A Strategic Approach to Study – Before, During and After Exams
Peter Corkill
A Strategic Approach to Study – Before, During and After Exams
We are soon about to enter the important mid-year exam period, and I would like to wish all of our students the very best during this time.
Written exams are reality in schools, some find them a positive experience and a chance to
show what they know and can do, for others the exams are dreaded for the fear of underperforming. The former description IS THE REALITY, the latter is not. It is just a misfire in your thinking. If you prepare well, get plenty of rest
and maintain a balance over the next two weeks, you will be at your best when you need to be.
I thought I would devote the last instalment of ‘A Strategic Approach to Study’ to some positive tips for students in overcoming the nerves which naturally arrive at this time.
Exam Advice Part One: Before Exams
I would like to reinforce some tips for PREPARATION which should stand you all in good stead. You need to start NOW.
1. As a first step complete a summary page for each topic in each subject you are sitting an exam for. Include headings, key ideas, examples, diagrams, and show how the ideas are linked. Use colour to assist you to recall these ideas when you need them.
2. Obtain practice questions and start working through them. You can get these from chapter reviews, revision sheets, past exams. If you are in Year 12, the ‘Checkpoint’ series of books are a great resource.
3. As you get closer to the exams, try questions under test conditions to ‘road-test’ your skills under pressure. Always do at least one full practice exam under test conditions before the real one. This has become standard practice for most students doing a Unit 3, 4 Study.
4. Always get feedback on any and all of this extra work you do. Check by looking over answer sheets, chapter answers or examiners reports. Discuss difficulties with fellow students and teachers. Doing this will greatly improve your confidence before you begin.
Exam Advice Part Two – During an Exam
1. Ensure a good night’s sleep before the exam. There is little point staying up unnecessarily late – perhaps better to get up earlier and do some final preparation.
2. Make sure you are at the exam venue at least 30 minutes prior to the starting time. There is no excuse for lateness which shows total disregard for other students in the exam who will be disrupted because of your late arrival.
3. Make sure you have all necessary equipment, including a spare battery for your calculator, mathematical drawing equipment if that is necessary, and any notes you are allowed to take in.
4. Once inside you may begin reading ONLY when you are directed to by the supervisor. Strict silence at all times in the exam room. If you have a question, raise your hand. You must NOT pick up a pen until instructed to do so.
5. Use reading time wisely. Read through the full exam at least once, more if you have time. Most exams contain questions graded in difficulty from easiest to hardest. You can use reading time to decide on the order you are going to attempt the questions. For most students, doing questions in the order they are given to you is the best advice.
6. In reading time, find the TOTAL MARKS on the exam, and the TOTAL TIME you have. This will help you work out how much time you have per question, a MINUTE TO MARK RATIO if you like. For example if you have 90 minutes to do an exam worth 60 marks, you have 1½ minutes per mark. So a question worth 1 mark should take a minute or so, and one worth 4 marks a bit over 5 minutes. DO NOT SPEND TOO MUCH TIME ON ANY QUESTION. Sensible Time Management is the key to performing well in exams.
7. Go through the exam and do those questions you are confident about first. Then go back and do the rest. If you run out of time at the end, make sure it is doing questions you are unsure of, not questions you could do easily if you had more time! (See item 6).
8. Leave the white-out at home. Don’t waste time whiting out answers. If you want to replace an answer, rewrite your answer and place a single line through the one you don’t want.
9. Read each question twice before beginning a written answer, once again during your answer to see if you are on track, then once again when you finish. Many marks are thrown away answering your own question, i.e. the one you WANT to write about, not the one you HAVE to write about.
10. Be careful of instructions in exams which require answers to “two decimal places”, to “three significant figures”, or which ask for “three reasons why …. “. Adhering to the little things makes a big difference.
11. Written answers often expect you to use technical language related to that subject. Know these words, their spelling, their meaning, and how to use them in context.
12. Read over your work when you finish, do questions involving mathematical working again to see if you get the same answer, if you have time. Never leave an exam early.
13. Don’t engage in “post mortems” after the exam with other students as this often induces unnecessary stress. Put it out of your mind and prepare for the next one!
Good luck to all JMSS students with their upcoming exams!
Peter Corkill
Principal