Revision and exams (MP3 Transcript)

Content

01 Introduction
02 Understanding yourself as a learner
03 Exercise, daylight and diet
04 Timetables
05 Sources for revision: past exam papers
06 Sources for revision: course syllabuses
07 Sources for revision: class notes and the required weekly reading
08 Distinguishing between coursework and exams
09 Practising exams
10 General principles of revision
11 Just before the exam
12 In the exam
13 Legibility of handwriting
14 Closing remarks

01 Introduction

Very few people like exams, so you are not alone if the prospect of having to take them fills you with dread, or if you disagree with them entirely.

'I don't like exams. They make me nervous, and I don't think they're a particularly good system for judging the ability of candidates. But then again, I suppose they're a necessary evil - probably the only real way you can judge certain characteristics.' Liam

'I really don't like the exam process. A teacher once said to me that exams only measure your ability to do exams. I think they're relevant for some subjects and courses, but for many, although they have some relevance, I really don't think they're as important and don't really measure much.' Stuart

You may look around the library and see nothing but relaxed and confident faces, everyone appearing to take the exams in their stride, thriving on the pressure. But in reality, everyone experiences anxiety. It is natural and expected. There are only varying degrees of concealment.

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02 Understanding yourself as a learner

In order to feel at your most confident and relaxed, you need to be organised and focused, and exploit your natural strengths.

No-one can lay down rules about how to revise or study, but it is worth working out a rhythm that suits you, which will enable you to make the best of your time. This includes deciding when and where to work, as well as how and what to revise.

'I prefer to be in my own place, rather than going to the library. I need to be in my own cosy room and have my cup of tea and something to nibble on, rather than going to a place where I feel uncomfortable.' Mirjam

Some people find they are at their best in the mornings, whilst others prefer to work late into the night, so it is a good idea to determine which is best for you. Ask yourself these questions: Do I concentrate best in the Library, or do I prefer to work at home? Do I work best in long, uninterrupted blocks of time, or do I prefer to work in short bursts, with frequent breaks?

'I found Revising in Top Bar quite useful this year, especially when I was there with somebody from my course. The fact that it was a bit of a distraction helped me to learn more, I think. It was more social, and I didn't feel that it was such as scary thing. And I think I got more benefit out of that than revising in the library.' Liam

You also need to recognise that the work rhythms of your friends may not be the same as yours. Some people produce good work by studying through the night, fuelled by black coffee, but most do not. Everyone is different. When it comes to thinking about revision, you need to see yourself as an individual, and not be panicked by the techniques and work schedules of others.

'I always write everything down. I find this is the best way for me to memorise. Even if you have written it down already, just write it down again. I take a big piece of A3 paper and write the name of the topic, then all the main points, either as a mind map or just to get all the information. I write it all down and then I have a big lump of information. Then I just go on reading it all the time.' Mirjam

When you have found an ideal working environment, make sure it is well-lit, preferably with a window nearby. Mid-morning and late afternoon are supposed to be the best times for the average person to study most effectively.

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03 Exercise, daylight and diet

The importance of physical exercise is often overlooked and neglected by students. Sometimes it is even stigmatised as the antithesis of intellectual activity, and somehow incompatible with scholarly thought. In spite of these misconceptions, anything that makes your heart beat faster and your breathing rate increase will improve your concentration and intellectual performance.

'I find it really helpful to exercise during revision periods. It's probably the only time I really make the most of my gym membership. I find it's good to get out there and get the blood going, and I think it helps to get the mind going as well.' Jack

'I either go jogging or I go to the gym. That's the first thing I do in the morning. It's just good to wake you up and to get your mind free. Then I'm ready to revise.' Mirjam

Thirty minutes of exercise a few times a week is the minimum, but ideally you should take regular intervals of exercise between revision sessions. And make a point of doing it outdoors.

Get as much daylight as possible. Try to ensure that your waking hours correspond to the movements of the sun, as far as possible. There is no substitute for sleep. Students tend to get too much of it or not enough. Bar the well-deserved lie-in and a late night or two at the weekend, try to keep your sleeping patterns regular and avoid working too late at night. This causes over-tiredness, insomnia, sloppy thinking and poor memory retention.

'During the exam period, I try to be disciplined about the hours that I keep. I then find it easier to actually get up and go to my morning exams wide awake.' Stuart

Keeping your diet balanced is also crucial to sustaining good concentration, memory, and motivation. Try to keep your intake of sugar down, as excessive sugar lowers your blood sugar level which results in your body demanding yet more sugar. It is a vicious circle, and not conducive to healthy thought.

Avoid too much caffeine: it makes you feel alert in the short-term but anxious in the long-term. This means you should watch your intake of chocolate, coffee, tea, and cola. And be warned, carbohydrates make you sleepy, so avoid too much of them whilst studying, especially immediately before revision and exams. This includes potatoes, pasta, rice, and bread. Naturally, you need your staples, but eat them in moderation.

