Before the exam – Preparation

• Link relevant concepts together. You need to see the bigger picture, not isolated facts.  Immersion in the subject itself is better than remembering individual facts.
• Don’t fuss about rewriting your notes again and again. Simply copying your notes out won’t help you revise effectively.  Rewriting does help some people take in key concepts, so restrict it to writing the main point as an anchor rather than regurgitating everything.
• Use all your senses.  Don’t just read; write out brief points that you want to solidify.  Don’t just use your eyes; discuss key topics with other people on your course.
• Revise in different locations to vary your intake.  It also helps you recall later, because you’ll store different information at the different places.  In the exam, you could recall more by picturing the different places you were and remembering what you studied in each place.
• Use pictures and diagrams in places you’d usually rely on words alone.  If nothing creative is forthcoming, at least try setting out your ideas in a mindmap of some sort.
• Don’t go to heavy on the memorising.  Some detail does need to be in your head clearly and correctly, but much of what you study is about arguing and analysing a subject, as opposed to exact recall of specific points and quotations.
• Read (and attempt) past exam papers.  This advice is often dished out, but many either don’t bother, or don’t take it seriously enough.  When you do read through the papers, see how the questions are worded and try to grasp what is being asked of you.  Look for any recurring themes across past papers so you have an idea of the kind of topics that crop up again and again.
• Time yourself at writing answers to essay topics.  You may be confident that you’ve got the knowledge, but it’s no use when you know it’ll take four hours to write that knowledge in a two hour exam!  Learn to gauge the time you have and get the important factors written out first.
• If you can’t access past papers, set your own questions or ask tutors if they’d suggest sample questions for you.  If tutors are willing, don’t automatically expect these to be the questions you’re going to get! Tutors may have alternative ways of helping you revise, so hear them out.
• Refer back to past lectures to get an idea of what the lecturers wanted you to focus on.
• Understand the layout of the exam. Understand the logistics so you’re prepared on the day.  I’m amazed at how infrequently this is done.  I’ve known module handbooks handed out at the beginning of the year with the exam layout explained…yet some students haven’t bothered reading it.  Guess what, they’re less prepared than everyone else!
• Focus on what you *don’t* know. You don’t need to waste time on what’s already firmly planted in your head.  I’m sure you feel good going over that stuff, but it’s not actual revision!
• Practise writing basic notes on topics you think may crop up.  This will help your initial preparation when in the exam.  As soon as you start working on a question, you’ll have learned to list main points to cover.  That way, forgetfulness won’t be an issue halfway through your. You can simply refer back to your brief list that took you a minute or two of your time.  Yay!
• Pack the stuff you need to take in advance.  Don’t leave it until the last minute.
• Make sure you know where you’re going.  When I assisted in setting up exam halls, a surprising number of students came rushing along at the last minute and were clueless about where they needed to be.  One or two were in the wrong place entirely and had to run to the other side of campus.  Not a good way to ease into an exam!
• If you’re allowed to take textbooks, notes, specialist equipment, or calculator in to the exam, remember to bring them along!