Passing Exams | Exam Technique
So you have been revising (not so!) hard and the big day is approaching. Soon you will be putting all you’ve learned together for passing exams. Now all you need to know is a little exam technique and you will be there.
Firstly, make sure that you get a proper night’s sleep on the night before the exam. The last thing you want to do is be yawing on the morning of the exam and not feeling alert.
Arrive and the venue nice and early. Make sure that you know the venue well in advance so that you can get there stress free. Use your extra time to the run through your notes one last time.
When you are in the exam room and you are given the exam paper, make sure that you read all the instructions. There aren’t many people capable of passing exams without know which questions they need to answer. You will be surprised with the numbers who don’t do this basic thing.
Have a quick read through of the whole paper. This allows you to take a minute to compose yourself. It also allows your brain to start thinking of ideas of how to answer the questions.
Make a little plan about how long you think each section will take you. You want to split you time in relation to points each question offers. Don’t spend too much time on one section because you don’t want to be rushing towards then of the paper.
Make sure that when you are answering a question that you actually answer it. What I mean by that is, don’t just write what you know about the topic. Think about how the question is worded and specifically answer the question in the way that the marker is looking for.
After reading the instructions you will know which questions you have to answer. A lot of people find passing exams hard so they leave out certain questions because they look difficult. Give each question that you need to answer a go. It is very easy to pick up a few marks in each question.
Leave a little time in your plan for having a quick read of your answer sheet at the end. If you notice any mistakes then go back and correct them.
Try and incorporate all of the above into your exam technique. If you practice at it then you will have no problems passing exams in the future.
Passing Exams | Revision Techniques Part II
This is the second of the post which will help with passing exams using improved revision techniques.
Make sure that you revise in an environment that suits you. I preferred to revise in my dining room and hated revising the university or school library. Where do you feel more comfortable? Remember this is all about helping you with passing exams so it must suit you.
I know lots of people who don’t like revising in the mornings. That is fine but plan your revision to accommodate your preferences. Don’t work too late in the evenings as you will have too many thoughts running through your head when you come to trying to sleep.
You shouldn’t be revising when you are too tired. It is poor use of revision techniques as you won’t be absorbing the new information – remember those short breaks. Also, make sure that you are getting enough sleep each night, you shouldn’t be out partying during revision time anyway!
Carry your notes around with you so that you can use any chance that you get to refresh your memory. passing exams takes commitment so you should always be looking out for these opportunities. I’m talking about times when you are sitting around waiting for your mates, this is the perfect opportunity.
Another useful tip that you can incorporate into your revision techniques is the use of keycards or post it notes. Write important key words onto these cards and put them around your room, in fact, leave them all around the house! You don’t need anything too detailed. Just seeing the key words will be enough for you to keep your brain working and keep all the key issues in the front of your mind. You will be amazed at how effective this is.
Well hopefully you can use these revision techniques and put them into practice. Once you have mastered them, combining them with a good exam technique will be enough for seeing you passing exams with flying colors.
Passing Exams | Revision Techniques Part I
Ok so you’ve finished the course and you know that you need to do some revision in order to achieve your goal of passing exams. Where do you start? Well you start as early as possible.
You need to do some planning. Get you schedule of exams ready so you know what is expected of you. Then make an assessment of how much work you need to do in each course. You then need to start with a revision timetable. You want to do this at the start of the process because if you are clear of what is expected of you then you are more likely to be passing exams. When you have set out the time make sure that you carry out the tasks of what you have set yourself. It will make it easier for you if you spread your revision out.
One of the best revision techniques is to revises regularly and in short blocks. You will absorb more new information by revising for short periods rather than sitting down for hours. You can keep yourself motivated by giving yourself a reward now and then.
You need to keep you focus when setting about passing exams. Don’t keep switching from subject to subject when revising, this is an example of poor revision techniques. Try to concentrate on a small number of subjects so that you get a thorough understanding.
When you need to take a break from the revision then make sure that you do. But remember – keep you breaks brief. Make sure that when you break that you relax as much as you can. Enjoy them as well as you won’t be getting many! Reason that you should keep your breaks short is so you can focus again easily when you get back to it.
More revision techniques to help passing exams to follow in part II.
Passing Exams | During The Course
Not all courses are the same and therefore some might not require passing exams. The vast majority require you to pass some for of assessment and therefore it is important for you to know the art of passing exams.
There is a lot that you can do during the course that will help you when it comes to exam time. A lot of it is obvious and you already know it, we all know it, but a lot of us don’t do it. And because we don’t do it, this piles the pressure on and we struggle passing exams.
It is important to set yourself a target. Why did you take the course? What will it lead to? A lot of people just want to pass the course. This is fine and at least there is a clear objective there. I would suggest setting yourself a higher objective, really push yourself. I believe that if you set your objective to pass then that is probably the best you will achieve. If you set your target as an A, a distinction or however the course is graded then this help focus you during the course and work to a higher standard.
Ensure that you attend all the lessons. Don’t skip lesson thinking that you will be able to catch up later. Copying someone else’s notes is not a good substitute to being in the lesson. If there is a genuine reason for missing the class then make sure you get up to speed as soon as possible.
A key to passing exams is focus. Make sure that you focus in each lesson. Remember your objective. Don’t fool around too much! Make loads of notes during class. You won’t remember half the things you think you will. After lessons write up your notes, this will enable you to get a head start on your revision. If you write detailed notes straight after the lesson they will be much better as you will have recently covered the subject and everything should be fresh in your mind.
If you are confused with anything then ask questions. Even if you think it is silly, it is better to ask and get better grade because of it.
So remember the key to passing exams comes from the course. If you follow everything above then you can be confident that when the time comes, passing exams should be easy.
Passing Exams
If you need help passing exams then you may need help with your exam technique as well as your revision techniques.
It is important to be well prepared for passing exams and to do this it requires a bit of effort beforehand. You can use certain revision techniques to enable you to learn and remember your course notes more easily.
It is never too early to start revising. The earlier you start the more that you will be able to revise. I am sure that, if measured, there would be a high correlation between individuals starting revision early and those passing exams well.
You need to plan your revision so you should consider using a revision timetable, in fact of you insert your name and email address at the top right hand side we will email you one. This will keep you focused on the key activities that you should be undertaking. You should ensure that your timetable is taken seriously. If you plan to revise for 2 hours Saturday evening, then make sure that you do. Don’t promise you’ll catch up the next day because you won’t. Discipline and effort in the revision stage is the key to passing exams.
When you are planning your timetable, only plan short sessions. Your brain gets tired when it has been concentrating so short sessions with lots of regular breaks is much better than sitting and revising for 2 hours straight.
Exam Technique
Good revision techniques are not the only requirement for passing exams. Passing exams requires excellent exam technique.
Make sure that you get an early night before the exam as your brain works better when it is refreshed. You don’t want to be stressed when the exam starts so make sure that you arrive at the venue with plenty of time to spare. That means knowing exactly where the venue is beforehand.
At the beginning of the exam make sure you read the instructions, you won’t be passing exams if you don’t do as instructed. Take a minute to calm your nerves and have a glance at the whole paper.
Quickly work out how much time to need to allocate to each part of the paper. You don’t want to be struggling for time at the end. Answer all the questions that are required. If you have to answer 4 questions and you only answer 3 then the maximum mark you can get is 75%. It is quite easy to pick up at least some marks on each question so even if you think you can’t answer it, get something down on paper.
The key to passing exams is your planning (revision techniques) and your execution (exam technique). You need to practice both and in no time you will be easily passing exams.