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04 Timetables

Before you actually begin your revision, it is worth devising a timetable, to safeguard against imbalance and to keep yourself organised.

Your revision timetable should be based on your exam schedule. Be careful not to prioritise your first exam at the expense of subsequent exams. Similarly, plan your revision for examinations that fall on consecutive days - or on the morning and afternoon of the same day - very carefully.

Do not give yourself an unrealistic amount to do, as this will probably result in an ever increasing shortfall and you will end up with a backlog of work.

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05 Sources for revision: past exam papers

Once you have looked at your exam schedule and worked out a revision timetable, you then need to pool all of the resources that are available to you.

Past exam papers are probably the best source of revision material that is available at the level of individual courses and modules, though you should always check that the content of the course has not significantly changed from previous years. To make sure, go back at least two years, preferably three or four. The further you go back the better, in fact, as most subjects have a finite number of themes and topics, which will inevitably surface and resurface every few years in cycles. Past exam papers are available on most departmental websites, or through the Course Materials Repository.

When you have managed to obtain the past papers, you should go through them and identify topics, themes, concepts, theories, etc., which are consistently tested. In most cases, this is preferable to attempting the exams themselves, as this involves an unnecessary degree of focus on questions that are unlikely to be repeated.

Organise your revision around the topics and themes you have identified. As a rule of thumb, double the number of questions you will have to answer on the exam. For example, if the exam requires that you answer four questions, you should revise eight topics in depth.

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06 Sources for revision: course syllabuses

Always compare past exam papers with the current course syllabus to ensure that you have correctly identified the main themes or topics on which you will be tested. Most course syllabuses include discussion questions as well as essay questions that focus on the main themes and issues covered by the course.

For each topic you have chosen to revise in depth, list all the questions that you can find on that topic in the course syllabus and on past exam papers. This should give you a fairly long list of sample questions that look at each topic from different angles. If you understand all of these questions and are confident that you can answer each of them adequately, that will give you a sound knowledge base for answering a range of different questions on each topic and give you the flexibility you need to respond to the particular questions that appear on the exam.

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07 Sources for revision: class notes and the required weekly reading

As well as past exam papers and course information, your class notes and the notes you have made from your weekly reading during the course of the year can be used to further identify the key points that have to be covered and the main issues that have to be discussed in order to give a full answer to a particular question or to cover a topic in depth. Do not just copy out your notes again: actively engage with them. The essays you have written during the year can also be used for revising relevant topics, but pay close attention to the marks and comments - the feedback - they received.

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08 Distinguishing between coursework and exams

Exams are very different from coursework. Some of the most common exam difficulties experienced by students are the result of failure to draw this distinction, especially in terms of what markers expect. Rather than write a condensed essay, many students make the mistake of sacrificing some of the structural elements of an extended essay, such as the introduction, conclusion, or argument.

Many of the differences between exams and coursework are, however, actually advantages. For example, answers are expected to be shorter, with less detailed referencing and fewer concrete examples. Markers are also generally more lax about presentation, although legibility is very important.

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09 Practising exams

On most degree schemes, the requirements of coursework are such that you get the opportunity to practice and fine-tune your essay writing skills throughout the year. Exams, on the other hand, tend to be seasonal, and the lack of formal feedback adds to their unfathomable mystique, as you are generally awarded a numerical mark which is neither qualified nor explained. It is important, therefore, to think carefully about how best to answer exam questions, as well as revise your subject knowledge.

Some of the questions you might ask yourself are: What does the marker want me to demonstrate? What is the purpose of this exam? What can I reasonably be expected to know? How much can I reasonably be expected to cover? Whenever possible, speak to academic and support staff, and even students who have already taken your courses in the years above. You might also want to examine past papers and any model exam scripts that your department has available.

The best way to master exams, however, is to practice.

These days, many students write their coursework on the computer rather than by hand. Exams require a different set of skills, however, such as more exact planning and forethought, as there is no option to cut and paste, and restructure. Greater immediacy of language is another requirement, for there is limited time to ponder a phrase and try out different words. But this is where nervousness and adrenalin become useful, for it is usually easier to retrieve words and phrases under pressurised conditions than otherwise, as your brain is working harder and faster than normal.

'I think, to a certain extent, that nerves can help you during the exam period. They get your adrenalin flowing, and that helps you to revise harder and longer. Having the pressure over my head is what drives me on, because without the pressure I just drift off and procrastinate.' Jack

'You need to have some sort of exam 'feeling'. If you're not nervous then you don't take it seriously. You might not be excited, but you need to be aware of how important it is.' Mirjam

You can guarantee that your mind will be racing on the day of the exam, but guaranteeing that your hand can keep up with it is another thing entirely. If you are used to word-processing, you may no longer have the necessary muscle strength to write quickly for sustained periods of time. The only way to improve your exam skills and build up your mental and physical strength, therefore, is to practise.

