E1 Effective Exam Preparation

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SurvivalGuide
EFFECTIVE EXAM PREPARATION
Exams are a certainty for most university Focus on understanding the main ideas/
students, so here are a few tips on how to concepts you have just studied. Ask
prepare for them. yourself who/why/what/how questions and
try to answer with as much detail as
1. Start revising early and space out your possible. Use mind maps or flow charts to
study show links between theories/models/
It’s best to start learning the material you frameworks.
will need for your exams early on. Research 3. Test yourself regularly and practice
shows it is more effective to split study time under exam conditions
over multiple sessions rather than
cramming study into big blocks of time. Don’t just read through your notes. Instead,
Importantly, you should keep revisiting the regularly retrieve information from your
same material. The more often you are memory. The process of calling information
exposed to a piece of information, the more to mind consolidates that information in our
likely it will be stored in long-term memory. brains. Active recall is when you put your
Keep revisiting the material as it gets closer notes away and test what you know. This
to exam time. will feel hard at first, but you should slowly
build up until you can recall a lot of
information from memory.
Test yourself at the end of every study
session. Use questions provided for you or
develop your own quiz for each topic.

TIP

You can find past exam papers for some


units, but not all. To check, type your unit
2. Use effective learning strategies
code into OneSearch and speak with your
Did you know that reading over your notes tutor to ensure what you find is relevant.
and highlighting are some of the least
effective study strategies? Read our
survival guide on Memorising so you can
employ effective study strategies instead. Completing past exam papers shows you
Some include: the types of questions that might be in your
exam. It’s also an opportunity to test your
Use concrete examples to help you knowledge and understanding of definitions,
understand and remember abstract ideas. concepts, etc. presented in your units.
For example, if you are studying a particular Furthermore, it will give you experience in
theory, you may like to think about how it answering questions in the time allotted for
plays out in practice and generate two key the exam.
examples.

Exams 1
Concentrating and staying motivated Look after yourself
Keep in mind that we are not actually very The study break and exam period is a
good at multitasking. In fact, often when we stressful time for most people. Therefore, it
think we are multitasking, we are actually is really important that you focus on your
rapidly switching between tasks. wellbeing. While you are studying:
Importantly, research shows that switching
like this impairs performance on both of the  Take regular breaks to help manage
tasks. It is also best to minimise distractions stress.
while you are studying because they can  Leave some time each day for
interfere with the memory-encoding enjoyable and relaxing activities, e.g.,
process. spend some time outdoors, take a hot
Choose a quiet place to study, turn off your bath, meditate, play with a pet, or call
phone or leave it in the next room, close a close friend or family member for a
down any web browsers and focus on the chat.
task at hand.  Maintain good nutrition for consistent
It you are struggling to concentrate, try the energy and general wellbeing.
Pomodoro method: study for 25
uninterrupted minutes, then take a short  Avoid all-nighters. Sleep is essential
break. After four of these blocks, take a for memory consolidation and mood
longer break. Short bursts are more management.
achievable and effective.
 Exercise regularly to relieve stress
and improve cognitive function.

TIP

If you feel anxious on the day:


 Take deep breaths (breathe in for 3
and out for 4 counts a few times) —
taking deep breaths counteracts the
body’s stress response;
 Start with the sections of the exam
you feel most comfortable with; and
 Say something positive and
encouraging to yourself.

Like this Survival Guide? Why not check out more of our guides...
Exam Essays, Multiple Choice Exams, Open Book Exams, Memorising, Tests and Quizzes.

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