Preparing for Tests and Exams

Adopt a positive attitude

Know what they want in the long term

In the short term, divide material into topics/tasks to create regular termination points

Reinforce/reward themselves regularly

Write down or tell someone else their intentions

Start well in advance

Avoid “cramming” the night before a test or exam (because short term memory hasn’t enough space for all you need to know, and cramming can set you up to panic and ‘go blank’)

Know about the key principles of effective learning e.g. the importance of using active recall, spacing practices, studying “from the top down”, practising the kind of ’output’ required in tests and exams (See our resource sheet “Learning to Study/Studying to Learn” for more detail)

Have identified how to make the most of their own preferred learning style

Successful students

Identify what is important to learn using:

The learning objectives in course outlines as a checklist for what the examiner will test

Questions and exercises at the end of text book, on web site, or ones they have set themselves

Past exam papers and/or tests

Lecturers’ exam hints in the lectures

Make sure you have ...

Good lighting Fresh air

Suitable temperature Good posture

Minimised noise and interruptions

Have clear goals

Start now!

Know how to learn effectively

Know what is important to learn

Best times: read, learn, recall new material; understand ideas and concepts

Medium times: write reduced notes, organise material, draw graphs, diagrams etc. try multichoice or short answer ques-tions.

Worst times: do highlighting; copy or rewrite material; organise, sift, sort, file; relax and reward yourself

Are well organised

Start early in the semester

Set up a revision schedule

Have a clearly defined overview of each paper

Know the format of the exam and the style of questions likely to be asked

Have a designated place of study

Know how long their concentration span is

Take regular breaks

Have an ‘end’ time pre-determined

Know how to make the best use of their study time

Are systematic and regular in their study habits

See overleaf for more strategies

https://ltl.lincoln.ac.nz http://careerhub.lincoln.ac.nz

Academic and Career Skills Top Tips

Some strategies for preparing for exams

PASS has four main steps:

▪ Plan for two minutes ▪ Act for 25 minutes ▪ Survey for 3 minutes ▪ Stop for a short break

Plan for two minutes For the first 2 minutes of your half-hour, note what you are going to do or learn in the remainder of the half hour. You need to consider four things:

▪ Assessment: be clear about your reason for studying this particular material. What aims and objectives does this work relate to?

▪ Action: decide on what action you will take – e.g. take notes, do questions/exercises ▪ Aim: choose a specific section of your subject ▪ Achievability: make sure what you have set yourself to do is reasonable and

achievable. Act for 25 minutes

▪ DO IT! You now carry out your planned actions on the specific sections of your study material for the next 25 minutes.

▪ Remember to be actively engaged, for example by highlighting, underlining, making notes, drawing tables or diagrams, answering past questions, relating work to aims and objectives.

Survey for 3 minutes Spend the final 3 minutes surveying or reviewing what you have just done, and making some record of what you have learned. This step is a crucial one in reinforcing what you have just covered and making it easier to remember. For example you could

▪ Re-organise what you have just covered into a table or diagram ▪ Rewrite the main points ▪ Make a mnemonic ▪ Recite or explain the main points to yourself or someone else ▪ If you have completed any quizzes, self assessment questions or past examination questions,

revise the items you were unsure of or answered incorrectly. Stop for a short break

▪ Take a two minute break and relax, stretch, get a drink, give yourself a small reward. ▪ After two PASS half-hours, take a longer break of 5 minutes; after three PASS half hours, break

for 20 minutes and perhaps move on to a different subject. After five PASS half hours, it is probably time to finish study until another time in the day, or leave it until the next day.

First Review – for each subject

▪ Brainstorm main ideas, concepts and understanding. ▪ Check for omissions and errors and add or correct where necessary. ▪ Try to complete this review for all subjects before starting the second review.

Second Review – for each subject

▪ For each concept or topic, note the key words, definitions, meanings of terms, key facts and key people, important opinions, current thinking, examples or case studies.

▪ Expand ideas via mind maps, graphs, diagrams, lists, summaries etc. ▪ Check that your information is correct and complete before changing to the next

subject.

Third Review: The BIG one – for each subject

▪ This is the main body of revision work—the previous two revisions are ‘mind setters’. ▪ For each topic, after revising course and lecture notes, expand knowledge and

understanding via extra reading, research, discussion groups, practice questions, ▪ Several sessions per subject will need to be set aside for this period of study.

Fourth Review – for each subject

▪ Summarise and review via brainstorms, or fast recall of key words, or mnemonics. ▪ This should be a summary of everything you will need to ‘trigger’ your recall in the

exam.

The ½ hour PASS strategy

The “4 review” method

These are just some of the strategies you can use. For more ideas, look at some of the

resources available in the Lincoln University library and on the WWW.

You could start with:

Exams. (2007). Retrieved from Monash University Language and Learning Online Website:

http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/study/exam/1.xml

Manalo, E. & Trafford, J. (2003). Head start: how to succeed in tertiary studies. Auckland,

New Zealand: Bennetts, Longman.

Studying for Exams. (2013). Retrieved from The University of New South Wales Learning

Centre Website: https://student.unsw.edu.au/studying-exams

For more advice, visit our website at http://ltl.lincoln.ac.nz/ or ask at the Service Point

about the workshops, drop-in sessions, and individual appointments we offer.