Preparing for Exams |
A Guide for NUS Students |
STUDY STRATEGIES
a. Know your content
1. Begin with your course objectives.
One purpose of exams is for you to consolidate the different topics of
your study; you have to be able to ‘see the forest in spite of the
trees’.
Look at your course overview and objectives now, and try to map it out
so that you can see how all the topics and sub-topics are related to each
other.
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Example from Bizad
BH1001 Management and Organisation: Course overview
(from http://www.fba.nus.edu.sg/studentfba/s2y0203/bh1001.doc)
The primary focus of this course is to provide students with a sound foundation in the field of Management and Organization. It addresses the essence of what managers do and provides a contemporary approach to understanding M&O. The four basic components of managerial functions are examined: Planning (to set direction), Organizing (to create structures), Leading (to inspire effort) and Controlling (to ensure results). A sound understanding of these aspects will allow you to better appreciate how effective performances of these four managerial functions affect organizational success. Key topics covered in this course include managing and the managers' job, the evolution of management theory, the dynamic new workplace, organizational environment and competitive advantage, global dimensions of management, planning and decision making, the organizing process, foundations of behavior, managing individuals and groups and the controlling process. ------------------------------ |
2. Start early to organize your readings, notes, and assignments.
It is advisable that you start preparing for exams from the beginning of term. And here’s the reason why: you cannot hope to carry out your revision effectively if your readings for BZ1003 Marketing are sandwiched together with your lecture notes for ME2151 Materials Science and your assignments for IDID2121 Design in the Urban Environment!
Lecture notes and readings: Is there anything new in the readings that will fill the gaps in your knowledge? Add in this new information to your lecture notes for a fuller picture of the topic. In this way too, you will have fewer pieces of paper to refer to, giving you a more consolidated view of the topic.
Tutorials/Assignments: Read through your past work again. What did you do well? Make sure you do it again in the exam. What were the weak points? Which aspect(s) of the topic were you unsure of? Work on them.
3. Pay attention to what is emphasized in lectures and tutorials.
This means attending lessons right up to the end! By listening carefully, you will be able to select and identify which topics you should spend more time on. Your lecturers will also tell you their expectations; since they are the ones who are going to mark your work, you’d better be listening!
4. Take note of the formats of the different exams.
For all cases of exam format, unless your lecturer says otherwise, it is advantageous to practice with past year papers. This is not so much so that you can ‘spot questions’, but more importantly, so that you will be familiarised with the paper, and can practice answering different questions. In the process, you will actually be practicing making use of your knowledge in different ways (Refer also to Exams at University to see how different types of questions test your knowledge).
Preparation tips for different exam formats
Apply these together with the general study strategies outlined above.
(Adapted from http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/learningconnection/learnres/learng/word/!13exama.rtf)
Multiple
Choice Question (MCQ) exams |
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| Requirements | Note: Multiple
choice ≠ minimal prep! These exams require you to demonstrate knowledge and command of the content. As these exams include a large number of questions, you need to be able to recall and apply quickly. Good question analysis skills are essential. |
| Preparation |
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| Exams with short answer questions | |
| Requirements | These exams include a large number of questions requiring answers of up to a paragraph. Good question analysis skills are essential. |
| Preparation |
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| Essay exams | |
| Requirements | These exams require you to demonstrate your analytical skills, to recall and apply knowledge in specific ways. Good question analysis skills are essential. |
| Preparation |
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| Open book exams (OBE) | |
| Requirements | They are different in that you are allowed to bring and use reference materials in the exam room. OBEs require that you learn for understanding rather than recall, make good notes and organise materials for speedy retrieval. |
| Preparation |
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| Lab/Practical exams | |
| Requirements | These performance-based exams require you to demonstrate your skills and knowledge in a practical or field-based setting. Generally the tasks you are asked to perform are straightforward. You will perform well in a practical exam if you report your methodology and observations accurately. |
| Preparation |
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b. Tips on improving your memory
Cue & Review
Let’s do another little experiment.
Try to memorise the following set of equations
How did you do?
Now read this:
| Understanding involves deep thinking. Memorising
something, however, mainly involves rehearsing something over and
over without really having to think about it. Being able to memorise
something without understanding it first will not give you good grades;
but if you understand something first and then memorise it, you are
guaranteed to do well. |
Do the equations make sense now? Try to recall them again.
Did you do better this time round?
We can draw 2 practical applications from this experiment:
a. If you need to memorise something, you should try to understand it first. Simply memorizing something (rote-learning, or remembering by heart) stores it in your short-term memory. Thus, once other distractions come up, chances are that it is quickly forgotten. If, however, you have thought deeply about the topic or issue in order to understand it, it will be more deeply rooted in your long term memory, because you would have processed it more.
b. Make up cues to help you to remember something. Using computer analogy: it’s like creating a ‘shortcut’ on your desktop, to retrieve a file or programme from your hard-drive. This will reduce the amount of space needed in your working memory (CPU equivalent), to recall what you have learned in your long term memory (hard-drive equivalent).
Types of cues you can use:
• Mnemonics
o This is especially useful if you have to remember something by rote, such as for Science and Maths subjects.
o Use abbreviations, acronyms, rhymes, images, or numbers in association with your learning material.- Going back to the example above, M stood for ‘Memorising’, while U represented ‘Understanding’.
- Another example, in Psychology: visualising the structure of the brain (Psychology) as a boxing glove, as below.
• Flash cards
o Write a concept/mathematical formula on one side, and details/explanations on the other. Test yourself by looking only at the formula, trying as much as possible not to refer to the details on the reverse side.
Cue & Review
What does it mean to review?
This means to go over something again, to check for understanding and
ability to recall.
Why
is reviewing important?
You might think that you already ‘know’ something, so you
don’t need to go over it again. Even so, what you have learned will
be of no use to you if you cannot recall it during the exam! By reviewing,
you are creating a well-worn mental path to the things you have learned,
thereby facilitating your recall.
How exactly do you review?
- Use your cues. Practice by trying to recall your facts through self-quizzes, with only the cues you have created as prompts. This will develop your memory as well.
- Review often. Ideally, you should review material as soon as you learn it, and then distribute review sessions weekly and monthly. If you have not been doing so, the most effective thing for you to do is to identify areas that you are weaker in, and start using the cue-and-review pattern of studying.
c. Links to subject-specific advice
You can find useful practical information on preparing for different subjects on these sites.
BUT:
Don’t forget to listen to what your lecturers say is important as well!
| Subject Links: Biology
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