Exam Preparation and Revision
Monica Fernandes Academic Skills Advisor
SPRING WEEK 2014
ask@brunel.ac.uk
By the end of this workshop you will… • Be able to distinguish between the myths and realities surrounding exams • Be able to recognise the components of exam questions and know how to tackle them • Understand your learning style and some useful memory techniques • Consider the role of anxiety during revision and exams, and find ways of controlling and using it
Get rid of the myths‌ Exams are for people with good memories
Exams are designed to catch you out
Exams favour the fastest writers and thinkers
You need to revise till you drop
Why do people fail exams? • inadequate preparation • poor time management • answering too few questions • missing out parts of questions • misinterpreting the question • not using course ideas • anxiety
What can you do to succeed in your exams?
1. Start your revision early… a. It all starts with a plan: • Create a revision time table • Refer to your notes made (as discussed in earlier sessions with Chris) • Create small and larger goals you’re hoping to achieve with clear deadlines
Timetabling your revision
http://getrevising.co.uk/timetable/intro
b. Work with past papers. • Posted up on Blackboard (the university’s virtual learning environment) • From your School or Department • Practise analysing questions • Practise your time management
Or you could make up your own…
c. Reflect on your course. • What are the defined learning outcomes or objectives? • What are the assessment criteria? • Have you organised your lecture notes? • Are you notes from your reading relevant and useful?
2. Be organised and positive Just before the exam… • • • •
Draw up a time plan for the exam Don’t try to learn something new Check the arrangements Remember anxiety is normal but you can deal with it
During the exam… • • • • •
Manage your time Read the exam paper carefully Read each question carefully Plan your answer Monitor progress at intervals
3. Be confident that you are answering the question Analysing the question… Know the… precept (what you have to do – usually the question word) Eg: discuss, explain, compare,etc
What is your memory style?
How do I memorise material?
What’s your memory style? sea
Lenin PURPLE
saucer
dog
merry
chair
cog
kitchen
LOG
hobby
butter cheese
circus
essay windy
Spain
harp glink
sandwich
green
student
jog
pills
What do you remember?
What’s your memory style? • Visual – reduce a topic to a key word pattern and learn that, try mind-mapping • Aural – reduce the key words onto a CD or mp3 file and learn (singing along if you must…) • Kinesthetic – make learning maps, move around as you recite or act out key points
Most of us are a mix of styles‌ ‌But you will still tend toward certain ones, so tailor your revision to make the most of what you do instinctively!
Flashcards Good for those who learn by doing and through movement.
Image and colour-based mindmaps Good for people who make semantic associations between image, colour and text, and those who tell stories
Recordings and homemade podcasts Good for verbal and auditory learners – or kinesthetic if you listen while exercising!
Try using mnemonics What’s a mnemonic? My Very Embarrassing Mother Jumped Straight Under Neptune’s Plants My Very Embarrassing Mother Jumped Straight Under Neptune’s Plants Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto
Session Summary • Don’t get too worked up about exams and revision, but do work hard • Remember you can control your anxiety • Remember there are lots of different memory techniques • Think about your learning style and figure out what works best for you!
Contact us… Check out the ASK website, Blackboard section and interactive resources, including Skills4Study Visit ASK during appointment times: • Monday- Friday 1-3 pm • Tuesday and Thursday evenings 5-6 pm • Book online at: http://libcalendar.brunel.ac.uk/booking/ask Email: ask@brunel.ac.uk