Below are some housekeeping rules to keep you in line and focused for the inevitable…exam time! Stick to these tips early on in the semester for optimal learning and to save you from melt down in the lead up to exams.

Hint: if your exam is this week or next week, this section may not entirely be applicable, so you need to grab your study tips and spring in to action.

• Suss out your course outlines for as much information as possible about tests and exams - sometimes you don’t get specific dates, but you can at least find out when the exam block falls or what percentage you exams account for - every detail counts in both preparing your mind and motivating you.
• Record exam dates in your diary/calendar/mobile phone/computer/facebook events and anywhere else that will assist you in managing your time, which is half the battle in coping with exam pressure.
• Scope the details of the exam such as duration, structure, and examinable content, and of course, pay attention to tips given in tutorials and lectures throughout the course.
• Plan intermediate revision time where you look over class notes and course materials to boost your memory along the way instead of relying on your short-term memory bank to grasp it all at the end.
• Review study tasks and tests/exams that you have completed throughout the course, especially those questions that you did not do so well on.
• Ask the professor/tutor for help when you don’t understand something. It’s better to work it out earlier so that you can fully understand well before exam time
• Practice various question types such as multiple choice, short answer, long answer, essays and so on.  It never hurts to time yourself as per exam conditions. It’s a good habit to get in to so that you learn to answer succinctly and quickly - remember that its quality not quantity!

Go back to How to Study for Exams