Exam Preparation. When to prepare

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1 Exam Preparation When to prepare University exams are supposed to test how well you understand your subject, not necessarily how much you know. That's why cramming in the last week before the exam may help you to pass, but if you want to do well, you have to be preparing for the exam from Day One of the semester. How to prepare From day one... Be organised right from the beginning. Get into the habit of completing tutorial exercises in advance, reviewing your lecture notes, taking notes from your reading, discussing the topics with fellow students, asking questions in tutorials, reorganising your notes and so on. If you miss a tutorial for whatever reason, make sure that you catch up as soon as possible afterwards. Before the exam Find out what the exam entails. You need to know what topics will be covered, what types of questions to expect, how many questions you have to answer, how the marks will be distributed, how long the exam will be, what equipment to take and so on. If possible, get hold of past exam papers from the Library or from your lecturer.

2 Make a plan. Schedule times for revising your various topics. How many topics do you need to cover? Will some of them take more time? Make sure you allow time to review each topic before the exam. Be active! Your learning needs to be highly interactive. Revision does not mean just reading through your notes. It means using your highlighter (not in library books!), making notes of your notes, drawing diagrams, testing yourself. You can try writing summaries of the main points; covering up the diagrams and charts and trying to reproduce them; making your own visual cues and concept maps (sometimes it's easier to remember the way something looks). Being active also means practising questions from former papers - not just looking at them, but actually planning your answers and writing them out! You can make up your own questions too, and practise on those. Be analytical! University exams are usually designed to test more than how much you know. Your lecturer wants to know how well you can apply your knowledge - how well you can think. So, above all, revising means thinking analytically. That means thinking around and about your topic and asking yourself questions like: Keep calm! How does this topic relate to others in this unit? What are the similarities and differences between this topic (or theory, or point of view, or...) and others? What examples can I think of to illustrate this? What if... happened, how would that affect the topic? What are the advantages and disadvantages of...? What are the problems involved, and how could they be solved? Why does... happen? (What are the causes and effects?) Where can... be applied, and where not? The more you think analytically, the more you will understand your topic and the more easily you will be able to answer the questions. Make sure you have a good night's sleep beforehand (or as good as possible!) and that you are as 'centred' as possible. Avoid unnecessary last minute panics. For example, make sure you know where the exam room is and when the exam starts!

3 Also, check which electronic devices are permitted in the exam (eg. mobile phones, smart phones, ipods, headphones, etc are not permitted in exams). If you have any questions about what materials are allowed in the exam, make sure that you check with the tutor before the exam. In the exam Answer the questions. Make sure you answer the question directly and not a question from the practice exam or a previous year s paper. The most common mistake in exams is that students don't read the questions carefully. Questions usually include: a topic a direction word (e.g. explain, discuss, gives the reasons why, describe, analyse...) some limiting words (which tell you what aspect of the topic to address) Students often make the mistake of writing down everything they know about the topic, instead of thinking about the direction word and the limiting words. e.g. `Discuss the interrelationship between the three levels of government in Australia.' Here the topic is 'three levels of Government in Australia', but the limiting words are 'the interrelationship' and the direction word is 'discuss'. Therefore to list all the attributes of the three levels of government would be wrong. Rather, it is important to discuss (ie compare the roles of the three layers and show how they overlap or link together; talk about the problems and advantages of this) and to focus on the interrelationships rather than all the particular details. Remember - detail can be important to support ideas, but analytical thinking is more important. Plan your answers. Spend time thinking about your answers before you begin to write. For essay questions, spend 5 minutes just organising your ideas and writing an outline. This will help you to write a coherent essay with a good introduction and conclusion. Summing up and making a general comment in your conclusion is particularly important. Write clearly. It's probably better to write a bit less and to write legibly. Bad hand-writing can be very annoying to markers. Use your time wisely. Make sure that you plan your time carefully. This is particularly important in essaystyle exams. You should find out how many questions there are and how long you have to answer each. Then keep an eye on your watch.

4 Exam Etiquette Arrive early. Make sure that you check the final exam timetable before the exam. Give yourself plenty of time to get to your exam and take in only what you need. Allow time to park and arrive at the exam room 5 to 10 minutes before the exam starts. If you are unavoidably late, take your seat quickly and quietly. Respect the invigilators. Exam invigilators ensure that your exam runs smoothly. They do not make exam session rules. Please follow their advice and instructions at all times. If you disagree with the enforcement of a rule, contact your Faculty after the exam. Ask permission if you need to leave the room during the exam. Out of courtesy and consideration for other students, please leave and re-enter the exam room quietly. Bring only permitted materials to the exam. Bring your student identification card with you to the exam. Pay close attention to the exam timetable and guidelines. Do not bring into the exam room any materials or texts apart from those that have been permitted. If you have any questions check with your tutor before the exam. Leave electronic devices at home or make sure that you turn them off before the exam starts so they do not disturb yourself or others. Note that if your mobile phone goes off during the exam you will be reported under the student misconduct rules, which may involve penalties. Avoid creating noise. Unnecessary noise distracts your fellow students. Examples of unnecessary noise include clicking, tapping, groaning, sighing, shuffling feet, yawning, etc. Avoid creating visual distractions Unnecessary movement also distracts your fellow students. Examples of unnecessary movement include stretching, playing with pens and pencils, constant movement of feet and legs, etc. Don t eat in the exam room. Unwrapping and eating food distracts your fellow students. If eating cannot be avoided due to health reasons, we ask that you let the invigilator know before you begin your exam.

5 Don t wear perfume or cologne. Some students are very sensitive to certain scents. On the day of your exam, we ask that you refrain from wearing any type of perfume or cologne prior to and during the exam session. Dress comfortably. Dress in layers in the event that the room is a little cooler or warmer than you anticipated. Although the very best is done to ensure that the temperature of the exam rooms are reasonable, individual sensitivities may require that you adjust your clothing during the exam. Special considerations In some cases, arrangements can be made for students to have extra time in exams. For example, students who have a disability may be eligible. The Student Services Centre can tell you more about this. Acknowledgements: This handout was prepared using materials developed by Kate Wilson. FOR MORE INFORMATION T E asc@canberra.edu.au W