantly surprised that this seemed stronger. I ended up liking the characters just like the previous book but this really worked in throwing me off just a bit in figuring out who was the antagonist.
Kelly is the kind of girl who isn't really into dating but give her a classic car to fix and she is in her comfort zone. She's the tomboy compared to her younger sister Susan but like any other student...Kelly is not fond of final exams. This is different...it's her senior year and it could dictate her future for college whether she passes or fails.
Academics aside, this should still be the best time of her life but Kelly's got an enemy. First, her classic Thunderbird is egged and then her locker is filled with Cheez-Whiz (of course called something off brand like Cheez-Pleez but still the same aerosol cheese). Hah-ha juvenile senior pranks right?
Next her purse is stolen but quickly recovered with nothing missing but soon the jokes are nothing to laugh at when it seems that Kelly's enemy is out to make sure her final exams not only take away any chance for college but her own life as well.
Kelly can't even trust her sister or her best friend Talia and her boyfriend Jeff, could it be her ex Danny with his temper or is it rich boy Tad, with his sudden interest in Kelly? These are people she has known since junior high or all of her life...or perhaps Kelly doesn't really have all the answers she thought she did. That's the true test and for Kelly it's life or death...
The suspect pool seemed to have better motives presented and you couldn't really pinpoint just who was behind all of this messed up stuff happening to Kelly. As you got closer to the end of the book however it's made crystal clear just who it is. The climax was pretty suspenseful and the ending was not a letdown.
Perhaps not 5 stars or maybe amazing again is a little much but Final Exam is a read I can highly recommend.
Kelly is the kind of girl who isn't really into dating but give her a classic car to fix and she is in her comfort zone. She's the tomboy compared to her younger sister Susan but like any other student...Kelly is not fond of final exams. This is different...it's her senior year and it could dictate her future for college whether she passes or fails.
Academics aside, this should still be the best time of her life but Kelly's got an enemy. First, her classic Thunderbird is egged and then her locker is filled with Cheez-Whiz (of course called something off brand like Cheez-Pleez but still the same aerosol cheese). Hah-ha juvenile senior pranks right?
Next her purse is stolen but quickly recovered with nothing missing but soon the jokes are nothing to laugh at when it seems that Kelly's enemy is out to make sure her final exams not only take away any chance for college but her own life as well.
Kelly can't even trust her sister or her best friend Talia and her boyfriend Jeff, could it be her ex Danny with his temper or is it rich boy Tad, with his sudden interest in Kelly? These are people she has known since junior high or all of her life...or perhaps Kelly doesn't really have all the answers she thought she did. That's the true test and for Kelly it's life or death...
The suspect pool seemed to have better motives presented and you couldn't really pinpoint just who was behind all of this messed up stuff happening to Kelly. As you got closer to the end of the book however it's made crystal clear just who it is. The climax was pretty suspenseful and the ending was not a letdown.
Perhaps not 5 stars or maybe amazing again is a little much but Final Exam is a read I can highly recommend.
October 25, 2024
This was unhinged.. but like, not in a good way.
It might just be that I was really tired, but nothing in this book seemed to make any sense. I think character motivations were a real stretch. The people didn’t behave like real people.
Which I can forgive in a YA novel to some extent. I love camp, I love over the top, I love silly… but this was just ridiculous. Like the author wasn’t even trying anymore l.
It might just be that I was really tired, but nothing in this book seemed to make any sense. I think character motivations were a real stretch. The people didn’t behave like real people.
Which I can forgive in a YA novel to some extent. I love camp, I love over the top, I love silly… but this was just ridiculous. Like the author wasn’t even trying anymore l.
Read
May 31, 2015I found this book in a Little Library outside of a Montessori school. I loved the overly dramatic title font, and the probably-intended-to-be-ominous-but-just-funny tag line. I hadn't read a paperback like this since elementary school, and back then I had been too scared to read any R. L. Stine type horror books, so I picked it up.
As a thriller/horror, this novel falls short, in that it's not particularly scary. At most it comes off as very tense-making in a few places.
