Chapter 11

Exam Strategies

Introduction

Written examinations generally deal with essays, short answer questions, multiple choice questions or a combination of these three. Your performance in an examination depends on preparation for the exam situation, as well as learning the required material. This chapter provides guidance specifically for students taking written examinations and gives tips on how to use your time effectively in preparing for exams, and how to approach answering exam questions.

Exam preparation

Knowing the rules of the game can be as useful as having the skills to play, so set yourself up first by finding out all you can.

Find out all you can about the type of exam you will be sitting

Is the exam multiple choice, short answer, essay or a combination of several types? Consult your course outline, handbook, subject co-ordinator and previous exam papers in the library. Check with the subject co-ordinator to find out if the format of the exam will be the same as the previous year.

Check any special administrative procedures relating to the exam

What are you entitled to bring with you to the exam, for example, a calculator, cards or tables, or even notes or books? This is the case for "open exams". If you are from a non-English speaking background, and you can prove this, you may be allowed to bring a dictionary with you.
Warning: Bringing in illegal items may exclude you from participating in the exam, so always check first.
Are you entitled to additional examination time? If you have a permanent or temporary disability, and this can be substantiated, you may be granted additional time. But you must apply for this before the exam.
What happens if you are ill and cannot attend? In certain situations students may apply for special consideration.

Be sure you know how the mark will work

What constitutes a pass? Is it 50%?
What percentage of total mark for the subject is the exam? Do you have to pass the exam to pass the subject? Do not spend all your revision time calculating the odds of a pass, but do distribute your time and study efforts in a way that will maximise your overall performance in the course.

Revision

Gear your revision to the exam

Each type of exam tests a different type of knowledge and understanding. Moreover, the exam relates back to the aims the subject sets out to achieve (Refer to ‘The study cycle in Health Sciences’, Chapter 2). The following are the main exam types.

Multiple Choice Questions require the student to recognise the most appropriate response from a selection. You must pay attention to detail. You are not required to make connections between points. In some cases, marks may be deducted for an incorrect response, so check before you guess.
Short Answer Questions require the student to recall from memory. They can vary in length from a word to a paragraph. Practise by writing definitions, and be aware that there is often a direct correspondence between the number of marks for a question and the number of points you should make in the answer. Most of all, keep it short, save the essays for when they count.
Essays require the student to test their general understanding of the subject matter. They require you to show a logical connection or sequence of knowledge and understanding. You will gain marks by having a well reasoned and structured response, with your arguments backed up by appropriate detail. Most of all, answer the question set, not your own personal ideal question.

Improving your memory

Remember the Four "R's":

Read your notes/text and jot notes if need be.
Recite out aloud the important points.
Write important points down to test yourself.
Repeat the above.

Get help early

Do not delay getting help if you have a problem. Seek help from lecturers/tutors, other students, Study Skills Advisers. You can self diagnose if you attempt a few practice questions early, then show them to your lecturer and your colleagues for comparison and feedback.

Learn how to relax

A very common concern among students is fear of failure. This fear of failure can cause you to feel nervous, sweaty, nauseated, experience a pounding heart beat and be unable to concentrate either before or during exams. Recognise the signs of stress, and seek help early. Practice deep breathing and relaxation techniques during the semester.

Immediately prior to the exam

Check the exam location, be sure you know where and when to arrive.
Organise reliable transport to the exam.
If possible, avoid learning new information the day before the exam.
Make your decision - Revise or Relax.
Organise your exam equipment, pens and pencils, comfortable clothes, and Student ID.
Go to bed early the night before the exam.
Eat sensibly before the exam.

The exam

Check the conditions: are you sitting in a draft, is your desk unsteady, is the sun going to shine directly on your paper, are you sitting too near a distracting person or thing?
Alert someone if you have a question or need some help by putting your hand up.
Use reading time wisely:
- Read instructions carefully.
- Count the number of questions and allocate time for each. For example, if there are four questions each worth 25 marks in a two hour exam, allow 30 minutes for each.
- Mentally label questions according to difficulty, and plan your attack.
Follow instructions about the number of questions which require answering. Read the instructions again, then again.
Read questions carefully. Identify key words and jot down ideas. For longer questions (such as essays), consider using a plan. This can be especially important if you run out of time, as you can scrawl a note to your examiner to consider the plan as part of your answer.
Start with a question you like. This helps increase your confidence and, if you run out of time, then you have perhaps attempted the questions you know best.
Keep an eye on time. You might mark off blocks of time for each question and cross them out once each question is completed.
If you are running out of time, write major points down in note form.
Write simply and legibly. What cannot be read cannot be marked. Leave space between questions in case you want to come back and add something.
Read what you have written. Have you written what the question has asked you to?

Hindrances to your performance

Memory blocks

Sometimes we know something, but we cannot find it inside our heads! How you store the information is very important to its retrieval, so make sure your revision is as systematic and structured as possible.

If you come unstuck in an exam:

jot down any words, pictures, signs or symbols which might lead you to the information
try to picture the lecture, the page or the picture where the information was presented
do not get stuck, move on to the next question, relax, and come back to it later

Writer’s cramp

Be alert to your posture, and consider a change in writing implement, for example, ink pen might flow faster than biro, a different pen width may relieve stress on your hands and wrist.
Practise under simulated conditions to improve speed and legibility.
Dangle your hand and wriggle your fingers, rest, stretch carefully, and take a few deep breaths.

Fatigue

If you are tired, you are disadvantaging yourself, so get a decent night's sleep. Be alert to your blood sugar, and keep to a careful diet. Most of all, beware of boredom in an exam; attack a different question, but keep going.

After the exam

Unwind! Review your performance for the next or future exams. At a later stage review your paper, but remember - a post mortem never actually saved the patient on the slab, so do not waste valuable time and emotions fretting over the exam you have done. Plan your attack on the next piece of assessment.

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