You know the old saying-no one plans to fail they fail to plan. For most students exams writing is the most stressful part of school. In many cases students are stressed and if you have not been studying properly within the academic year it looks like you are going to fail everything. However the reality is not that bad as you still have some time to increase your exam writing success rate. If you follow the tips below it is hoped that you can gain success on your exam outcomes.
1. Make sure you will collect all lecture notes and related material at least 2 weeks before the exam.
2. 1-2 weeks before the exam talk to your instructors and ask him or her what kind of questions there will be on exam [many of you are aware of the structure of your exams already]. In 70% of cases you will receive very valuable information which will significantly help you to prepare. Another important aspect is the number and worth of questions.
3. Carefully plan your time for exam preparation. You should give yourself at least 2 full days to prepare. If you are working – take several days off work – it worth it.
4. Firstly read all your lecture notes. Vast majority of exams are based on the lecture notes (only or mainly) therefore you don’t need to read all your textbooks from cover-to-cover; talk to your classmates, read books, search Internet. Make sure you understand everything.
5. Secondly, answer ALL past exam papers and check your answers. It is useful to collaborate with your classmates because in this case group work may help you to avoid some mistakes.
6. Thirdly, analyse all previous exam papers and information received from your tutor. Try to estimate what kind of exams there will be. Then, assess your capabilities. For example, if you are good with numbers and calculations and KNOW that there will be some questions of such kind on exam, it is advisable for you to concentrate on reviewing techniques related to such questions. Try to plan the questions which you are going to answer (if you are more or less sure they will appear). On 99% of exams students have choice to answer 4 questions from 6 for example), therefore you SHOULD NOT know everything! It is sometimes better to leave some areas and to concentrate on others.
7. If you have a chance – talk to someone from previous year who took this exam. Quite often you can receive some valuable information for them.
8. Make sure you get good sleep before the exam. Many students are much stressed and can’t sleep. Try to use your own tricks to avoid it, for example go to bed earlier, read something, don’t watch TV and etc.
9. And lastly, when the exam has started – DON’T PANIC even if you seem not to know anything. Relax and write everything you know. Watch the time carefully, so that you have approximately equal amount of time for each questions, or at least spend more time on those responses that are worth more marks.
10 Good Luck!
REMEMBER THERE IS NO MAGIC POTION TO ENSURE SUCCESS!