However, that's not to say the story wasn't good. I was impressed with how gradual and effective the characterization and exposition was, and how natural the dialogue felt (for the most part, outdated 90s slang not withstanding). The conflict of the protagonists own anxiety, complicated relationship with her sister, and conflicted feelings over her ex-boyfriend, all felt refreshingly realistic. Furthermore, the protagonist was very unconventional for YA (at least as I know it nowadays) -- a girl who wants to be a mechanic and, while not really being good with people, doesn't express particular angst over this.
Although it made the horror/thriller aspect fall a bit flat, what I loved about this book was how low the stakes were. I'm tired of YA where the FATE OF ALL HUMANITY is in the hands of ONE KID and they thus must express lots of anguish over how unfair and cruel it is. A book like this with a gentle touch still manages to communicate some very sweet insights about people.
Overall, a refreshing and enjoyable reading experience.
As a thriller/horror, this novel falls short, in that it's not particularly scary. At most it comes off as very tense-making in a few places.
However, that's not to say the story wasn't good. I was impressed with how gradual and effective the characterization and exposition was, and how natural the dialogue felt (for the most part, outdated 90s slang not withstanding). The conflict of the protagonists own anxiety, complicated relationship with her sister, and conflicted feelings over her ex-boyfriend, all felt refreshingly realistic. Furthermore, the protagonist was very unconventional for YA (at least as I know it nowadays) -- a girl who wants to be a mechanic and, while not really being good with people, doesn't express particular angst over this.
Although it made the horror/thriller aspect fall a bit flat, what I loved about this book was how low the stakes were. I'm tired of YA where the FATE OF ALL HUMANITY is in the hands of ONE KID and they thus must express lots of anguish over how unfair and cruel it is. A book like this with a gentle touch still manages to communicate some very sweet insights about people.
Overall, a refreshing and enjoyable reading experience.
August 13, 2025
It's important to understand how I rate books. I don't rate for quality necessarily but enjoyment. Do I think this dumb horror book is objectively better than LotR or a Pulitzer Prize winning novel? No. Did I enjoy reading it more? Absolutely. Sometimes you get lucky and a book is well-written and exceptional AND fun. But I rate by my enjoyment so take that for what it is.
June 29, 2022
surprisingly solid writing that you don't usually get from YA thriller fare. the story isn't anything particularly original but the characters/their personalities are a hell of a lot better rounded/compelling than I was expecting from a scholastic thriller. Good stuff
September 28, 2017
very good book with a good mystery and a shock at the end
September 18, 2014
Being that this book was written the year I was born (2 months before to be exact), I can't believe I actually enjoyed this book at 24 years old. I actually bought it because I have investigated the Columbine Schooting since 1999 and I thought it was uber weird to see a book written about someone being threatened and almost killed at a school named Columbine High School. The school on the front of the book actually looks a lot like the side of the actual school. It's also super weird that a lot of the books characters are names of victims or people who knew the shooters. (Kelly*victim*,Danny*victim*,Susan*friend and name of shooters mother*,Tad even kind of sounds like Todd, like the lastname of the football player Evan Todd that was let go in the library). I really only read it to see what was up with all of the foreshadowing to the 1999 shooting, but I ended up actually enjoying it quite a bit and am glad that I was able to read it now ,better late than never.
October 26, 2010
Scary, scary, scary, scary, scary! This book is one of the best in the world! It has a little bit of everything in this book. There is: science, realistic ficion, romance, fantasy, etc. You get it. Anyway, Kelly is a bit of a tomboy. She wears a cap, doesn't really like dresses, and adores her dad. Her sister is a beautiful girl, yet her feelings are not shown a lot to Kelly. After all, the family has an invisable line. Dad and Kelly, Susan (sister) and mom. This book is really good, and a bit scary. Warning: not for the very faint-hearted!
July 9, 2017
The story wasn't bad at all it was lacking on horror and not really thrilling. A crazy, paranoid person goes after the main character and plays a few pranks that become more dangerous. It's the usual plot in many of these books yet the author failed to make this book stand out.
September 26, 2008
Awsome book! I read this while taking ISTEP in fifth grade and it is amazing!
