Exam Preparation & Review

Exam preparation is different to revision. 

The following tips should help you prepare for the exams which are published in advance. 

Preparing for Exams

• Pull the whole course together (get a syllabus and do not compartmentalize information). 
• Start revising early enough (i.e. months before the exam) 
• Try to keep a revision timetable 
• Change revision topics regularly to avoid boredom (but ensure thorough revision of all areas) 
• Revise actively by summarising notes onto cards or into diagrams; (don’t stare blankly at your notes or copy out repetitively). 
• Revise in approximately 45 minute sessions (your attention span)
• Practise past questions and papers
• Try to think up likely exam questions for yourself (but beware of question spotting) 
• Talk about the material you are revising (bore parents, friends, relatives, etc)

As Exam Day Approaches 

• Ease off your revision (you need to be mentally alert for the exam, not a walking zombie)
• Revise during the day so that your mind is used to working in examination hours. You must be at your most alert at 9am not 11.30pm 
• If anxiety sets in talk to parents/tutors (breathing exercises, meditation or a GP may help.)
• Check examination arrangements (twice) – time, place, etc. 

On the day

• Don’t attempt any last minute revision, it will only disturb your carefully stored ideas. 
• Arrive in good time
• Don’t let other candidates disturb you. Remain aloof if you need to. 
• Make sure you have the necessary equipment for the exam (black pen, pencil, ruler, rubber, calculator, books) 

In the Exam Itself

• Keep calm at all times 
• Read the instructions on the front page
• Read the questions
• Read the instructions (again) and find the questions you have prepared for 

 As you tackle a question

• Examine the wording carefully 
• Take the time to plan your answer before you start writing - everything you write should be relevant to the specific question asked 
• Write legibly and in a clear style using relevant terminology 
• Express complex ideas in short sentences
• Structure essays with an introduction, a logically developed argument and a conclusion which all answer the question set.

Following your exams it is really good practice to review how they went. Many students prepare for exams but fail to review in a detailed way; they see a grade and that’s it. Simply put, self-reflection is the act of taking time to think, meditate and evaluate your behaviours, motivations, and performance. 

Self-reflecting on your exam performance, regardless of whether you passed or failed, encourages critical thinking about how you approached the task. It helps you consider what worked well for you in the exam process and what didn’t, and how you can approach this task differently in the future. 

By reflecting on your exam performance and experience, you will gather valuable information to help you grow and develop as a learner. 

The key is to not get too fixated on your grade. Look beyond your grade. Muster the courage to look at and/or listen to the teacher’s feedback. 

Effective questions for reflection 

Exam preparation

• What learning strategies were most/least helpful? 
• How do you learn best? 
• Were you deep learning or surface learning?
• Did you use all the resources available to you?
• How realistic was your study schedule?
• When do you know you have really learnt a topic? 

Exam performance 

• Did you have enough time to answer all the questions in the exam? 
• Which topics or subjects were you least/most confident answering? 
• How did you feel during the exam? 
• Did you use any stress management techniques? 
• What did you learn from this exam? 

Future exams 

• What study strategies will you continue using in the future? 
• What changes do you need to make? 
• What have you learnt from this experience? 
• Who can support you going forward? 

These are common themes that students often say they experience—you’re not alone if you experience one, some or all of these! 

Addressing common reflections 

There are often common themes that come up for students after they have reflected on their exam preparation and performance: 

Time management 

Exams are designed to be completed within a given time frame. Finishing an exam too early can be as big a red flag as not completing it. You might have accidentally skipped a question or misread a requirement. 

However, a more common mistake students make is spending too long on one question. You might have been confident about the subject matter and written too much. It’s important to remember that, no matter how much information you can give on a topic, once your time is up, you must move on to the next question. 

A good solution for this is to answer the easy questions first. This will build your confidence in time management. You can go back to the difficult questions later in the exam. 

When time starts running out, you can get flustered and make mistakes. Slow down, take a deep breath and use positive self-talk. Tell yourself you can do this — and then do it. 

Misinterpreting a question 

Students often say they misread a question or they misinterpreted what was being asked of them in the exam. 

During your next exam, take deep breaths when you think you have gone awry. You can get a lot of clarity by taking just 20 seconds to breathe deeply. 

It’s smart to highlight the key words in the question and look out for the word “and” in a question requirement. In one question requirement, there might be two questions and you don’t want to miss an opportunity to gain full points. 

Stress and anxiety 

It is very natural and very common to feel a little stressed or anxious coming up to or during an exam. Because of this, students often say their “mind went blank” during the exam. 

For your next exam, be prepared to calm your nerves. Practice breath work before the exam and it will come naturally to you during the exam. 

A simple method is to breath in deeply for four seconds, hold for four seconds, breath out for four seconds and hold for four seconds. 

By doing this simple exercise, it will calm your nerves and help you focus. If your stress levels are very high, be sure to talk to someone in your support network or a professional as they can help you with some relaxation techniques or give you some advice to ease anxiety. 

After reflecting on your exam performance and experience, make an action plan for your next exam. 

Consider the following questions

• What is your goal for your next exam? 
• What study/learning strategies are you going to put in place? 
• What study/learning strategies need to be changed or abandoned to achieve your goal? 

Final note 

Self-reflection can come easily to some and not so easily to others. However, even if you’re in the latter category, it is still worth trying it out as it really can improve your performance, engagement, and motivation.