As it draws close to the end of term exams you may experience a wide range of emotions. The depth and impact of these feelings about your upcoming finals will vary depending on what you were able to accomplish throughout the semester and your test taking ability. Generally, there are 3 types of student's during the exam season. There is the student who prepares well and take the test well. Then there is the student who does not prepare and the student who prepares well but gets anxiety about testing. Developing the right study skills usually helps you to prepare well for exams but here are some of the best ways to prep for examinations:
Early Preparation
Exam prep begins weeks before your final exam day. This means you should review your notes daily and write down questions you may have at the end of the week to ask your teacher. Followup through email or immediately after classes.
Ensure that you set aside time to study your notes, and to review and complete assignments. Keep a study journal or planner. Use highlighters or stickers to highlight important information.
Focus on answering what, who, how, where and when as it applies to your studies.
Take note of critical information from your textbook. Know how to label and draw diagrams. Write down key definitions and examples.
Form study groups. Keep in mind that you study as a group to reinforce the information and to listen to various viewpoints. That means you should review your notes before participating in a group so that you have something valuable to contribute. Of course, your notes will not have every single detail needed but by sharing information in a group, you will learn from others.
Practice Test Taking
To get better at taking exams, you have to test yourself. Ask your teacher's for additional questions that you can work on outside of class. Go online and find exams or test questions as well. Time yourself. By doing this, you can lessen your anxiety over test taking and become better at answering exam questions.
The Day Before the Exam
Ensure that all of your tools are set aside or in your backpack. If you may need a calculator, pencils, pens, erasers or a sharpener. For online student's, you must ensure that your internet connection is working and you are logged 10 minutes prior.
Get a good night's rest.
The Day of the Exam
Breathe. Ensure that you have already used the bathroom and you are hydrated. Listen to the instructions and keep in mind that you are limited by time.
During the Exam
Focus on your paper and ensure that you clearly understand each question. Ask yourself what is it asking me to do? Once you know the information you then can focus on how the question should be answered. Is it asking you to describe? Illustrate? Outline? Explain? List? Remember that information can be written in various forms.
If you are asked to illustrate then you must draw or produce a diagram. If asked to label then give each item a name.
If asked to list, do not write a paragraph. Use bullet points, letters or numbers to list your answer.
If asked to explain or describe, you must provide a detailed and descriptive answer. Highlight at least three key points and expound on those.
If you are asked to conclude or deduce, you must state your findings and how you arrived at that answer.
If asked to summarize, you are required to give an overview without too much detail of the major points.
How Much Should You Write
Your guide to knowing how much to write will depend also on the number of points allotted for each question. If a question has a value of 15 points, please expect to write more than one paragraph. A paragraph might do for 2-3 points.
Each section of the exam also tells you how much time you should spend answering questions in that section.
If you come across a question that you are struggling with or find hard to understand, move on and return to the question later.
Review your answers after completing your exam. Double check for spelling and grammatical errors.
Pencils and pens down. You did it!
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