Exams

Studying for an exam should be planned out in the four weeks prior to the exam date. Delete times off your calendar that you cannot study because of other commitments such as work and lectures. Plan to study when you are naturally more alert. For example, are you a morning or evening person? Ensuring that you are allowing enough time for sleep will be beneficial for your memory, especially the night before an exam. Learn how to create a study plan and manage your time in the Time management resource. 

It is important that you create a dedicated study space. Having a dedicated study space will help you focus and, if it is set up properly, it can help to motivate you to study. Let others know (e.g. family, housemates) when you will be studying so they can be more respectful of your need for a quiet study space. Things you may consider when creating your study space include: 

• no distractions
• good lighting
• clean space
• ease of access
• quietness
• comfort 

Once you have your space set up, make sure you have the necessary equipment (e.g. stationery, calculator, laptop, charger) so you can immediately begin working with everything you need close by. Materials such as textbooks, note pads or your study notes also need to be readily available within your study space. It can also be helpful to have your study plan printed and placed on your wall to help you manage your time. 

It is important to create summaries in the form of study notes or concept maps throughout the semester, during lectures and tutorials and at the end of each topic. Creating and reviewing these summaries will make it easier for you to study for exams.  Devote more time to revising difficult subjects and study them first in each session. 

Studying provides you with an in-depth understanding of your subject content. To begin studying, review the learning outcomes identified in the subject outline. These will provide a useful reminder of what you are expected to know and be able to do as a result of completing the subject successfully. Review your summaries as well as your lecture and tutorial notes as they will contain key points and important information that you will need for the exam, such as the topics and concepts you will be assessed on. After studying a section of your notes, ask yourself questions and answer them aloud or explain your answers to a friend. Some subjects have past exam papers available within their reading list. Access your Subject readings list from your Moodle site. 

Depending on the way you learn, it may be helpful for you to join or form a study group. Within faculties, some societies host study sessions during and at the end of semester, to find out more about UniClubs. For subject-specific support, find out more about Peer Assisted Study Session (PASS). Forming a study group with those in your class is another great way of sharing your knowledge and making sure you have covered all subject content. You may like to make quizzes, summary sheets or flip cards to share within your group for revision. You can book a room in the library to increase productivity. 

Feeling anxious and nervous on the day of your exam is quite normal. To decrease these feelings, prepare everything you need for your exam the day before. Be sure of the date, time and location of your exam.  There are more tips on how to prepare for your exam day and what to bring visit exams and results. 

Essay exams test your in-depth understanding of topics from the subject. The number of essay questions in the exam will indicate how many topic areas you need to closely revise. For example, if you know there will be four essay questions in the exam thoroughly study at least four of the main topics in the subject. However, as this method is not foolproof, it is best to ensure you understand enough about the other topics just in case you need to write about one of those instead. 

During an Essay exam 

• Start the exam by reading each question carefully and ensure you understand what they are asking. 
• Plan your time. Divide the time allowed for the exam according to the marks allocated for each of the essays you must write.
• Time yourself when completing each question to avoid running out of time at the end.
• Answering the easiest questions first can aid your efficiency and help to settle your nerves.
• Identify and underline key words and instruction words. (analyse, describe, discuss etc.) 
• Then jot down a quick, simple plan of your ideas and organise them into an essay outline. For further guidance on essay structure visit Essays.
• Directly answer the question directly early in each essay using the language of the question. For example, if the questions asks, "What is the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes?", you could answer, "The difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes is...". This helps the marker easily identify that you have answered the question. Leave spaces between paragraphs in case you want to add any information later.
• If you run out of time and cannot finish writing your essay, use dot points to  show your remaining main points, as you may still receive some marks for good ideas.
• If you finish with time to spare, proofread and edit your answers.

Open-book or take-home exams test your ability to find and use information, solve problems and apply knowledge effectively in a short period of time.

Open-book exams require you to sit a timed exam, with access to specified resources, references, textbooks, and/or pre-made notes.

Take-home exams require you to complete and return a paper responding to a question you have been given within a specified period of time (often the next day). 

Answering questions in the exam 

When you are answering questions in the exam, make sure you don't copy exactly what is written in your textbook. Remember you still need to show that you have studied the content and have a deep understanding of the information. Your goal is to explain it using your own words to demonstrate your understanding. 

Tips 

• Study and learn with the goal of understanding the content, not just remembering where it is in the textbook.
• Make and organise notes that will help you find the information you need quickly. Staying organised will leave you more time to think through and answer the question.
• Be familiar with the texts and your notes. 

If you are required to sit an online exam using Proctorio, please follow the UOW Proctorio Installation Guide.