Exam preparation and techniques

The best preparation for exams is to study during the semester, though there is more you can do to improve your performance:

• a few weeks before exams, make yourself a revision schedule, according to the date on which they take place.
• look at past exam papers (refer to the related links area). Looking at exam questions helps to focus your revision and study.
• keeping fit and calm helps you to retain what you read. If you are settling down for an evening of study and revision, take short breaks for a few minutes every hour or so.

Good exam techniques

Once in the exam room, there are things you can do to improve your chances of getting better marks.

Use reading time strategically:

• reading time (usually 10 minutes) should be used for you to make your decisions about:
• which questions to answer
• in what order to answer them
• how much time you should dedicate to each question.
• read all instructions carefully so that you are certain about the number of questions you need to answer.
• look at the marks allocated for questions, as this should give you an indication of the amount of time you need to spend for each one.
• do not plan your answers during reading time. If you read the whole paper carefully, you will probably need the full 10 minutes.

During the exam:

• be sure to label questions carefully.
• in questions with multiple parts (a, b, c) you do not have to answer the parts in that order. However, you should not split up the different parts of a question.
• try to stick to the time you allocate to each question - do not get caught writing too much on one question and then running out of time to answer others.
• use one (or more) pages of your answer booklet for notes and to plan your answers. Be sure to put a line through this or to label it 'Rough Work' so there is no possible confusion as to its purpose.
• if you begin to run out of time, it is better to try to put down some points rather than nothing at all.

The most important rule for doing well in exams is to answer the question!

It will not help you if you write a lot but do not answer the question. The examiner will mark you harshly if you are vague or writing something that is related to the topic but does not answer the question.