Exam Preparation
Damian Gordon
The Purpose of Exams
The Purpose of Exams
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Exams test:
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The amount you can write in a given time
Whether you understand the exam question
Whether you can cope with exam pressure
Your ability to apply knowledge
Your understanding of key concepts and theories
Whether you can argue a point of view
Your ability to criticise and analyse
The Purpose of Exams
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In addition, examinations provide lecturers with a guarantee
that the work being assessed is entirely the student’s own work.
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NB how well you do in exams is up to you!
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Even when students have studied a course thoroughly they can
fail to do themselves justice in the exam through:
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inadequate/ inefficient revision
poor exam technique
Revision
Revision Plan
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For each module, list the topics you need to cover
Estimate how much time you have left to revise
Assign topics as either topics you enjoy or do not enjoy
Divide out your remaining time better these topics
Alternating between topics you enjoy, and those you don’t
Create a master timetable – BE REALISTIC
Take into account all your other commitments e.g. employment,
family etc.
Tick off the topics as you complete them
Pat yourself on the back frequently by looking back on what you
have already covered.
Revision Tips
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Reading stuff is NOT helpful
Try to be active in your revision
Vary the methods you use to revise, some
examples ahead…
Revision Tips
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SUMMARISE
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A good starting point is to summarise the notes
you have on each topic:
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Try to reduce your notes to key words and phrases.
This will form the basis of your revision notes.
Reduce your notes further so that information fits on one
side of A4 or an index card (portable).
Revision Tips
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FLASH CARDS
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Get a bunch of index cards (different colours)
Write down one key idea per card
On one side write down the TITLE
On the other write down the points associated
with it
Use different colours for different themes
Revision Tips
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COVER CARDS
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As you are revising from your book, read what
you are trying to memorise. Use the cover card to
conceal what you’ve just read. Try reciting, or
reading facts from memory. Check until you are
sure you have mastered the facts.
Revision Tips
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SONGS, RHYMES
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Use songs, rhymes, mnemonics and acronyms.
Making up catch phrases or rhymes can help you
with crucial bits of information
Revision Tips
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I remember
normalisation as;
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“the key,
the whole key,
and nothing but the key,
So help me Codd”
Revision Tips
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I remember
normalisation as;
Which means
1NF: Identify primary key
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“the key,
the whole key,
and nothing but the key,
So help me Codd”
2NF: Identify partial
dependencies
3NF: Identify Non-key
dependencies
BCNF: Candidate key
dependencies
Revision Tips
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DIAGRAMS
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Use diagrammatical notes if you memorise
material more easily in a visual form.
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Use colours, highlighting and/ or different
coloured paper to make the notes distinctive.
Revision Tips
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MINDMAPS
Revision Tips
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CONCEPT MAPS
Revision Tips
Mind Maps
 Good for an overview of
a topic
 Good to put key details
on one page
 Highly visual aids
memory
Concept Maps
 Good for linking
information
 Good to apply details
and knowledge to exam
questions
 Visual easy to see how
far you can apply your
knowledge
Revision Tips
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SQR3 – ACTIVE READING
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Survey - Here you are attempting to gain an
impression of the material.
Revision Tips
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SQR3 – ACTIVE READING
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Question - before you begin to read, draw up a
mental list of questions to try to answer during
reading
Revision Tips
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SQR3 – ACTIVE READING
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Read - at this point the aim is to understand what the
text is saying. Try to assess the writer’s viewpoint,
what the main idea is in each paragraph and how the
content is structured. Keep making connections
between the information in the text and what you
have read in other texts or have heard about in
lectures. Take note of all cross-references that you
come across.
Revision Tips
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SQR3 – ACTIVE READING
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Recall - the next stage of the process is to close the
text and try to remember what you have read and
then note the key points. This is the longest stage.
Revision Tips
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SQR3 – ACTIVE READING
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Review - the final stage involves checking your notes
against the text. Spend some time filling the gaps and
correcting errors.
Revision Tips
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QnA
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Divide a page into two columns
Write down questions on one side and answers
on the other
Revision Tips
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RECORDERS
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Consider using digital recorder or tape to help
remember key facts.
Revision Tips
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ACRONYM
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Acronym is a word formed from the first letters or groups of
letters in a name or phrase.
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Example:
ROY G. BIV =
The colors of the rainbow, in order: Red, Orange, Yellow,
Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.