'In exams, I get arm ache after about an hour and a half. I found, particularly in my Finals, that I got bad arm- and hand-ache. I think this is because a lot of coursework at the University has to be typed, so you might not actually do any writing throughout the year until you get to exam time, and then you might have to write for three hours solidly, so you do get arm ache.' Nicky

Where possible, you should practice under exam conditions. That means, without the use of notes and within the specified time. Practising your technique is particularly important if you find exams especially hard, or have difficulty expressing yourself clearly and succinctly, or if English is not your first language.

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10 General principles of revision

Regardless of whichever exam you are preparing for, there are some common principles of effective revision:

Firstly, for the overwhelming majority of students, revision should be an active exercise rather than a passive one.

'I don't know if I am unique in doing this, but I have to write everything down. I can't just read something and take it in, I have to engage. I need to put it into my own context and words before I understand it. I tend to scribble everything down and then go back through and write it neatly. Then, an hour before an exam, I'll go back through and read all my papers for that topic. I don't know whether this is unique, probably lots of people do it, but I personally have to write everything down.' Nicky

Secondly, for each course or module, it is important to 'see the whole' and gain an overview, which means looking through your whole course folder or course syllabus to establish a conceptual framework - when you focus too much on individual lectures and classes, it can be easy to see these in isolation and lose sight of their place in a wider scheme.

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11 Just before the exam

Before the day of your exam, make sure you know where it is and, if necessary, make a visit to familiarise yourself with the surroundings and determine how long it will take to travel there. On the morning of the exam, make sure you have had a really good breakfast or early lunch, and take a bottle of water and a piece of fruit with you, preferably a banana, as well as some extra pens, which should ideally all be the same colour. Make sure that the night before you have organised everything that you will need to take with you, such as identity documentation, if required.

'I have a routine the night before an exam. I go over my notes first, and then I read my essays before I go to bed - not so much studying them as maybe speaking them aloud - which seems to put the words in my head and they remain there in the morning. Then, before the exam, if there is sufficient time, I go over my notes. I find this pretty useful for keeping the information in my head.' Liam

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12 In the exam

During the exam itself, try to be as logical and methodical as possible. Read the exam paper first. Make sure you understand the questions. Make sure you have looked at the mark allocations and organised your time accordingly, leaving enough time at the end to proof-read and embellish answers, if necessary. Then, once you have started writing, make sure that you answer the question, rather than relaying everything you know about the general topic.

As in your revision, selection is everything. In essay-based exams, make sure you do not sacrifice your introduction, conclusion, evidence, or line of reasoning. All of the formal elements of a coursework essay should remain. The main differences are in length, detail, volume of evidence, and referencing.

Do not spend too long on a single question or essay, unless the marks justify it. In most cases, it is better to answer the majority of questions evenly than one or two comprehensively, though this advice probably applies more to essay-based exams. The rationale for this is that the first 25% of marks are generally the easiest to pick up, the second 25% more difficult, the next 25% increasingly more difficult, and the last 25% extremely difficult to receive any marks from.

With long essay questions, it can also be worthwhile pausing every few minutes to briefly check how your answer is developing in relation to the question, as it is easy to digress and stray from the question.

'When I get into an exam, I look at the questions I need to answer and choose the ones that I think are best for me. In Sports Science, we have to write two essays and do one piece of data analysis interpretation, so for the essays I always study the question and then write a brief plan of what I want to cover. I then write my paragraphs according to the areas of the plan, and keep checking between the plan and my essay to make sure I cover everything.' Nicky

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13 Legibility of handwriting

As a final word of advice, work on the legibility of your handwriting. Whilst it may only seem like a small thing, if the examiner cannot read it, he or she will have no choice but to deduct marks. It is worthwhile making sure, therefore, that your handwriting, grammar and punctuation are readable and reliable. Check with your friends, teachers or a study skills tutor.

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14 Closing remarks

We hope that this advice has been helpful to you.

Markers of exam papers want you to succeed. The object of assessment is not to fail you, unless it is completely unavoidable, which is very rare. And remember, exams are not just a product, but also a process: they are a necessary stage in learning, during which you synthesise and consolidate everything you know, and give your academic muscles a real workout. You may never again know your subject as well as you do at exam time. This is something to be proud of and to enjoy.

'It's amazing how well the mind can work within the space of only three hours in an exam, especially compared to a three week period doing coursework.' Kiram

'Although I do absolutely hate exam time, as I find it particularly stressful, it is nice to have something to focus on and something to plan towards, that is clear and has a definite timeline. The feeling before you go into an exam can also be nice when you know you have revised well, and that you know your topic and you feel quite 'clued up' in that area. It's a nice feeling.' Nicky

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