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Contents
- Introduction
to study skills
- Resources
- Organising
your time
- Gathering
information from lectures and seminars
- Reading
and note taking
- Writing
essays
- Preparing
for exams
Preparing
for exams
Keeping
up with your work as you go along makes revision easier.Ìý
| Fact
File |
| Condense
and summarise what you wish to remember |
| Attend
revision lectures and seminars |
| Stress
is normal |
It
should not be a frantic attempt to learn the subject from scratch!Ìý
Doing the work thoroughly first time round will mean revision is:
Ìý
1. Recalling what you can of the subject
Ìý
2. Re-reading notes and relevant texts
Ìý
3. Condensing your notes
As
you read through your essays and notes, make notes, which condense
and further summarise what you wish to remember.Ìý
Eventually
they should resemble an essay plan for questions that you hope to
answer.Ìý
They
could be in the form of flash cards, a list of points, a diagram,
a rhyme, anything which you can remember and use as a trigger in
the exam.Ìý Revision, like all study skills, is individual.ÌýÌý
Your
examiners are looking for:
- An
analytical answer to the question
- Reference
to course material
- Discriminating
use of relevant material
- Appropriate
use of time
- Structured
presentation
 |
| Get
together with friends and exchange notes |
You
may find it a good idea to go through old exam papers to focus your
revision.You will become familiar with the language, style and appearance
of the paper and any instructions you will have to follow.Ìý
It
may also be possible to 'forecast' question areas but not the focus
of those questions.Ìý
It
can be helpful to arrange to do some revision with friends.Ìý
By sharing notes, essays and discussing topics together you can
cover more ground.
Attend
revision tutorials
It
is extremely important to attend revision lectures and seminars
although it may seem more valuable to spend the time revising.Ìý
Tutors
and lecturers sometimes offer guidance and 'hints' which you cannot
afford to miss.Ìý This will help you to decide which parts of
the course you should focus on and how many topics you will need
to revise.
Going
to lectures and tutorials also provides you with the opportunity
to share any anxieties or worries with staff and students.Ìý
A certain
amount of stress is normal and can be used in a positive way.ÌýIt
can be used as an incentive to do your best.
The
Exam
Keep
calm, arrive in plenty of time and don't attempt any major last
minute revision.
| Fact
File |
| Keep
calm |
| Look
for the questions you have prepared for |
| Decide
which order to answer the questions |
| Stick
to your time plan |
| If
you run out of time make notes on how you would have completed
the answer |
| Reflect
but don't moan |
Unauthorised
revision notes should not be brought with you to your table or the
invigilator may jump to the conclusion that you have been cheating.
Listen
to any instructions the invigilator has to announce.
Read
the paper carefully - both the instructions and the questions.Ìý
Look
for the questions you have prepared for.
Divide
the time you have available between the number of questions you
have to answer.
Decide
in which order to answer the questions and how to do it. As
you plan, decide what material you have revised that is relevant
to the question.
Don't
panic if you seem to be running out of time and don't be tempted
to stay on a question to finish it.Ìý
Stick
to your time plan
The
first 10 marks are easier to get than the last ten of a question.Ìý
You are therefore more likely to get more marks by spending equal
time on all equally weighted questions.
If,
in spite of all your plans, you do run out of time make some notes
to show how you would have answered the question, or make a list
eg “other relevant factors are…â€
As
you are writing consider your presentation.Ìý Is it legible?Ìý
Is it analytical?Ìý Have you got a structure to your argument?
Don't
grouse afterwards: post-mortems are always gruesome, but reflect
on how your timing was and what needs changing for next time.
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