August 6, 2025
Things really pick up pace in the second half of Final Exam. Initially the story hinted at a one-dimensional representation of a high schooler, who, unlike other Point leads, is gearing up for life as a mechanic. :) Full acknowledgement to Bates for seeing this through admirably. Not only does Kelly's love of cars continue past the early chapters, but it also plays a key role in the plot's progression and climax.
Using final exam pressure and self-doubt as a secondary (actually, almost elementary) source of suspense throughout the tale adds a credible amount of discomfort that most readers will identify with. In addition, I really liked seeing a kinder portrayal of teachers, .
Overall it seems that Bates really made an effort to move away from the formulaic plots and bland leads we often encounter in these works. Had the mechanics side not been tempered by the academic inclusion, I probably would have been slightly bored, but it was handled very nicely. And I didn't guess the antagonist's identity!
Using final exam pressure and self-doubt as a secondary (actually, almost elementary) source of suspense throughout the tale adds a credible amount of discomfort that most readers will identify with. In addition, I really liked seeing a kinder portrayal of teachers, .
Overall it seems that Bates really made an effort to move away from the formulaic plots and bland leads we often encounter in these works. Had the mechanics side not been tempered by the academic inclusion, I probably would have been slightly bored, but it was handled very nicely. And I didn't guess the antagonist's identity!
October 31, 2022
This was okay, but not really anything special. I was surprised that there wasn't more about the book in it. You'd think that with the book being so super that the owner would kill for it, we would be told more about it 🤔
January 29, 2023
This book sucks, but not in a way that like Uwe Boll movie sucks, where it makes no sense and is for the most part unwatchable, no no this book sucks like an M. Night movie, where it makes no sense, is badly written, has annoying characters, and with a plot so confusing you gotta finish it in hopes it will start making sense. The writer of this story must have been half asleep when she did this because holy crud it was a journey. The only reason I did not give it 0 stars was that the nonsensical schlock was entertaining. Think so bad it's brilliant.
August 8, 2018
In 6th grade I picked up this book thinking that it would be good. I found it to be a struggle getting through the first few chapters. Friday I checked it out again at my local library and again found it to be a struggle to read. There were too many characters to keep track of, there was barely any horror in it & it seems as though the author just slapped the ending together poorly just hurry up & get the book to come to an end. This is one book that I will not be re-reading again.
June 14, 2024
These Point Horror books are great for a little nostalgia. Just like most of the other books, this is an easy, quick campy book. The motivations and sneak peaks into the antagonist's mind are both pretty silly, but you know what you're getting with this type of story.
While it was a bit silly, the motivation isn't too unbelievable, but a little more detail into this character's home life might have made it hit harder.
While it was a bit silly, the motivation isn't too unbelievable, but a little more detail into this character's home life might have made it hit harder.
May 23, 2025
Final Exam kept me on my toes and kept my attention. It was interesting learning about mechanics as this was Kelly, the main character's, passion.
I really enjoyed the storyline, meeting all the different characters and trying to guess who the 'villain' was (I definitely didn't see it coming!)
I definitely recommend reading this Point book.
I really enjoyed the storyline, meeting all the different characters and trying to guess who the 'villain' was (I definitely didn't see it coming!)
I definitely recommend reading this Point book.
September 19, 2022
I'm re-reading a bunch of the 90s Point Horror books that I devoured as a kid and finding them to be pretty vapid. However, Final Exam was one of the better ones with actual character development and decent dialogue.
May 14, 2023
My students would give this four stars; I would give it two stars. So I gave it a 3-star rating as an average. A good book for my lower level middle schoolers. They like this far more than I did. So it appeals to some readers.
August 6, 2023
The Farmer Twins read these YA horror novels in the 90s, and now I'm revisiting them in honor of Aaron.
Final Exam
Final Exam
Kelly, Talia, Tad, Jeffrey, Susan and Denny are in the midst of final exams and things great really dull. This was so boring.
April 2, 2025
This was a decent read. It was not quite what I expected from the title, but it was still entertaining. I thought I knew who the culprit was from the beginning, but was pleasantly surprised that I was very wrong!
December 9, 2025
I'm not sure if I would have liked this better if I were the target audience (which I am decades from being). The italicized chapters written in first POV by the villain were laughable and ridiculous. But it was a quick read that I may just be way too old for.
February 6, 2018
Oops wrong book
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