Strategies for Improving Exam Performance

Organization

• Relationships
  Family and friends should be aware of your exam timetable, revision timetable and how much you value success on your course of study. Family and friend will invariably be supportive, particularly if you have negotiated household commitments.
  
• Working area
  You must have a clearly defined study space with easy access to folders and books with a minimum of possible distractions. You are going to be doing a lot of concentrated reading and writing.
  
• Time
  Once you have your exam timetables, work through your personal timetable, allocating blocks of time for revision of each of your subjects. If it is properly constructed in balance with your social and leisure commitments, this revision timetable is a valuable discipline in achieving success. Ensure that you follow it!
  
• Subjects
  You must be organized in each of your subjects. You must clearly understand the course objectives, the topics in the course and the format of the exam.
  
• Health and Fitness
  Intensive study and exam pressure can sometimes lead to students ignoring their physical health. Your revision timetable should include times for meals, relaxation and regular exercise.
  
• Attitude
  Exams have a torturous history and reputation, but in fact they could simply be seen as opportunities to spend a number of hours writing about issues that you are familiar with and skilled at analyzing. Remain confident that your knowledge, skills, course work and revision program will enable you to provide thoughtful, informed work during the exam.
  

• rewrite the course in your own words. Each of the topics in your course can be broken down into sub-topics centered around concepts and areas of knowledge. On the basis of your own various sources of information, you are going to rewrite the course in your own words according to the sub-topics. If you really understand something, you can write it in your own words without assistance. If you are unable to summarize one of the sub-topics in your own words, this is the signal that you have not understood it. Check the text, your notes and readings or at least ask someone so that you are able to summarize n your own words. Aim to have your personal written summary of the course finished about a week before the date of the exam. Since you no longer have to refer to texts etc, this document will be all that you need for revision purposes.
  
• identify and memorize key concepts, definitions, phrases and diagrams.
  
• design potential questions based on previous exams. Design outlines of the structure of possible answers to these questions.
  
• attempt to recite your summaries to the sub-topics without your notes.
  
• ensure that you are familiar with the details of the exam requirements including date, time and venue
  

• summarize your summary into the key points, diagrams and issues associated with the sub-topics. Develop your own abbreviations and shorthand
  
• practice jotting down key formulae, diagrams and definitions associated with the sub-topics
  
• continue attempting to recite your summaries without notes.
  
• note the number of points associated with particular issues and memorize this number
  
• if you are feeling stressed, use the meditation technique discussed earlier
  On the morning of the exam
  
• stay quietly confident, scanning your abbreviated summaries.
  
• ensure that you have all the requirements including a spare pen
  
• dont allow any distractions
  
• dont speak to any other candidates about your chances of the contents of the exam
  

• firstly, indicate next to each question which topic(s) of the course it is concerned with
  
• then, underline the verbs and adverbs associated with the specific instructions of the question. The examiner's marking scheme centers on the extent to which the specific instruction of the question has been answered
  
• if there is a choice, choose those questions that you feel most comfortable about achieving the requirements of the specific instruction of the question
  
• before you begin to write in your answer book, jot down an outline of the structure of each question you intend to answer. Ensure that your structure includes an explanation of the key terms, an informed response to the specific instruction and conclusion
  
• when you have completed this initial exercise, calculate the time that can be spent on each answer. It is important that you cover every element of the exam
  
• indicate what part and which question you are answering
  
• start with the question that you feel most confident about, ensuring that you only spend the previously determined time upon it. While you are doing the first few questions, you may develop some insights into answers for the other questions. It is then simply a matter of modifying the outlines that you wrote earlier
  
• use clearly marked and labeled diagrams, wherever relevant, and refer to them in your answer
  
• do not cramp space, particularly with diagrams. Use as much of the answer books and spare paper as you wish.
  
• if you are overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the exam or by a particular question, practice the breathing meditation technique.
  
• if you are running out of time for particular questions, abbreviate and summarize so that the examiner has a sense of your knowledge and perspective on the issue.