Contents - Introduction to study skills
- Resources
- Organising your time
- Gathering information from lectures and seminars
- Reading and note taking
- Writing essays
- Preparing for exams
Preparing for exams Keeping up with your work as you go along makes revision easier. | Fact File | | Condense and summarise what you wish to remember | | Attend revision lectures and seminars | | Stress is normal |
It should not be a frantic attempt to learn the subject from scratch! Doing the work thoroughly first time round will mean revision is: 1. Recalling what you can of the subject 2. Re-reading notes and relevant texts 3. Condensing your notes As you read through your essays and notes, make notes, which condense and further summarise what you wish to remember. Eventually they should resemble an essay plan for questions that you hope to answer. They could be in the form of flash cards, a list of points, a diagram, a rhyme, anything which you can remember and use as a trigger in the exam. Revision, like all study skills, is individual. Your examiners are looking for: - An analytical answer to the question
- Reference to course material
- Discriminating use of relevant material
- Appropriate use of time
- Structured presentation
 | | Get together with friends and exchange notes |
You may find it a good idea to go through old exam papers to focus your revision.You will become familiar with the language, style and appearance of the paper and any instructions you will have to follow. It may also be possible to 'forecast' question areas but not the focus of those questions. It can be helpful to arrange to do some revision with friends. By sharing notes, essays and discussing topics together you can cover more ground. Attend revision tutorials It is extremely important to attend revision lectures and seminars although it may seem more valuable to spend the time revising. Tutors and lecturers sometimes offer guidance and 'hints' which you cannot afford to miss. This will help you to decide which parts of the course you should focus on and how many topics you will need to revise. Going to lectures and tutorials also provides you with the opportunity to share any anxieties or worries with staff and students. A certain amount of stress is normal and can be used in a positive way. It can be used as an incentive to do your best. The Exam Keep calm, arrive in plenty of time and don't attempt any major last minute revision. | Fact File | | Keep calm | | Look for the questions you have prepared for | | Decide which order to answer the questions | | Stick to your time plan | | If you run out of time make notes on how you would have completed the answer | | Reflect but don't moan |
Unauthorised revision notes should not be brought with you to your table or the invigilator may jump to the conclusion that you have been cheating. Listen to any instructions the invigilator has to announce. Read the paper carefully - both the instructions and the questions. Look for the questions you have prepared for. Divide the time you have available between the number of questions you have to answer. Decide in which order to answer the questions and how to do it. As you plan, decide what material you have revised that is relevant to the question. Don't panic if you seem to be running out of time and don't be tempted to stay on a question to finish it. Stick to your time plan The first 10 marks are easier to get than the last ten of a question. You are therefore more likely to get more marks by spending equal time on all equally weighted questions. If, in spite of all your plans, you do run out of time make some notes to show how you would have answered the question, or make a list eg “other relevant factors are…” As you are writing consider your presentation. Is it legible? Is it analytical? Have you got a structure to your argument? Don't grouse afterwards: post-mortems are always gruesome, but reflect on how your timing was and what needs changing for next time. | 
