What are book exams? Why are there so many book exams and so little lecture courses?
The book exam is a traditional form of studying individually, without any support from a teacher.
You just read a book or a set of books and show what you have learned in a written exam. It gives
more possibilities for a student to complete studies, as it demands less of the teachers’ time than
lectures or other contact forms of teaching. This is especially true of courses in English.
Where do I find the books?
Copies of all the set books are available in the Helsinki University Main Library, Kaisa House,
Fabianinkatu 30. There is also normally one copy of each book in the Minerva library in the main
building of the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences. Buying books is also possible: in the cafeteria of
Kaisa House, in big bookstores, and in the internet. Some exams use e-books and scientific
articles, which are to be found in the internet
Must I read the whole book?
Yes, except if there is some restriction in the weboodi, eg.
Study materials and literature: J. W. Kalat, Biological Psychology; chapters 1-8 (8.-11th ed.)
or
Study materials and literature:
Michael W. Eysenck (2012): Fundamentals of Cognition
(not chapters: 6 Everyday memory, 8 Understanding language and 9 Language production).
How should I read the book? How do I know what is essential in the book?
You should read in the same way as you read text books as a part of a lecture course. Only there
is no teacher saying what is important here, explaining difficult parts, and answering questions.
You have to manage by yourself. If you know other students preparing for the same exam, a study
circle is a good idea. Usually, the books themselves help a lot, there are summaries at the end of
the chapters, lists of core concepts, possible test questions etc. In the web there are lots of study
skills sites, eg. http://testprep.about.com/od/Study_Skills/a/Effective_Reading.htm
How much should I allot time for reading? When should I start looking for the book at the
library?
It is simple mathematics: If a course is, say, five credits, and one ECTS credit equals for 27 hours
of a student’s work, you should allow 5 x 27 hrs = 135 hrs net for preparing for the exam. That
means about 3,5 weeks full-time job. Since you probably have also other things to do, you better
start preparing five to six weeks before the D-day for a five-credit exam. Please note that there
might not be enough copies for everybody at the same time. It may be difficult to have the book
just before the exam so you might prefer to prepare yourself for the exam well in advance. You
can keep books from the university library for four weeks. In the library there are, though, copies
that can be read on the spot or borrowed for one or two days, so you can still do the final
rehearsing after returning the book.
What will the questions be like? Are there multiple choice or essay questions?
There can be questions of any kind, most likely essay questions or short definitions of concepts.
What is a good essay answer like…? Again there is lots of advice in the internet, eg.
http://www.uwlax.edu/biology/communication/AnsweringEssayQuestions.htm
Here are some examples of questions.
Cognitive Psychology I:
Cognitive processing influenced by an individual’s expectations and knowledge rather than the available stimuli is
called ____ processing
A. Parallel
B. Bottom-up
C. Top-down
D. Serial
E. Consistent
History of Psychology: Discuss the potential differences and similarities between the concepts of soul, spirit and
mind.
Psychology of Perception: Always four essay questions!
Where can I find out when and where the exam takes place? How do I register for the exam?
All information is in the weboodi, see
https://weboodi.helsinki.fi/hy/vl_kehys.jsp?MD5avain=&Kieli=6&Opas=4020&Org=41547359&vl_til
a=1&AukAikMaar=1 , Tabs: General information and Examinations.
When registering, remember to choose the option “I want questions in English” (if you do)!
How does the exam work? What can / must I take with me to the exam?
The exam happens usually in a big auditorium, where students take different exams at the same
time. Make sure not to be late! You put your bag and things on the floor by the wall. The invigilators
shout the students’ names in alphabetic order. You get an envelope where your questions are
hidden, and paper for writing the answers. You take a seat, leaving one seat between you and the
next student. Books, calculators etc. are not allowed, except if stated specially in the course
instructions. You take with you just pens or pencils, eraser, perhaps some snacks, possibly
necessary medication, and definitely a student card or other document to identify yourself. You
must not open the envelope before the invigilators give permission (you can see when it happens,
even if you don’t understand Finnish), and you can leave the auditorium not earlier than half an
hour after the exam has started (the time is written on the blackboard). Just look what the other
students do. If you have any kind of questions (like: can I go to the toilet?), just raise your hand.
Don’t try to cheat, it is disgusting and may lead to fatal consequences. When you feel you are
ready (or the time is out), you just leave your answer paper to one of the invigilators, show your
identity document, sign the attendance paper, and start waiting for the results. It shouldn’t take
more than four weeks, but that´s what it can take. The marks appear into your weboodi register. If
you want to know why you got the mark you got, you can email the teacher and ask. It is your right
to know.
Whom shall I ask if I have questions before the exam?
Ask the international coordinator Meri Pihlajavaara, ibs-int@helsinki.fi, tel. 050-3185635. Contact
the teachers only when it says in the weboodi that you have to agree about the reading material
with the teacher. If the books are clearly stated, contacting the teachers is not necessary. Meri will
answer, or forward your questions, if necessary.
IBS / Psychology Pakarinen 20150107