Exam Preparation and Planning
Exam Preparation and Planning
Exam Preparation and Planning
1. Foreword
2. Before your exams
3. During your exams
4. After your exams
5. Further reading
1. Foreword
University examinations take place in the first few weeks of the Summer term.
These exams are designed to allow you to demonstrate the knowledge and
understanding of a topic that you have developed over the preceding
weeks/months/terms of a module. As such, exams represent the climax of a
much longer process of learning. The purpose of this leaflet is to give you
some hints, tips and information about how, and when, you might choose to
prepare for your examinations academically, mentally, practically and
physically. The advice is arranged chronologically, both sides of the exam
period. This leaflet does not cover the topic of revision, which is contained in a
separate leaflet.
www.kent.ac.uk/learning
Long ago
As you prepare for your upcoming exams, reflect on, and learn from,
your experience of past exams:
How did you prepare?
How did you get on?
Was your performance good/bad or okay?
What went well? What didnt go so well?
Do you want to repeat the past? Or would you benefit from doing
things differently this time?
Make sure you attend to the practicalities. What exam equipment do you need
Pens? How many? A calculator? Tippex? And allow plenty of extra travel
time. Getting stuck in a traffic jam, or your bus not turning up on time, are poor
excuses for missing the start of an exam. Make sure you bring your student ID
card to the exam. It has your exam number which you will need to find your
www.kent.ac.uk/learning
place on the exam room plan.
Wellbeing
When preparing for exams maintaining physical wellbeing is as important
as mental preparation. An examination is physically as well as mentally
demanding. Eat a balanced, healthy diet; limit alcohol intake; cut down on
caffeine; sleep regularly; exercise regularly. Tiredness, poor nutrition and
stimulants do not enhance intellectual performance.
Maintain your state of physical and mental wellbeing and carry this into
the examination. Practice relaxation techniques, meditation or positive
thinking. Whilst waiting to go in, mix with positive people, or spend quiet
time on your own; avoid those who seem worried or scared as they can
negatively affect your composure.
www.kent.ac.uk/learning
Exams are an endurance event, not a sprint:
Pace yourself
Pause to rest to rest/flex your writing-hand, to close your eyes, to
stretch
Pause to think to ask yourself, Am I still answering the question?
Target your writing. Examiners only give marks for answers to the question
asked not for you demonstrating everything you know about a topic. Keep
your paper tidy and legible, with any scored-through writing, or additions or
insertions, neatly and clearly done. Even the greatest answer is worthless if
the examiner cant decipher it.
At end (10/20 0 minutes)
Make sure all questions have been attempted. Incomplete/partial answers can
pick up valuable extra marks that can make the difference between success
and failure between one grade and the next. Go back and finish incomplete
answers where you overran on time earlier in the exam. A few extra lines
wrapping an answer up can pick up crucial marks.
Read over everything youve written, making any corrections/
deletions/additions as appropriate. Finally, make sure your answer numbering
is accurate and that any jumps, continuations or insertions are clearly
signposted to the examiner.
www.kent.ac.uk/learning
Long after (Last exam 1 year)
While it might seem tempting to push your exams from your mind for another
year once theyre over, its far better to invest some time thinking about your
performance to use the exams as a valuable learning experience.
So, evaluate performance while the exams are still fresh in your memory,
comparing your expectations to our actual results:
Were your results better, or worse, or about what you expected?
Was your experience of the exams reflected in your results?
Were your expectations realistic? (based on the time you spent
preparing)
Regardless of your results, focus on the exams as a positive learning
experience. Ask yourself:
What worked well?
Why did this work well?
What am I going to do in future as a result of this working well
What worked least well for me?
Why didnt this work for me?
What do I plan to do differently next time?
5. Further reading
McMillan, K. & Weyers, J. (2006), The smarter student: skills and strategies for success
at university, Harlow, Pearson.
Orr, F. (1998) How to pass exams: and how to prepare for them with less anxiety, 2nd
edition, St. Leonards, NSW, Allen & Unwin.
Race, P. (2003), How to study: practical tips for students, Oxford, Blackwell
Tracey, E. (2004) The students guide to exam success, London, Open University Press
www.kent.ac.uk/learning