Introduction
One of the most underrated forms of preparation in academia is exam preparation. If you have ever found yourself feeling underprepared during an exam you happen to be like many students. The issue is not that students don’t prepare for exams, they do. The issue is how they prepare and the extent of the preparation. This article will teach you how to answer exam questions with a focus on preparation.
Let’s look at it this way if you are an undergraduate student doing a course with an exam in each module, you will end up doing six exams in the first year. Then, another six in the second year and some more in the final year. By the time you graduate, you would have done around fifteen exams or more in some cases.
Put simply, it doesn’t make sense to go through that many exams without a strategy. That is a classic case of failing to plan = planning to fail. This article is here to guide you through the steps you need to start developing your exam strategy. This can be refined and built on as you go further in your studies.
Time Management
One sure thing about studying is that you will have exams or assignments. At the start of the module, you should find out if the assessment is an exam or assignment or both. If it’s an exam, you already know it’s something that must be done. The first step is to make out time to study for the exam. Once the time is set, stick to it and it will become a habit.
A tried and tested strategy is to study in small chunks. This means that you have to start studying for the exam in good time. In a typical twelve-week term, exam preparation should start after six weeks. This gives time to learn half of the module content. Some time management techniques below can be used for this.
Time Management Tools
You can use the Eisenhower Matrix or Priority Matrix to schedule your daily or weekly activities. Ensure that your schedule is realistic. Make time for rewarding activities such as exercising and socialising. This will enable you to focus on studying in the time set for it. Once the time is set, you can use the Pomodoro Technique when studying.
This technique can be adapted to suit your study preference. One of the most popular study myths is that students study better under deadline pressure. This is not true. Studying under deadline pressure can increase unhealthy exam anxiety. Preparing for exams in good time reduces exam anxiety. Sleep well, it enhances your mental abilities.
Follow the Lecturer’s Lead
As you can’t always study everything covered in a module, it can be challenging to determine what to focus on. Most modules would have core areas and other areas. Although it is a good strategy to focus more on the core areas, the lecturer will give you better clues about the exam questions.
If the lecturer doesn’t say the topics to expect in the exam, clues can be determined in several ways which include:
- The module objectives that the lecturer emphasised during the lectures
- The key themes, theories, concepts, principles or perspectives emphasised by the lecturer.
- The facts, examples and analogies that the lecturer used to clarify the theories, concepts etc.
- The questions, activities, quizzes and similar testing that were done by the lecturer.
- The main reading materials recommended by the lecturer and the lecture notes you took.
Clarity Techniques
Once you identify the areas to focus on, develop some techniques to ensure clarity. A good starting point is to seek clarity around the theories, concepts, principles etc. You can explain them to yourself or write them in your own words. Then, check how close you are to the source. Clarity can be further sort from the lecturer and fellow learners.
Once clear, apply the theories, concepts and principles to reality when possible. Using analogies and examples can help here. Where case study problems have been resolved in the module, you can follow the same or similar approach for the different theories, concepts and principles.
Assimilation Techniques
After being clear about the main areas, then you can absorb them for the exam. This can be done in several ways such as;
Past Exams: Start doing the different parts of past exams. Where you have access to the past answers, identify the trends and techniques in the high-scoring answers and practice them. Past exams will also help you determine the requirements such as timing, structure, format and question weighting.
Study Group: Discussing the theories, concepts and principles in the module with others can help assimilate. Study groups are good for this. They are also good to maintain momentum and clarify things. This is another opportunity to socialise.
Flashcard Apps: Using flashcard alternatives in the form of apps on your phone can help you memorize and assimilate the main concepts, theories etc. This can be done in-between other activities such as going to lectures, having a walk or commuting. Having the main concepts and theories in mind can serve as an arsenal to draw from when tackling essay-type questions.
Memorizing Tools: Using memory tools such as post-it notes and mnemonics can help you dwell more on core study areas so that they can be remembered during exams
Do the Exam Before the Exam
Having assimilated the main topic areas, the next step is to start practising as though you were doing the main exam. This is by sticking to the timing, structure, format and techniques required for the exam. This should be done several times. Besides being versatile in answering exam questions about the main topic areas, this stage prepares you mentally for the main exam. This helps to reduce exam anxiety.
As this stage is normally done close to the exam date (a few days before), the emphasis should be on consolidating your knowledge, not learning new materials. However, if you do this stage in good time before the exam (weeks before) then new materials can be learnt.
Conclusion
University study is a big investment. Investment of time, money, abilities and more. This is a lifetime investment. The fruits of this investment can be harvested for a lifetime. However, to be sure of good harvests the investment should be made properly. This means tackling your studies as best as you can and developing a good strategy to show this in your grades.
Doing each exam the best way you are capable of can be the highlight of your studies for every module. Especially, when you achieve the desired grades. This is where a good exam strategy comes in. The effectiveness of this exam preparation strategy is in the extent of consistency. The more you use it the better you become. You will be smiling at the bank of grades after each result. Learn how to apply these skills during exams here.
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