Introduction
Exams wield supernatural wands to invoke anxiety, stress, fear, nervousness, and other nasty emotions. But it doesn’t have to be this way for you. You can exam-proof yourself and go on to smash every exam that crosses your path. But how is this possible? Ride along and learn how to in this article. For starters, it is very important to know the specific type of exam you will be taking each time.
Some exams will have a mixture of different types. Also, it is very helpful to know if the exam is open-book or closed-book. In an open-book exam, you are allowed to use materials such as notes and books when answering. This is not allowed in closed-book exams. Some popular types of exam questions are essay-type, multiple-choice, and problem-solving questions. This article will give you the ammunition to invade any essay exam question and slay it like the terminator.
What do Essay Exam Questions Want?
In essay exams, do not start writing your answers as soon as the exam time starts. The questions in essay exams do not normally require you to re-write the key content studied in the module from memory. They want you to apply them in the new way that the question requires. To effectively do this, you have to plan your approach and answers.
If you already know the structure of the exam and answered past questions during preparation, then you probably already have an approach. Learn how to effectively prepare for exams here. Knowing the structure of the exam during preparation gives you time to plan your answers. Ideally, ten per cent of the exam time should be spent on planning all the answers.
Plan Your Answers
Planning your exam answers helps you achieve better grades for the following reasons. It allows you to make notes of the main ideas such as concepts, theories, and perspectives around each exam question. Ensure that your notes are at the back of the exam paper and crossed out. Making notes is very important for several reasons.
You don’t have to spend time trying to remember the main ideas when you apply them. Because you focused on answering the first exam questions, you may forget the main ideas about the others when you finish. Also, you can forget when anxious or excited once you start writing. The notes will be readily available to help start the second answer.
Another reason is that you don’t have to waste time thinking about how to do the next answer after answering the first. You already have notes of what to apply. Also, while writing, other ideas that do not apply to the question you are answering can come to mind. You can then include the ideas in the suitable part of the notes you made for each question.
Structure Your Answers
After making notes for each question when planning, you can then start writing your answers. However, you also need a structure to answer each question. Having a structure that you follow when answering exam questions is something you can’t overlook. This is even more important if you are studying for an undergraduate degree with an exam in each module.
By the time you graduate, you would have ended up doing around fifteen exams or more. This is a lot of exams to do without a structure to tackle each one. Also, the standard of an exam answer can be positively impacted by a good structure. Luckily, there are some useful structures to practice with and stick to. The structure you use will also depend on your level of study.
Some examples are PEE (point, evidence, explain), PEA (point, evidence, analysis) PEAE (point, evidence, analysis, evaluate). Whilst PEE may work for level four (first year of undergraduate studies), PEA will be more suitable for level five and PEAE for level six. However, the command words in the exam question should be followed. These structures (PEE, PEA, PEAE) should be applied in each paragraph when answering essay questions.
PEAE (Point, Evidence, Analysis, Evaluate)
Point: The point should be a direct response to the question you are answering. You can use keywords or a phrase from the question here. The point can also be your broad answer to the question with details to follow. Starting with a point that focuses on the exam question helps you to stick to the topic area within the paragraph.
Evidence: These can be the findings, data, or perspectives you studied in the module or beyond that supports your point. However, evidence shouldn’t be limited to these. The type of question and response pointed out would also determine suitable evidence. Examples and analogies can also be used in the evidence part. Whichever type of evidence you use, ensure that you relate it back to the question. The evidence to use for each concept, theory, perspective and sometimes a theme can be planned during exam preparation. Learn effective exam preparation techniques here.
Analysis and Evaluation: The technique used to analyse a written assignment can also be used in an exam. The most important part is developing the technique prior to the exam. In modules where you have to do an assignment before the exam, the stages of analysis may have been used for different concepts in the assignment. The same approach can be used in the exam. Evaluation can be developed from the analysis. Learn how to analyse and evaluate here.
Bonus Tips
If you completely forget what you know midway through answering, don’t panic. The notes you made as part of your plan will come in handy here. Alternatively, you can read your answer to the question from the start and think about what should come next. If this doesn’t work, leave some space and move on to the next question. You will likely remember later and come back to it. See some more tips from the University of Oxford here.
Some students prefer to start with the questions that they know the most about and move on in that order. Others prefer to get the less known ones out of the way before focusing on the most known ones. This is a matter of preference, ensure to do what works well for you. Too much coffee, tea or energy drinks before the exam can be detrimental to your performance. Play it safe and eat healthy food, rest well and sleep early the night before. Divide the exam time and allocate some for planning and spread the rest amongst each question.
Conclusion
How well you plan and structure your exam answers using the suggestions above can significantly improve your grades. However, this depends on the studying and planning done prior to the exam. In essence, all three elements work together for a successful exam and good grades. That is, studying, preparing for the exam and putting these suggestions into practice during the exam.
You don’t have to be an expert at doing this in your first exam. Nobody is. What you can do though is practice, practice and some more practice. You practice them whilst preparing for the exam. You put them into practice whilst doing the exam. You repeat the same in the next exam and so on. Before you know it, you are smashing one exam after the other like a genius!
Drop your questions (and thoughts) in the comment box below.
