How to Study for Exams

Get rid of the nervous feeling

Some people really dislike exams. They jump on the chance of doing anything other than studying. Procrastination happens. There are many reasons, but the simplist is not knowing where to start. The best to find out is to determine to root of the problem. Ask yourself:

What are the types of questions that

<ul>
<li>take the most time for me?</li>
<li>I don't fully understand?</li>
<li>I wish will not be on the exam?</li>
<li>I don't remember learning??? <sup><a href="#p4-sup1">1</a></sup></li>
</ul>

and then add it to the mind map.

Create a mind map

Give yourself a confidence boost by knowing what can be on the exam. Creating a mind map is a great way to list out all the material learned, and how they are linked. Begin by recalling and listing as many conecpts as you can remember. Then complete the list by going though the table of contents.

Make sure you prioritize the topics to study.

Practice quality questions with answers

Practice makes perfect, but performing repetitive tasks is boring and leads to mistakes. It is far better (in a limited time span) to practice exam-level questions and guarentee that your solutions are correct. Which is why you need answers. Otherwise you might always be doing the problem wrong!

Plan out the exam

Do some research before writing the exam. Know the length of time and the number of pages/questions. This gives a rough estimate of the time to spend on each page, and also when to move on. Also, visiting the exam room and imagining yourself writing the exam can help.

Other suggestions

• relax, eat real food, sleep
• sit in the front row to avoid distractions
• scrap paper is a good friend to have
• whiteboards and chalkboards are good substitutes too