|
|
|
|
|
Exam writing is a skill you can learn - doing well can have as much to do with technique as with preparation. The following may seem like common sense, but common sense can be the first thing to go when looking down the barrel of exam week.
This is the most important thing by far. If you are well rested, you will think more clearly, remember better, and will be more able to solve problems and think creatively. Don't pull an all-nighter; you'll be fuzzy, stressed and irritable. Being alert is your greatest asset.
Establish the location of the exam venue well ahead of time. Make sure you know how to get there with the minimum of stress. Visit the exam venue a few days before and familiarise yourself with the physical surroundings. Knowing where you need to be and arriving on time will allow you to remain calm and relaxed.
For some perverse reason, many students seem to enjoy stressing each other out just before the exam. A suggestion: stand apart from the main scrum of students.
Your stomach might be in knots and you feel you couldn't eat a thing. But if you don't eat, halfway through the exam you'll find yourself feeling tired and hungry, and losing concentration. Compromise: eat some easily digestible, solid food like rice, bread, savoury biscuits or bananas. Keep coffee and chocolate to a minimum as these will only give a short boost. What you need is staying power.
Of course, a major aspect of being prepared is studying for your exam.
Confidence is a state of mind; calm, collected, and able to handle challenges. So, you've arrived at the exam with good preparation, a good night's sleep and having eaten something. You are on time, and have actively avoided panicky chit-chat. What now?
The calmer, more relaxed you are, the more alert you'll be. Panic only gets in the way; if you are too nervous, you'll be too agitated to concentrate. On the other hand, if you are too casual, you won't be alert. The target is somewhere in the middle: the right amount of stress keeps you on your toes, helping you think clearly and effectively.
Focus on relaxing yourself:
This technique is useful either before or during the exam.
Getting a feel for the exam as a whole. Read through the entire exam before you start. This gives you a feel for what you need to do and the time constraints involved. It is extremely important to understand the questions. Read carefully and slowly, and consider what you are being asked to do. Few questions require you to write everything you've ever read about a certain topic, so look for the clue words in the question. These will give you a strong indication of how they want you to answer the question.
If you are allowed to hold a pen during the reading period, underline the clue words in short answer and essay questions. Doing this will provide guidelines for answering when you return to the question later. If the exam does not have a reading period, still spend the first few minutes reading the questions.
Another common sense-ism which cannot be overstated: Read the directions! There is nothing worse than getting to the end of the exam and suddenly realising that you were supposed to answer two questions in Part A when you had instead written just one masterpiece. Exam writing is a game - you are being tested as much for your ability to follow directions as for your handling of the material itself.
During your initial read-through, locate the 'easy' and 'hard' questions. The golden rule is to start with the easy ones. Don't do the hard ones first to get them out of the way. What you'll find is that the hard ones get in your way, slowing you down and stressing you out. Answering an easy question increases your confidence, helps get you thinking and triggers your memory. This might help you to remember information for those 'difficult' questions.
As you read through the exam, look at how marks are allocated. The number of marks given to a particular question will give you an indication of how much time to spend on it. For example, in a 90-minute exam with 90 multiple choice questions, you should average one question per minute. You may be able to answer some questions more quickly, buying extra time to devote to the trickier ones.
Use a similar system with essay answers. Look at the number of marks per question, how they are distributed, how many questions you have to answer and ration your time accordingly. It may be helpful to make a note of how much time you should give to each question. Once you decide on your time outline, stick to it. Watch the clock, and once the allocated time has elapsed, stop there and move onto the next question.
If you haven't finished, leave lots of space in the exam booklet. Sometimes, you will answer the questions more quickly than the time allocated. If you have any extra time at the end (or during the revision period) you can return and answer it more fully.
Here's another tip: don't leave the exam early. If you have extra time, use it to revise or to think more deeply about one of the harder questions. Make use of all the allocated time-it's worth it.
Exam writing is an active process. You are there to think, assess, make judgements, and to concisely answer questions. Simple regurgitation will only get you so far.
Exam Success, Charles Sturt University
Exam Tactics, James Cook University Learning Centre
Ten Tips for Surviving Finals Week, University of Pennsylvania
Surviving Exams, The University of Western Australia
Surviving Tests and Exams, Curtin University Library
Examinations, Curtin University
Surviving Exam Time, Rutgers University
Learning Centre Guides