Transcript cqu student support centre

Preparing for and taking exams!!!
CQU STUDENT SUPPORT CENTRE
Remember:
• Preparation
• And
• Organisation
• Are the keys to
• Success!!
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Preparation
• Attend lectures – they may have important
information about exams
• Mark regular revision times in your weekly
timetable
• A time for each course plus more time for
difficult subjects
• Eat well, exercise, relax and sleep well
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Preparation - Time Management
Exam timetable
= Hours x weeks
subjects
– Break down each subject into topics.
– Make a checklist of each topic and pin it up on the
wall.
– Tick off each topic as it is done – shows progress,
helps motivation.
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Preparation
• Know what’s expected of you
• If in doubt ask!
• Know your dates, and location of the
exam
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Preparation
• Avoid cramming
• Use past exam papers
• Test yourself, practice writing essays and
short answers
• Join a study group or get a partner to help
with questioning
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MEMORY ASSISTANCE
Poor memories don’t exist – they are just untrained
• Thinking must occur before memorising to assist the process
• Use more than one sense – sight (words, colour, image), sound
(say it, rhyme), feel (trace with finger); the more hooks, the
better the memory
• Breaks help the brain process information – aim to stop intake of
any new information for 10-15 minutes – relaxation, sleep
• Follow the break with a few minutes of mindless activity
• Recall, check and repeat (optimum 3 times)
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MEMORY ASSISTANCE
• We learn better if we like or are interested in
the information
• Eat your favourite food while studying
something that you don’t like to trick the brain
• An important key to memory is association –
associate the new information with something
already known
• Make your associations stand out/unusual/
weird
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MNEMONIC DEVICES
Learning strategies to assist memory
• They provide a structure for our memory
• Using images, rhymes and other
associations assist in cementing the
information
• Assists with retrieval by providing cues
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MNEMONIC DEVICES
• Method of Loci – images of information attached to
physical locations
• Peg word/number – information is attached to a preremembered set of words/numbers
 you need to attach an image permanently to the
number or word
 peg the new information to the image
 the more bizarre your images the better
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amples of
ormation charts
d diagrams
Decorate the walls in your house with your notes
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Three Ways to Manage Stress
• Mental stress management
techniques
• Physical stress management
techniques
• Lifestyle management techniques
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Lifestyle Stress Management
• Sleep
• Diet
• Exercise
• Good interpersonal communication
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Physical Stress Management
• Deep breathing
• Neck exercises
• Progressive relaxation
• Imagery
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Mental Stress Management
• Avoid catastrophising
• Avoid personalising
• Challenge negative thoughts
• Develop a positive mind set
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How to Reduce Exam Anxiety
• Eat before you come to the exam –
energy to concentrate
• Come prepared – pens, pencils,
calculators, watch etc
• Be punctual – don’t arrive too early or late
• Don’t listen to others
• Relax
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Reducing Exam Anxiety
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Don’t forget to breathe!
Use thought stopping to counter fears
Think positively (ABC’s)
Calm yourself – take a few minutes to breathe
slowly and deeply, stretch arms and legs and then
relax them. Close your eyes and visualise yourself
somewhere safe and comfortable
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During the Exam
• Check you have all pages, questions, answer
sheets, scrap paper etc
• Read instructions carefully
• Make a time schedule – divide time according
to question weightings
• Begin with answers you know best
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Multiple Choice
• If there’s a penalty for incorrect answers, leave a blank –
don’t guess
• Read carefully – don’t add things like an “always”, “all” or
“every” that’s not there, to a question
• Underline qualifying phrases
• Pick the alternative that is more ‘true’ than the others
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Exam Anxiety Symptoms
• Feeling tense
• Fear of failing before arriving at the exam
• Physical symptoms such as – increased
heart rate, shortness of breath, perspiring etc
• Negative thinking
• ‘Blanking out’ – inability to recall information
you have learned
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Multiple Choice Questions
• Include a “stem” or phrase followed by 3-5
options, eg.
– Question stem:
– “Which one of the following is the currency unit used in
Albania?”
• Dinar
• Rouble
• Kwacha
• Lek
• Rupee
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Strategies
• Cover the options and read stem carefully
• Identify key words in the stem- underline
• Rephrase the question
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Strategies
• Eliminate distracters
• Try using the true/false technique
• Be careful selecting “extreme” answers
e.g. always, never, all, none.
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Strategies
• Is there a penalty for incorrect answers?
• None of the above is usually not the correct
choice
• Do easy questions first
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Strategies
• Don’t waste time on questions you don’t know
– come back later
• Pick the alternative that is more “true” than
the others
• Don’t change your answers unless sure!
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Essay Questions
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Make a plan first
Note the weighting of each question
Write legibly
Use diagrams where appropriate
If short of time, write an introduction, outline your argument
in note form, and then if you have time write a conclusion
• Answer easy questions first
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Other Types of Exams
• Open book exams
• Online exams
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During the Exam
• Keep an eye on the time
• Don’t spend too long on one question
• If the exam is more difficult than anticipated –
don’t panic! Focus and do your best – it might
be enough to get you through
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After the Exam
• Don’t stress about what you may
have missed
• Relax
• Reward yourself
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