(adapted
by Sally Kuhlenschmidt from Patty Randolph materials)
Getting Ready for Exams
Weekly Planning-- Allow
extra time in your weekly schedule for extra study.
Plan Your Attack on
the Material--Make a cursory outline of all that is to be covered and days
on which to study.
Make Sure Your Worry
is Constructive!--It's constructive if it reminds you to do something you
might have overlooked; it's destructive if you worry about things you cannot
control.
Study Intensively--"If
you only casually look at your material, you will only casually remember
it."
Think about your material,
don't merely memorize it. If you can see the overall organization, it is
easier to remember the details.
Rework Notes, Don't
Merely Recopy.
Outline the chapters
as you read them. Highlighting is too easy to do automatically, without
thought.
Don't Reread Things
You Already Know-- but don't assume you know it.
Test yourself-- after
you read a paragraph, cover it over and rephrase the material, then check
to see if you got it right.
Think of questions
you would ask on the exam
Recite-Recite-Recite.
Overlearn.
Study in the Classroom
where you will be tested. It helps recall.
Study old exams if
the professor makes them available. Try to understand why a particular answer
was correct or incorrect. Ask if you aren't sure.
Talk to people who
have had the class or the professor. Learn about the exams. Ask several
people because opinions differ.
Know yourself! Do you
learn better studying alone or in a group? Groups are generally useful only
after you have mastered the basics on your own.
Remind yourself of
why this information is or could be imporant to you. Humanities courses
pay big dividends when you achieve that higher-level position-- they give
you perspective, judgement, and analytical abilities. They also help you
to appreciate life.
The Night
Before the Exam
Give yourself positive
self-talk.
Review calmly.
Get as much sleep as
you need to feel good.
Don't stay up all night!
Don't cram!
Watch out for interference
from other similar material-- Try to do your studying for similar content
classes at an earlier time.
Find a reason to enjoy
the material and study for the enjoyment. You have to know it, you might
as well like knowing it.
Make studying fun--
give yourself a safe reinforcer (not food-- too easy to gain weight) for
each concept understood; imagine yourself winning on jeopardy; envision
the president asking for your opinion on the material.
Going To The
Exam
Relax before going-
Do some habitual activity that calms you; try a relaxation exercise.
Jog for 5 minutes to
get your blood circulating and make yourself feel better.
Sugary foods will give
you a short, higher energy level, but then a dip. Time it carefully.
Don't go to the exam
room early--jitters are catching.
Taking the
Exam
Learn to moderate your
energy level so it is optimal-- Relax if too excited, excite if too relaxed.
To calm yourself, shut
your eyes and breath slowly and deeply while thinking about a beautiful
scene, such as an island.
Take a moment first
to plot your strategy--how much time for each section, remind yourself of
the tips on this page, record that tricky equasion or concept that won't
stick in your head for long.
Read the general directions
carefully, underlining pertinent sections.
Move swiftly through
the items until you find one you can answer easily, then continue answering
the ones you know. Move to the next tier of easiness and so on.
Keep an eye out for
double-negatives in the questions
Watch your time, leave
more for the harder questions.
Attempt every question!
Taking an
Objective Test
If an
answer is not immediately evident to you
Remember, memory
lapses are NORMAL; don't panic because you will have the following techniques
to help you remember.
Don't look at the
answers-- try to supply your own answer and then look. If none match your
choice, re-read the question-- perhaps you misunderstood it.
Go on to other questions,
they may cue you to remember a concept
Narrow down to fewer
choices by eliminating the obviously incorrect answer(s)
Look for key words,
such as ALL, EVERY, NEVER, ALWAYS
For many people,
the first choice is usually correct-- check your own record.
If all else fails,
guess! Take advantage of chance.
Writing
an Essay Exam
Look for optional
questions (if any) and understand what the options are. Points are often
lost by students who haven't followed the directions.
Read allof
the questions before starting to answer them.
Understand what you
are asked to do; how does "define" differ from "compare" differ from "contrast",
from "justify" etc.
Make a rough outline
of what you want to cover after your first reading.
Read the question
again and check that your outline will answer the question. It
won't help you to answer some other question than the one asked.
Plan your time allocation
for answering and stick to it. Allocate time by the number of points assigned
to a question, not the number of questions. More points-- take more time
to write it.
Write legibly-- have
margins, write on every other line. Your professors eyes are tired when
grading this-- make it easier on the professor and you won't generate
irritability.
If you are feeling
anxious, do a short, easy item first. Be sure to check it again later
when you are feeling calmer.
If an item is ambiguous,
begin with your interpretation of the meaning of the question.
Mere quantity is
insufficient. Listen to your writing instructors and apply those lessons
to your essay question-- it's all about communicating your ideas to someone
else.
Don't leave a question
blank-- No answer guarantees no points. A partial answer may at
least earn you something.
Don't waste time
on emotional reactions. Gripe later.
Watch your time.
Save time for checking
your answers (and space for insertions or additions).