Supplemental
Exams 2010
Exam
Taking Strategies
Dr. Mark Matthews
Student Learning
Doing Well in Exams
1.
2.
3.
4.
Grading
Reasons for losing marks
Practice
On the Day
Sources:
Exam Stress Guide, SU & Student Learning
How to Do Badly in Examinations, Dr. Frank Bannister
Grading
Grading
I
Thorough, deep understanding
Critical thinking, insight, creativity
Well written
Nearly all points
II.I
Good grasp of subject
Critical & Analytical thinking
Logical Clear Presentation
Nearly all key points
Grading
II.II
Solid Answer
Knowledge beyond lectures
Good on facts
Writing good, some structure
III
Knowledge Facts, but little insight
Narrow/ No critical thought
Poorly written / incoherent
F
Little Factual Content & Errors
Why you lose
marks
Time Wasting
• Writing out the question
• Writing out multiple choice
• Pointless Definitions
Unnecessary content
• Taking a long time to get to the point
• Irrelevance
• Repetition
• Present what you know
• Add Value
• Get to the point
Overcomplication
What is meant by each of the following data
mining terms? In each case, include a
simple example to illustrate your answer.
• Decision trees;
• Clustering;
• Accuracy;
• Coverage.
(8 Marks)
Overcomplication
Decision trees are used in data mining as a way of progressively
breaking down data into groups. As this happens, the number in each
classification may be noted. A customer database may break down as
70% male, 30% female. The males may be divided into those that
spend over €1,000 a year with us (90%) and those that do not (10%).
The same subdivision for female shows that only 2% of females spend
over €1,000 with us. The high spending males break-down into 77%
under 30 and 23% over 30 years of age. When females are divided
into high and low spending, it might be found that 80% of high spenders
are repeat customers and 20% are not. Low spending females, on the
other hand, might be 90% non repeating customers. A parallel analysis
of high spending male customers might show that…
Unbalance Answers
Maximum gains for time are in
the early stages of your answer
Maximum gain
120
Rehearse producing quality
work in time available
100
% personal best
Plan your time in advance
80
60
40
20
0
Equal Time for Equal Marks
5
10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Time in minutes
Not Answering the Question
• Demonstrating that you understand the
question is the first step in producing an
answer
• How you structure your answer is as important
as what you know
• More is not necessarily better
Keep Focussed
If an idea for a future question “pops into your head”,
make some very brief notes so that you don’t loose it and
go straight back to the answer you are working on
If you have completed an answer and something relevant
that you have left out “pops into your head”, go back and
add the information as dot points at the end of your
answer. Do not try to fit it in over your original script – time
and legibility
How you lose marks
Re-interpreting the Question
Not Answering Multiple Choice Questions
Poor English
Padding
Bullet Points
Padding
Work breakdown structures are important. They are used in all projects including civil,
mechanical and electrical engineering projects as well as software projects. Work
breakdown structures decompose the work to be done in a project into successively
smaller components. The result is a hierarchical structure. This is usually done by the
project manager, but may be done by sub managers or engineers. Being able to prepare
a work breakdown is an important project management skill and needs experience.
Specialist engineers may be required to complete a WBS where specialised work is
involved. The work breakdown structure enables the project manager to estimate more
accurately and later on helps in controlling the project. A typical breakdown may start
with a project being divided into phases, stages, activities and tasks. The lowest level in
the breakdown is usually a task though occasionally task may be further subdivided into
sub-task or even steps. The number of tasks in a project can be very large. The absence of a work
breakdown structure can cause problems in a project as it may not be possible to estimate accurately
or assign work effectively. If the work breakdown structure is not complete in some way, then the
project is almost certain to overrun. One project manager was quoted as saying that a good work
breakdown structure is of ‘monumental importance’. A proper work breakdown structure is normally
coded with a simple numeric coding system. The work breakdown structure may also be reflected in a
Gantt chart. A Gantt chart is a sort of horizontal bar chart used for showing the timing and duration of
the various stages of a project.
Think about your
examiner
Answer the Question
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Use subject-specific headings
Stick to your plan
Know how much you can write in the time
Say why the issues raised by the question are
important
Structure your answer
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Outline
Headings
Clear Writing
Clear Language
Practice
Practice
No practice leads to..
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Poor Handwriting
Brain Dumping
Irrelevance
Poor Structure
Running out of time
Anxiety
Conditional Reflex
Develop Your Technique
Deconstruct the question:
• Restate the question in your own words
• Find and use the key words
• Show that you know what the point of the question is
by defining the key words/concepts/theories/etc
• Say how you are going to answer the question
Exam Centres
Dozens of exam centres
Find out where your
exam is.
Visit the exam venue
On the Day
Fill out your answer books
Don’t hang around outside
Don’t discuss the paper after
Which question first?
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Select the questions you want to answer
Do best question first
Build up your momentum
Do the question you know least well last
Leave time to check your work and add dot
points
Planning your answer
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Deconstruct the question first
Do quick outline
Rough notes under headings
Then begin to write your answer
Performance on the day
• Turn up - make the examiners decide if you
know enough to pass
• Avoid common mistakes
• Structure and content
• Go for maximum gains
• Manage performance anxiety
Upcoming Workshops
Managing Exam Nerves
Thursday, August 26th, 1 - 2 pm
Room 3126, Arts Building
Exam Revision Workshop
Student Learning Development
Thank you for your time
Visit our website at:
http://student-learning.tcd.ie