Revision Tips
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ACROSTIC
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Acrostic is a series of lines from which particular letters
(such as the first letters of all lines) from a word or phrase.
My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas
=
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune,
Pluto
Revision Tips
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ACROSTIC
King
Phillip called out
fifty good soldiers.
i
h
l
r
a
e
p
n
y
a
d
m
n
e
g
l
s
e
i
u
c
d
u
s
r
l
s
i
o
m
m
y
e
s
Revision Tips
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IMAGERY
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Imagery is used to memorize pairs of words. An
image is formed as a result of each word given, and
then two images are joined through mental
visualization.
Example:
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Piggy bank =
+
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Revision Tips
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KEYWORD METHOD
Spanish word:
lapiz
trapeze
(keyword)
pencil (meaning of lapiz)
Revision Tips
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KEYWORD METHOD
Spanish word: patio (pronounced pot-o)
patio
pot
duck (meaning of patio)
Revision Tips
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RHYMES
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A rhyme is a saying that has similar distinctive sounds at
the end of each line.
Studies have shown that rhyming makes things easier to
remember because it can be stored with acoustic
encoding.
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Example:
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In fourteen hundred and ninety-two Columbus sailed the Ocean
Blue.
– 30 Days has September, April, June, and November. All the rest
have 31, except February.
– "i" before "e," except after "c," or in sounding like "ay" as in
"neighbor" or "weigh."
Revision Tips
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THE METHOD OF LOCI
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The Method of Loci is a mnemonic device that dates
back to Ancient Greek times. They would use this to
assist them when memorizing a speech.
Example:
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You have to imagine a place that you are very familiar with.
Then you imagine all the possible locations in that place, or all
possible situations. It could help if you put everything in a
specific order.
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Say you were telling someone about a house. You would have to
be very familiar with that house and everything in it. And in order
to make telling someone about this house easier you would have
to think about it in some kind of order. You could start at the
basement, then move up to the main floor, and then move to the
second floor.
Revision Tips
Tatooine
Death Star
Alderaan
Yavin IV
Hoth
Dagobah
Besbin
Revision Tips
Tatooine
Death Star
Alderaan
Yavin IV
Hoth
Dagobah
Besbin
Revision Tips
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PEG-WORD SYSTEM
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The Peg-Word System can be used for memorizing an ordered list
of words or the specific numbers associated with the words.
Example:
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1.bun
2.shoe
3.tree
4.door
5.hive
6.sticks
7.heaven
8.gate
9.line or shine or vine
10.hen
Revision Tips
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NUMBER-LETTER SYSTEM
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The Number-Letter System is very similar to the Peg- Word System,
because it, too, is a method of association. The only difference is that this
method allows you to remember things by associating them with similarities
of the number it is at.
Example:
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1.= t (there is one downstroke in the letter t)
2.= n (there are two downstrokes in the letter n)
3.= m (there are three downstrokes in the letter m)
4.= r (the last letter in four is r)
5.= l (the Roman number 50 is L)
6.= sh (the word six has begins with an x)
7.= k (the number seven can be turned around to look like part of the letter k)
8.= f (a cursive f looks like an 8)
9.= p (a p flipped looks like a 9)
10.= z, s (think of zero)
Revision Tips
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CORNELL NOTEMAKING
Revision Tips
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CHUNKING
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Breaks down information into smaller bits so that
it is easier to remember
Can you remember this number?
1066007200601642
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Revision Tips
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CHUNKING
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Breaks down information into smaller bits so that
it is easier to remember
Can you remember this number?
1066007200601642
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What about now?
1066
007
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2006
01642
Revision Tips
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MOCK EXAMS
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Set yourself questions from your revision notes to answer.
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Check your answers by using the original notes.
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Fill in forgotten facts with another colour pen.
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Repeat the process until all the gaps have disappeared.
Revision Tips
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STUDY BUDDY
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Teaching and learning from (and with) someone
else can be very effective
Ten General Keys for Memorising
1.
2.
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5.
Try to understand it first
Create a hook (picture,
pattern, rhyme, story)
Link it to something you
already know
Don’t bite off more than you
can chew (don’t overload your
brain)
Get emotionally involved
(personalise it)
6.
7.
8.
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10.
