Revising and preparing
for exams
Study development advisors
Institute for Academic Development
University of Edinburgh
What bugs you about exams?
Could but
don’t…
Can’t
control
Can and do
take control
Taking control
In the run-up….
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•
Look after yourself
Start preparing early
Find out what’s required
Make a timetable (plan and prioritise)
Ask staff and students for advice
Double-check times and locations
Revise actively
Registry: Exams
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/registry/exams
Planning and prioritising
Prioritising
important
Do this now
urgent
Do it if you can
Start it before it
becomes urgent
Time
9 - 10
10 - 11
11 - 12
12 - 1
1-2
2-3
3-4
4-5
5-6
6-7
7-8
8-9
9 - 10
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Time
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
9 - 10
10 11
Saturday
Sunday
Work
Work
Tutorial
11 12
12 - 1
Lunch
Lunch
Lunch
Lunch
Lunch
1-2
Lecture
Lecture
Lecture
Lunch
Lunch
2-3
Swim
Swim
Swim
Work
Work
Dinner
Dinner
Dinner
Dinner
Club/Society
Friends
Friends
3-4
4-5
5-6
6-7
7-8
8-9
9 - 10
Dinner
Dinner
Club/Society
Dinner
Planning
evening
afternoon
morning
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
How much time do you have
left to study?
• Do you think this is enough time?
• Do you need to rethink your other
commitments?
• The amount of study time you need each
week may vary.
• Actively prioritising or creating a ‘To Do list’
will help you plan your study
Review your plan:
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Review how realistic your plan was
What worked well and what didn’t?
What can you do differently?
Don’t expect your plan to work perfectly the
first time
• Don’t give up!
• Seek help or advice if you need it
Revising actively
• How do you revise now?
• How can you make your
revision more active?
Revising Actively
• Organising and structuring notes:
– Thinking about inter-relationships
– Relating what you are learning to ‘real-life’ situations.
– Organising material into a meaningful structure.
• Creating a diagram or chart to represent a topic.
• Looking for similarities or differences.
• Looking for points for and against an argument.
• Trying to really understand how formulae work.
• Critically evaluating what you are learning.
• Discussing topics with a friend.
Mnemonics
Emergency - Medical history (AMPLE)
Allergies
Medications
Past medical history
Last ate/drank
Events
Key diagrams
•Look
•Cover
•Draw and annotate
•Check
Just before the exam
Preparation
• Check venue, times and so again
• Equipment, water, matriculation card etc.
• Looking at notes ?
Routine
• Sleep
• Food
Equipment examples
• Only a calculator from the list specified by the College
of Science and Engineering may be used in this
examination.
• Calculators may not be used in this examination.
• Candidates are permitted to make use of foreign
language dictionaries.
• Candidates are not permitted to take any statutes,
notes or other materials into the examination hall.
• Copies of the English Bible (RSV) will be supplied.
On the day…
The exam
Your mind goes blank?
Your mind goes blank?
• Leave a gap and carry on if it is a small section
• Move on to another question and come back later
• Find a space and scribble down words connected to the
topic – you can mind map this
• Do a one or two minute free write - let your mind go
anywhere writing whatever comes into your head
• Picture a time when you were studying this (seminar,
lecture, in your room) and focus on details (sounds,
sights, smells, colours, actions)
Stop! and relax…
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Silently, tell yourself Stop!
Breathe in gently
Breathe out slowly, relaxing shoulders, arms and hands
Pause
Breathe in again
Breathe out slowly, relaxing forehead and jaw
Sit quietly for a few seconds
Continue what you were doing, deliberately moving
more slowly.
Edinburgh University Counselling Service booklet, Stress, a short guide for students available at:
http://www.docs.sasg.ed.ac.uk/StudentCounselling/SCSbooklets/SCSstressbooklet.pdf
Have strategies worked out
• Reading
• Question choice
• Time – planning and writing – write
down when you aim to move on to
the next question
The instructions
BIOINFORMATICS 1
16th December 2010, 09:30 to 11:30
• Answer QUESTION 1 and ONE other question.
• Question 1 is COMPULSORY.
All questions carry equal weight.
Answer the question
Read the question
and answer the question,
the whole question,
and nothing but the question.
The question asked
Describe three different models of…
Compare and contrast different models of…
Discuss the different models of…
Evaluate three different models of…
What examiners say
Poser
Suppose you've got time left to do one
question, but two questions left to do.
Which one do you choose?
ACUTE: Checking at the end
• Assumptions - have you explained them?
• Calculations - have you checked them?
• Units - have you written the units down?
• Take stock - have you done all parts?
• Explanations - have you explained fully?
Summary
1. Take control by:
• planning
• prioritising and
• preparing
2. Revise actively
3. Rehearse scenarios (prepare strategies)
Afterwards…
relax and
treat yourself
LearnBetter
For advice on revision and exams go to
LearnBetter.
• LearnBetter is available on the Learn VLE
• Access via MyEd
• You will need to self enrol
http://www.wordle.net/