Engage as many senses as
possible
Smell the roses (absorbing
your environment helps
with later recall)
Sleep on it (review before
bed and when first awake)
Use it or lose it (access it,
think about it, apply it –
soon and often)
Quiz yourself periodically
(like excercising a muscle)
•No right or wrong way – only general rules and tips
•Work at it and develop personal strategies
Before the Exam
The Night before the Exam
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Get to bed on time
Try not to get in any fights with family and
friends
The Night before the Exam
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Pack
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Some pencils,
Some different coloured pens
Pencil pairers and erasers
Rulers
Food and drink
The morning of the Exam
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Start you day as always
Eat a good breakfast
Think of what reward you will give yourself
after the exams are over
BE POSITIVE
The Exam itself
The Exam
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BREATH
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Take a deep breath
Relax
Remain calm
If you are getting nervous, picture a shaft of
warm, blue light coming down from the sky and
warming you
The Exam
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VITAL
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Carefully read all instructions on the exam paper,
especially when given options of questions to
answer.
The Exam
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VITAL
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Carefully read all instructions on the exam paper,
especially when given options of questions to
answer.
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Now read them again
The Exam
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TIME MANAGEMENT
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Read all of the questions on the paper
Choose the questions you wish to answer
carefully
The Exam
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BE CLEAR
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Write in clear, concise legible English and give all
necessary details.
The Exam
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DIAGRAMS
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Make it large
Label it clearly
Draw in pencil first
And then rub out and redraw in pen
Use many colours
The Exam
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CROSSING-OUT
Do not cross-out work unless you are sure it
is wrong, since crossed-out work is not
marked.
The Exam
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EXAM NUMBER
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Do not put your name on any part of the paper,
only your exam number.
The Exam
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“EXPLAIN” questions
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Provide a definition or simple explanation
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Draw a diagram if possible
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Provide an example
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Discuss all you can – PMI or 6Hats
The Exam
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WHICH QUESTION FIRST?
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When choosing which question from two choices to do first.
You should do the one you are more confident of answering
first.
This gets you started working immediately, steadies the
nerves and gives you confidence.
Starting with a harder one first may increase the amount of
time spent on the first essay, causing you to panic and rush
the second.
The Exam
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PLANNING YOUR ANSWER
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When faced with an exam question a good staring
point is to gather ideas.
Write these down on paper in any order.
The more ideas you have, the more can select
when you start to write.
Ideas should occur to as you write and these can
be accepted or rejected according to your answer
plan
The Exam
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PLANNING YOUR ANSWER
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The next stage is the rough plan, reorganise your
ideas into a logical order that will answer the
question.
Delete irrelevant initial ideas that will not
contribute to answering the question.
At this stage don’t worry about a conclusion, you
should be able to do this after you have written
the answer.
The Exam
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PLANNING YOUR ANSWER
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Three parts
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Introduction
Main Body (PMI?)
Conclusion
The Exam
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THE ANSWER
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The answer should be as legible as possible and
written in a clear fashion, the meanings of words
should be easily understood.
There should be a coherence of structure and
development of ideas.
Attention should be paid to grammar, punctuation
and spelling.
The Exam
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WHITESPACE
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You have paid for the exam booklets, use as
many as you want.
Each part of each question on a separate page
Leave a blank page between each question
Leave two blank lies between each paragraph
The Exam
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SUGGESTION
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Give each paragraph a heading, and then
underline that heading in red. This means that the
examiner can read very, very quickly what you
are doing and how the answer is being structured.
These efforts towards clarity will help the
examiner to follow the thrust of your argument
more clearly.
The Exam
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COMMON ERRORS
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Answering the wrong number of questions
Answering the wrong question
Badly presented answers
The Exam
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MARKERS COMMENTS
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This gets pretty repetitive towards the end
Manages to avoid contact with the question altogether.
Wanders around - gets the point here and there but then veers off it.
Not clear what the point is. The essay has no structure or organisation. No
relevant literature is cited nor is the question addressed.
Has very slight acquaintance with the subject, but completely fails to
address the question or develop an argument .
Too general. No readings are mentioned.
Doesn't really examine the views of the different schools of thought on this,
but has some ideas.
Specific names should have been mentioned. Very simplistic
Repetitive, fractured answer. - Largely missed the point.
This makes some good points about [...] but really does not attempt to
answer the question.
Not being able to copy Verba's name correctly doesn't inspire confidence.
After the Exam
Après Match
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Reward yourself.